Heinrich: Building 21st Century Infrastructure Means Confronting The Climate Crisis
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) participated in a virtual discussion hosted by Climate Power to highlight how communities across the country are being impacted by flooding, wildfires, drought, and hurricanes, and why the 21st century infrastructure improvements in the American Jobs Plan are critical to mitigating extreme weather and creating good paying jobs.
VIDEO: Heinrich: Building 21st Century Infrastructure Means Confronting The Climate Crisis [HD DOWNLOAD LINK HERE]
“As Congress and the White House continue to negotiate a major investment in infrastructure, we can’t afford to shortchange investments in climate resilience and in clean energy. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to power our economic recovery and put Americans to work by solving our long-term climate challenge,” said Heinrich. “We can’t allow this opportunity to pass us by. And we shouldn’t allow ourselves to get bogged down in bad faith negotiations or accept any deals that would shortchange or entirely leave out climate action.
Senator Heinrich laid out some of the climate provisions that he’d like to see included in an infrastructure agreement: "We need to rebuild our water systems and wastewater infrastructure to reflect the reality of reduced snowpack and flooding events. We need a resilient and reliable energy production and transmission system that can’t fail us in the ways that we saw in California during its extreme wildfire season or in Texas after its recent winter storms. This is our chance to build charging infrastructure in every corner of our country for the rapidly growing fleet of electric vehicles, and remove barriers to home electrification. And it is our best opportunity to stand up a 21st century Civilian Climate Corps that empowers a new generation of Americans to restore our landscapes and open up new opportunities on our public lands."
Senator Heinrich was joined by U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), U.S. Representative Kath Castor (D-Fla.), and Climate Power Executive Director Lori Lodes.
