As part of the national “infrastructure week,” three public interest groups have released a new report showing a need for targeted investments to alleviate infrastructure woes.
Though the federal government currently seeks to dispatch $2 trillion into the effort, the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Environment America Research and Policy Center, and the Frontier Group all agreed that blindly throwing money at the problem won’t solve anything. It’s how one spends that money that matters, especially to effectively counteract the dangers of climate change, pollution, and public safety threats.
“Any infrastructure package must move us away from reliance on dirty fossil fuels and closer to a society that avoids wasting energy and powers itself with clean, renewable energy ” Rob Sargent, senior director of Environment America Research & Policy Center’s Clean Energy Program, said. “We should only build things that guarantee a healthier future, which means investing in energy conservation and clean, renewable sources of energy such as the sun and wind.”
Seeking a long-term plan, they provided a basic outline for Congress, urging legislators to follow four principles when deciding how best to spend the money. They request focused investments into things like clean water accessibility and safe air, into repairing current infrastructure before building new projects, rejecting the urge to invest in new infrastructure that will be abandoned later, and adapting old equipment to current needs. Energy, water, natural infrastructure, solid waste, and transportation all have their needs, and they see all as necessary going forward.
“If Congress and the Trump administration avoid the temptation to spend indiscriminately and instead develop a bold new infrastructure vision, we have the opportunity to give our children and grandchildren a stronger, healthier and more sustainable future,” Alan Delattre, senior vice president for program at The Public Interest Network, said.