{"id":348,"date":"2020-11-24T15:51:13","date_gmt":"2020-11-24T20:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.pirg-test.com\/georgia\/edfund\/resources\/blueprint-america-7\/"},"modified":"2022-08-16T13:54:15","modified_gmt":"2022-08-16T17:54:15","slug":"blueprint-for-america","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/dev.pirg-test.com\/georgia\/edfund\/resources\/blueprint-for-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Blueprint for America"},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":false,"_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":""},"campaign_tax":[],"display_option":[],"issue_tax":[],"resource_type":[64],"region_tax":[],"state":[13,2],"topic_tax":[],"class_list":["post-348","resource","type-resource","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"details":{"helper_taxonomies":{"topics":false,"collection":false,"press_type":false,"person_type":false,"resource_type":64,"event_type":false,"campaigns":false,"department":false,"level":false,"states":[2,13],"act_option":false,"display_option":false,"primary":{"topic":null}},"subtitle":"An infrastructure plan to make our families and communities safer, healthier and more resilient","excerpt":"Americans agree: Our nation\u2019s infrastructure needs work. This report provides the blueprint that should form the basis of an infrastructure plan that will make America stronger today and lay the foundation for a brighter future.\u00a0\nExecutive Summary\nAmericans agree: Our nation\u2019s infrastructure needs work.\nRepublicans, Democrats and independents alike all support boosting federal investment in infrastructure.1\u00a0A transpartisan effort to rebuild the nation\u2019s infrastructure can help to bring Americans together at a time of increasing polarization and help heal the economic wounds caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.\nThrowing money at the problem, however, is not the solution. Nor is rebuilding the same old infrastructure in the same old ways.\nA transformative infrastructure plan for the United States must focus on the nation\u2019s key 21st\u00a0century priorities and use taxpayer resources wisely.\u00a0It should focus infrastructure investment in ways that will make us healthier and safer, prioritize infrastructure repair, avoid investing in infrastructure likely to become \u201cstranded assets,\u201d and get the most out of every dollar invested by using our infrastructure efficiently.\nThe following proposals in the areas of\u00a0energy, transportation, water, solid waste and natural infrastructure\u00a0should form the basis of an infrastructure plan that will make America stronger today and lay the foundation for a brighter future. (For full list of infrastructure proposals download report.)\nEnergy:\u00a0Renewable energy is on the rise across America. But to take full advantage of our enormous potential for clean energy, the nation should prioritize investments and infrastructure including:\nInvest in renewable energy infrastructure\u00a0by expanding tax credits for wind, solar, and energy storage projects, and by providing at least $7 billion toward Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants to help communities reduce energy use and deploy clean energy projects.2\nModernize and strengthen the electric grid\u00a0by funding and incentivizing the deployment of energy storage systems and providing federal loan guarantees for the construction of high-voltage transmission lines. To ensure a resilient grid able to withstand climate change-fueled storms, the federal government should develop strong grid resilience standards, and provide states and communities with resources to strengthen physical grid infrastructure and deploy technologies to respond to grid disruptions.\nPromote domestic manufacturing of clean energy technologies\u00a0through tax credits for expanding or building manufacturing facilities, as well as for production of clean energy products. The federal government should also develop a national strategy to ensure sufficient and ethical supply of minerals and materials necessary for supporting clean energy manufacturing.\nTransportation:\u00a0America\u2019s roads, bridges and transit systems are in dire need of repair, and the nation\u2019s transportation needs were changing, even before the disruption caused by COVID-19. Infrastructure projects to help build a 21st\u00a0century transportation system include:\nRepair crumbling roads and bridges and require states to \u201cfix it first\u201d\u00a0by reorienting transportation funding away from the construction of new and wider highways and toward repair of existing roads and associated infrastructure. States should be required to focus National Highway Performance Program funds on repair and rehabilitation until existing roads and bridges are in a state of good repair.3\nExpand and electrify public transportation\u00a0beginning with the immediate provision of at least $32 billion in emergency operating support for transit to maintain service in the wake of COVID-related budget shortfalls.4\u00a0Then, Congress should address the $98 billion backlog in needed transit repairs, expand transit by increasing funding for Capital Investment Grants, and support community deployment of electric buses with new funding for the Low or No Emissions Vehicle program.5\nBuild a national network for electric vehicle charging\u00a0by providing funds to build out state and regional EV charging networks and corridors, including at rest stops and park-and-rides. Funding should be contingent on stations being publicly accessible, using open and interoperable charging standards, and providing open data so that drivers can find available chargers.\nWater:\u00a0Aging water infrastructure\u00a0threatens public health and the environment and wastes valuable drinking water. Infrastructure projects to protect our water include:\nInvest in sewage treatment and in \u201cgreen infrastructure\u201d that limits the flow of polluted runoff into rivers and streams.\u00a0Congress should provide $6 billion a year in wastewater infrastructure grants, primarily through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, and should allocate 20% of those funds for green and natural infrastructure projects the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Green Project Reserve.6\nReplace lead service lines\u00a0to protect Americans, particularly children, from the damaging lifelong health impacts caused by lead exposure. To do so, Congress should invest $4.5 billion per year in drinking water infrastructure grants to fund full lead service line replacement, along with $1 billion per year to help schools replace lead-bearing water fountains and faucets.\nRepair and replace leaky pipes to conserve water\u00a0by increasing funding for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, and ensuring that funds go to projects that conserve water rather than those that increase use by expanding reservoirs or building pipelines to untapped sources.