350.org on the U.S. Senate Passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

Today, the U.S. Senate passed a US$1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill called the Infrastructure and Jobs Act. Senate Democrats are now debating their US$3.5 trillion budget that seeks to advance infrastructure spending, including investment in climate resilience.

350.org US Policy Director Natalie Mebane said in response:

"Today, our Senate missed a major opportunity to invest in vital climate resilient infrastructure. Instead of facing the climate crisis, the Senate has chosen to invest billions into propping up the fossil fuel industry. While they could have led the way to a clean energy future, they chose to pour billions into the false promise of carbon capture and storage, further locking us into decades of new fossil fuel infrastructure which will ensure planetary and community devastation.

"The Senate should invest billions more to improve our mass transit, increase spending to electrify school and public buses, and invest more in electric vehicle infrastructure. Although this bill begins to address the crisis of dangerous lead pipes, it fails to meet Biden's goal of replacing all lead pipes. We need to build and improve infrastructure that will ensure a livable future and climate resilient communities."