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US President Joe Biden announced 24 June a bipartisan agreement
on a framework to craft a national infrastructure bill just two
weeks after ending negotiations with Senate Republicans.
Proposed at $1.2 trillion over eight years, the "Bipartisan
Infrastructure Framework" would be just over half the size of the
$2.2 trillion "American Jobs Plan" that Biden proposed in the
spring, which he later whittled down to $1.7 trillion (see links here, here, and here). But the framework
represents a much larger investment than prior Republican
proposals, none of which reached the $1 trillion level.
"The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework is a critical step in
implementing President Biden's Build Back Better vision," the White
House said in a statement. "The plan makes transformational and
historic investments in clean transportation infrastructure, clean
water infrastructure, universal broadband infrastructure, clean
power infrastructure, remediation of legacy pollution, and
resilience to the changing climate."
New spending would amount to $579 billion in the first year,
then more than double to $1.209 trillion over eight years.
Ten senators—five Republicans and five
Democrats—negotiated with Biden, and he praised them during a
press conference at the White House. When asked about whether the
Republicans would stay onboard if they are pressured by their
colleagues, Biden said: "They've given me their word. Where I come
from that's good enough for me."
As with Biden's earlier proposals, the plan includes numerous
elements aimed at reducing emissions from the transportation sector
as part of plans for a 50-52% GHG emissions reduction (from 2005
levels) by 2030 and a net-zero economy by 2050.
Among its features:
Build a national network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers
along highways and in rural and disadvantaged communities, reaching
the president's goal of 500,000 new EV chargers. Cost: $7.5
billion.
Electrify thousands of school and transit buses, which would
drive domestic manufacturing of zero emission vehicles and
components. Cost: $7.5 billion.
Create a new Grid Authority that will oversee permitting of
thousands of miles of new power transmission lines. Cost: $73
billion. Saying that the lines will "facilitate the expansion of
renewable energy," the White House called it "the single largest
investment in clean energy transmission in American history."
Information was not available immediately about whether the plan
retains prior proposals to extend tax credits for new renewable
generation capacity for a decade and credits to buyers of EVs.
Climate issues and environmental justice run through most of the
spending categories, as the White House laid out spending for the
expansion of transit and passenger rail networks; rebuilding of
roads and bridges "with a focus on climate change mitigation" and
safety for cyclists and pedestrians; resiliency upgrades; and
cleanup of legacy pollution sites. The plan also would create an
Infrastructure Financing Authority that the White House said "will
leverage billions of dollars into clean transportation and clean
energy."
Financing for the program will come from more than a dozen
sources, including redirecting unspent emergency relief funds,
selling oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, targeted
corporate user fees, reinstatement Superfund fees for chemicals,
and auctioning 5G telecommunications licenses.
Senators Rob Portman, Republican-Ohio, and Kyrsten Sinema,
Democrat-Arizona were credited with leading the bipartisan
negotiations. In addition to Portman and Sinema, the other senators
who crafted the deal are Republicans Susan Collins, Maine; Bill
Cassidy, Louisiana; Lisa Murkowski, Alaska; and Mitt Romney, Utah.
The other Democrats are Joe Manchin, West Virginia; Jeanne Shaheen,
New Hampshire; Jon Tester, Montana; and Mark Warner, Virginia.
Complications ahead
While maneuvering through the Senate, where Democrats and
Republicans each hold 50 seats, is considered more challenging than
the House of Representatives, the plan will not necessarily sail
through the lower chamber even though Democrats have an edge of 222
vs. 213.
Members of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party
expressed frustration with the compromise, particularly over the
relatively small share allocated to environmental justice
matters.
"The diversity of this 'bipartisan coalition' pretty perfectly
conveys which communities get centered and which get left behind
when leaders prioritize bipartisan dealmaking over inclusive
lawmaking (which prioritizes delivering the most impact possible
for the most people)," wrote Representative Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat-New York, in a tweet. (All 10 senators who
negotiated the plan are white.)
But that's the nature of compromise, Biden said at his press
conference. "… none of us got all that we wanted. I clearly didn't
get all I wanted. They gave more than I think maybe they were
inclined to give in the first place," Biden said.
The other complication is that Biden has indicated that he views
the infrastructure plan as one of his priorities, but part of a
package with his American Families Plan and the federal budget for
the next fiscal year. A day prior to announcing the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Framework, Biden said he would not sign an
infrastructure plan without a budget resolution as well. "If only
one comes to me … I'm not signing it. It's in tandem," he said after meeting with Senate
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat-New York, and Speaker of
the House Nancy Pelosi, Democrat-California.
The Sierra Club issued a statement on 24 June seeking to hold
him to that promise and outlining its priorities in the budget
process for an end to fossil fuel tax breaks; retrofits for
electrification of all public housing, schools, and hospitals;
support for clean manufacturing—and higher corporate taxes to
help pay for the initiatives.
