Sarbanes Backs Bold Infrastructure Package [Video]
The LIFT America Act Would Boost the Economy, Create Millions of Jobs, Reduce Carbon Emissions, Improve Energy Efficiency, Expand Broadband Access and Protect Public Health
WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing today, Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) endorsed the LIFT America Act, a sweeping effort to help accelerate the nation's economic recovery from COVID-19 by rebuilding and modernizing infrastructure across the United States, improving energy efficiency and climate resiliency, increasing access to high-speed broadband and improving the delivery of health care in every community across the country.
The bill invests more than $312 billion in an array of cutting-edge infrastructure projects. It also includes the 21st Century Power Grid Act, a bill authored by Congressman Sarbanes to help modernize, secure and decarbonize America's electric grid.
"I'm a very proud sponsor of the LIFT America Act," said Congressman Sarbanes, who co-sponsored the effort in 2019. "This is a terrific bill. It represents a lot of collaboration by many Members [of Congress] and obviously experts who have helped to provide perspective on it."
Sarbanes continued: "The average American, I think, when you say ‘infrastructure' to them, they tend to think of highways and bridges and tunnels. We know it's much more than that. We've talked about public health infrastructure. We've talked about broadband. We know we have to lift up the water infrastructure across the country, the electric grid, etc. So infrastructure means many, many different things. The LIFT America Act is trying to address those."
Sarbanes concluded: "I am thrilled that we have included in the LIFT America Act the 21st Century Power Grid Act, which I was privileged to work on over the last couple of Congresses. That would empower the Department of Energy to support projects that improve grid performance, security, resiliency and so forth. We've got to make that kind of investment if we are going to meet these 21st Century challenges."
See below for a video of the Congressman's remarks.
See here for a section-by-section of the LIFT America Act.
See here for bill text.
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