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Senators reached agreement yesterday to begin consideration of a once-in-a-generation bipartisan infrastructure spending package that includes historic investments to help tackle the climate crisis.
Following the announcement, the White House shared a fact sheet on the framework of the legislation, which will include the largest investment in clean energy transmission and electric vehicle infrastructure in history, and the creation of a new Grid Deployment Authority to modernize the electric grid for 21st century standards. The bill also calls for the largest investment in clean drinking water and waste water infrastructure in American history to deliver clean water to millions of families, and delivers billions in funds to clean up superfund and brownfield sites, reclaim abandoned mine land, and cap orphaned gas wells.
While some critics argue the agreement falls short of expectations on climate, they acknowledge it represents a significant down payment to make progress and sets the stage for President Biden and lawmakers to use all the tools available to them to pursue additional measures. Senator Tom Carper, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is among those who says the agreement doesn't go far enough on climate, although he also said, “Do we need to do more? Yes. Can we and will we? Yes.”
Podcast: Legendary public lands photographer Bob Wick
The latest episode of the Center for Western Priorities' podcast, The Landscape, is a special video episode with public lands photographer Bob Wick, who is retiring after more than 30 years with the Bureau of Land Management. Bob has taken some of the most iconic outdoor photos of America's national monuments and wilderness areas, and he shares some of his favorite stories in the first part of a two-episode conversation.
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The hard lesson we’re learning about climate change is that it’s not a gradual, slow descent to a new state of affairs."