\nSolid waste:\u00a0America faces a waste crisis, with China and other nations rejecting imports of our garbage, recycling systems on the ropes, and plastic pollution piling up in our forests, parks, rivers and ocean waters.7\u00a0Federal projects to help communities get on top of the crisis include:\nSupport community efforts to reduce waste generation and move toward \u201czero waste\u201d by\u00a0providing $250 million in funding for composting infrastructure for food and yard waste, programs to reduce waste, and efforts to promote recycling.\nHelp cities and states improve waste infrastructure by\u00a0ensuring full funding for current programs, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s Solid Waste Management Grants for rural areas and EPA\u2019s Tribal Waste Management Program. Congress should also create new funding opportunities for cities and states to improve their solid waste systems.\nEncourage the purchase of recycled material through incentives and \u201clead by example\u201d measures.\u00a0The federal government, which spends more than $500 billion on goods and services each year, can strengthen and expand the market for recycled material by making sustainable purchasing decisions whenever possible.8\nNatural infrastructure:\u00a0America\u2019s wetlands, forests and rivers \u2013 our natural infrastructure \u2013 provide invaluable benefits like flood protection and cleaner air and water, and are worthy of protection for their own sake. Projects to protect and enhance the value of our natural land include:\nProtect 30% of America\u2019s land area and waterways by 2030\u00a0by establishing this goal in Congress and prioritizing the protection of areas with high ecological, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration value.9\u00a0The federal government should also build on existing rules, such as the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, to guard against destructive infrastructure on public and undeveloped land.\nIncrease climate resilience through a re-established Civilian Conservation Corps, which employed 3 million Americans in the 1930s doing work such as forest management, flood control, and planting more than 3 billion trees.10\u00a0A new Corps should be established with a focus on making the nation more resilient in the face of climate change, doing work such as reforestation and restoring other natural areas, and wildfire prevention and response.\nIncrease support for watershed and coastal restoration and protection\u00a0with full funding for programs including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s National Estuarine Research Reserve Program, EPA\u2019s National Estuary Program, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service\u2019s Coastal Program.11\u00a0Congress should also provide additional resources for states to manage their own watersheds and coastal areas by strengthening the National Coastal Zone Management Program.12\nAmerica can also improve all areas of infrastructure by ensuring that future funding goes to projects that align with public goals, and that proposed projects will not hurt more than they help. In support of this aim, the federal government should restore full environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act.\nThe coming decade presents an opportunity to forge a bold approach that addresses the nation\u2019s most important challenges while using taxpayer money wisely.\u00a0Federal policymakers should take advantage of this opportunity to prioritize projects and approaches that deliver lasting benefits for the American people and future generations.\n\u00a0\n\u00a0\nFrank Newport, \u201cThe Singular Appeal of a Government Focus on Infrastructure,\u201d\u00a0Gallup News, 2 May 2019, available at https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/opinion\/polling-matters\/249326\/singular-appeal-g....\u21a9\ufe0e\nU.S. Department of Energy,\u00a0Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, archived at\u00a0http:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20201014212100\/https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/eere\/wipo\/energy-efficiency-and-conservation-block-grant-program.\u21a9\ufe0e\nKevin DeGood, Center for American Progress,\u00a0A Reform Agenda for the U.S. Department of Transportation, 9 September 2020, archived at http:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20201016210719\/https:\/\/www.americanprogress.o....\u21a9\ufe0e\nTransportation for America,\u00a0Tell Congress: Transit Needs More Immediate Assistance, archived on 1 November 2020 at http:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20201101032304\/https:\/\/t4america.org\/advocacy....\u21a9\ufe0e\nTransit maintenance backlog: Federal Highway Administration,\u00a0Status of the Nation's Highways, Bridges, and Transit - Conditions & Performance 23rd Edition, p.6-26, 2020, archived at https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20201116161521\/https:\/\/www.fhwa.dot.gov\/poli....\u21a9\ufe0e\nU.S. Environmental Protection Agency,\u00a0ARRA Clean Water State Revolving Fund Green Project Reserve Report, June 2012, archived at http:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20201017025812\/https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/sites\/prod....\u21a9\ufe0e\nSaabira Chaudhuri, \u201cRecycling Rethink: What to Do with Trash Now That China Won\u2019t Take It,\u201d\u00a0The\u00a0Wall Street Journal,\u00a019 December 2019.\u21a9\ufe0e\n\u201cFederal Government Contracting for Fiscal Year 2018 (infographic),\u201d\u00a0U.S. Government Accountability Office Watchblog, 28 May 2019, archived at http:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20201027200738\/https:\/\/blog.gao.gov\/2019\/05\/2....\u21a9\ufe0e\nHouse Select Committee on the Climate Crisis,\u00a0Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America, June 2020, archived at http:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20201108194915\/https:\/\/climatecrisis.house.go....\u21a9\ufe0e\nGerald Williams and Aaron Shapiro, U.S. Forest Service,\u00a0The Civilian Conservation Corps and The National Forests, 21 March 2008, archived at http:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20201112020823\/https:\/\/www.fs.usda.gov\/Intern....\u21a9\ufe0e\nSee note 9.\u21a9\ufe0e\nIbid.\u21a9\ufe0e","featured_image":"","caption_override":"","updated_on":null,"sidebar_action":null,"related_event":null,"hide_hero_image":false,"location":"","external_link":{"publication_name":"","url":""},"file":null,"sidebar_action_query_string":""},"helper_people_group":{"title":"Authors","entities":null},"helper_downloads":{"title":"Downloads","files":[{"file":100000000013732,"title":"GA Blueprint Report Nov20_web"}]},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"

