House Passes Bill to Upgrade Aging US Infrastructure

Statement from Ken Kimmell, President, Union of Concerned Scientists

Published Jul 1, 2020

WASHINGTON—The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the Moving Forward Act, legislation that will help the nation avoid potentially disastrous climate impacts while offering communities a lifeline in a struggling economy via local job creation and other benefits, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

The American Society of Civil Engineers gives United States infrastructure a shocking “D-plus,” in their most recent evaluation. The Moving Forward Act invests in our nation’s infrastructure by bringing our roads and bridges into a state of good repair and climate readiness. It also helps address climate change by supporting electric vehicle adoption, helping deploy clean energy technologies, and building resilience into infrastructure systems.

Below is a statement from Ken Kimmell, president of UCS:

“Today the House passed a much-needed boost to the United States’ struggling economy, as this legislation could add millions of jobs and support local economies at a time when it’s desperately needed. Electrifying cars, trucks, and buses and expanding our clean energy infrastructure will go a long way toward reducing our nation’s global warming emissions and local sources of air pollution. It’s important to see the House enacting long-term solutions that will help many communities—particularly those that are often underserved and marginalized—deal with worsening climate change and get to work combating the growing harm climate change impacts are imposing on our critical infrastructure.”

Check out a recent UCS fact sheet “Building Equitable, Clean, and Climate-Safe Infrastructure,” which lists principles decisionmakers should keep in mind, such as ensuring all investments support environmental and public health safeguards.

For a recent UCS blog analyzing key provisions in the House bill, explaining how the bill increases vehicle electrification and expands numerous clean energy and vehicle tax credits, and describing the need for policymakers to increase resilience for communities, even amid ongoing economic and public health crises, click here.