Washington (AP) — Suffering from images of rising rivers, flooded roads and subways, and other damage caused by the wreckage of hurricane Ida, lawmakers from both parties have decided to upgrade the country’s aging infrastructure network. I swear.
As a deadly storm passes northeast from the Gulf Coast, parliamentarians refute that power lines, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure are deteriorating despite intensifying storms and other extreme weather events. He said he provided evidence that he could not. At least 50 people from Virginia to Connecticut died when rainwater from Aida’s wreckage flowed into people’s homes and swallowed cars.
Storms in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama have killed at least 16 people.
“Global warming is approaching us,” said Senate leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y. “If there was a record rainfall twice a week (in New York City), it’s not just a coincidence. When we get all the changes we’ve seen in the weather, it’s not a coincidence …. Unless you do something about it, it will get worse. “
Schumer and other lawmakers said the catastrophe is the latest example of why the country needs an infrastructure bill of about $ 1 trillion passed by the Senate last month. He and other Democrats are also calling for the passage of President Joe Biden’s $ 3.5 trillion party reconstruction program aimed at helping families and fighting climate change.
“It’s very important to pass the two bills,” Schumer said.
Democrats hope to pass both bills by the end of this month, but action on bipartisan bills may be difficult until a larger package is prepared. Progressive states that it would not support bipartisan legislation without strong companion legislation to raise priorities.
Biden proposed a bipartisan bill on Friday, saying it would “change the situation in our city across the country.” He cited the “historical investment” in the bill for roads, railroads, bridges, and clean energy, clean water, and universal broadband.
“It’s about resilience,” Biden said. “Make our roads and highways safer. Make us more resilient to the devastating effects of extreme weather in so many parts of the country.”
The plan includes $ 110 billion for road and bridge construction and repairs and $ 66 billion for rail upgrades. It also upgrades the power grid and builds thousands of miles of transmission lines to expand the use of renewable energy, with about $ 60 billion, and roads, ports, to withstand the damage caused by stronger storms and wildfires. Includes approximately $ 47 billion to remodel and rebuild the bridge. Drought.
Senator Bill Cassidy of R-La said:
Cassidy, the chief negotiator of the bipartisan bill, advertised the infrastructure bill as a boon to hurricane-prone states like him. “If Republicans look around my state and see this damage,” if we have money for elasticity, money to strengthen the grid, money to help sewers and water, this is what we do. It may be something to do. ” “He told CNN.
Ultimately, repairs and replacements of roads, bridges, and other infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Ida and other natural disasters may be funded by Congress as emergency relief. But according to Jeff Davis, a senior fellow at the Washington think tank Eno Center for Transportation, the bipartisan bill will provide significant investment in “future-seeking” infrastructure for climate change and extreme weather events. Worth it.
The bill will be the first Army Corps of Engineers to invest in “climate resilience,” including $ 17 billion to address the unprocessed portion of a federal flood control project.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will receive $ 492 million to map inland and coastal floods, including “next generation” modeling and forecasting. An additional $ 492 million will be used to improve the resilience of coastal communities to floods by restoring natural ecosystems.
The law also provides the Federal Emergency Management Agency with $ 3.5 billion to help communities reduce the risk of flood damage, and the Department of Transportation subsidizes the state to improve the resilience of ports and other coastal infrastructure. We will provide $ 8.7 billion to give money.
“We need to start planning what the future holds and do some modeling to help predict what these future risks will be,” FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell told Fox News Sunday. Climate change will intensify the “new normal” more rapidly. “These threats are not gone and we need to start reducing their impact.”
Republican Rep. Garret Graves needs a bipartisan infrastructure bill, but the Senate-approved bill freezes the interests of states that encourage fossil fuel production in oil-producing countries such as Louisiana. He said it could be harmful to.
The democracy-only bill has worsened, calling it “the last nail in the casket” for the offshore oil industry, which is already struggling for pandemics and hurricanes, Graves said.
“This is all about benefiting Iran,” Graves said. “It benefits Russia. It benefits China.”
In an interview, Graves said he would like to use emergency spending to help Louisiana and other states struck by the hurricane. That way, money is “adjusted for disasters” and is based on need, not ideology, he said.
But urgent spending, and even bipartisan infrastructure bills, aren’t enough to address the threat of climate change, said Ed Potosnack, secretary-general of the New Jersey Nature Maintenance Voter Federation. rice field.
“We haven’t taken the bold steps we need to protect our families, our way of life, and the communities we value,” he said.
Aida, in the heart of New Jersey, was flooded by Potosnack, who said at least seven “100-year storms” have occurred in recent decades, increasing the intensity and frequency of storms. ..
“I hope this storm is a reminder to all our elected officials. This is what climate change looks like,” said Potosnack. “Parliament needs to act to meet the challenges we face.”
Legislators pledge action after Ida floods the northeastern Gulf Coast | WGN Radio 720
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