<\/p>\n\n

Georgia PIRG Education Fund<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Executive Summary<\/h1>\n

Americans agree: Our nation\u2019s infrastructure needs work.<\/p>\n

Republicans, Democrats and independents alike all support boosting federal investment in infrastructure.1<\/a>\u00a0A transpartisan effort to rebuild the nation\u2019s infrastructure can help to bring Americans together at a time of increasing polarization and help heal the economic wounds caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

Throwing money at the problem, however, is not the solution. Nor is rebuilding the same old infrastructure in the same old ways.<\/p>\n

A transformative infrastructure plan for the United States must focus on the nation\u2019s key 21st\u00a0century priorities and use taxpayer resources wisely.<\/strong>\u00a0It should focus infrastructure investment in ways that will make us healthier and safer, prioritize infrastructure repair, avoid investing in infrastructure likely to become \u201cstranded assets,\u201d and get the most out of every dollar invested by using our infrastructure efficiently.<\/p>\n

The following proposals in the areas of\u00a0energy, transportation, water, solid waste and natural infrastructure<\/strong>\u00a0should form the basis of an infrastructure plan that will make America stronger today and lay the foundation for a brighter future. (For full list of infrastructure proposals download report.)<\/p>\n

Energy:<\/em>\u00a0Renewable energy is on the rise across America. But to take full advantage of our enormous potential for clean energy, the nation should prioritize investments and infrastructure including:<\/strong><\/p>\n