This one’s a big deal
Although there are those that are arguing that the upcoming bipartisan infrastructure deal doesn’t go far enough when it comes to tackling climate change, one climate expert says that even a moderate deal could have a significant impact on the environment, particularly when it comes to the key swing state of Pennsylvania.
One of the current infrastructure deals, which could be debated next week, consists of a $579 billion framework to provide funding for electric vehicle infrastructure, as well as to electrify school and transit buses, while updating the power grid, and reducing pollution. Mack Trucks, the commercial freight company, currently builds an electric truck in Lehigh Valley and could benefit significantly from this spending. Investments in battery and storage capacity could also help, while bringing the Keystone State down from being one of the top five emitters of carbon in the US, a problem that also impacts the states around it.
Bringing down greenhouse gases would benefit a number of states in the region, while the plan would also help to incentivize new jobs with solar energy and other renewables, even using the same land that had once been used for mining coal, with yet more job prospects to be found in cleaning up abandoned sites which will have an immediate benefit on the environment.
The bipartisan infrastructure agreement will likely be one of a two part infrastructure bill moves to rebuild America for the better, and even the smaller aspects of it are likely to shape the country in a crucial new direction in the next four years. It’s just one reason why the country is considerably better off in the hands of a Democratic president and congressional majority.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making