I was also trying to figure out what "human infrastructure" meant.
Worth 3.5 Trillion dollars.
Here it is:
July 8, 2021
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Steny Hoyer Majority Leader United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable James E. Clyburn Majority Whip United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515
Dear Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer and Majority Whip Clyburn
We write to you as representatives of millions of constituents who have suffered from COVID-19, police violence, climate disasters, and economic injustice this past year, many of whom were suffering before. As the urgency to invest in public climate infrastructure and jobs intensifies each day, we urge you to work with us to deliver robust and lasting investments at a scale that directly addresses the climate crisis. We are very concerned that the American Jobs Plan (AJP), and more so the bipartisan compromise as it presently stands, will not reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving the climate crisis to the extent that science and justice require. Absent stronger investments in renewable power, it may in fact drive a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the AJP is a good start but not yet the climate plan we need. The bipartisan and Republican proposals are even less so. We need a Green New Deal We need a jobs and infrastructure plan that meets demands laid out in the Green New Deal ─ that prioritizes investments in frontline communities, ensures respect for tribal sovereignty, and includes robust labor standards and protections. Leading researchers believe that investments of at least $1 trillion a year over the next decade are necessary to match the scale of the climate crisis, create 15 million good union jobs, and eliminate environmental injustice.
1 However, since the release of the President’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget in late May, the conversation has become a discouraging, tepid dance between the already compromised AJP and plans from Republicans and bipartisan coalitions that leave climate out entirely. We are very concerned about missing this once-in-a-generation governing moment. This is our chance to make lasting investments that empower the public sphere. We will not be satisfied with advancing an expansive infrastructure bill without making comprehensive, direct investments in public renewable power. Such investments would rapidly decarbonize our economy and outweigh the increased emissions that will come with new road and bridge construction and
1https://
www.peri.umass.edu/component/k2/item/1397-employment-impacts-of-proposed-u-s-economic-stimulus-p
post-pandemic industrial activity. Relying solely on tax credits runs the risk of disproportionately benefiting the wealthy when we need to build up the public realm and raise everyone’s quality of life
by enshrining public utilities as human rights. Just in the last two weeks, climate-induced floods have taken lives in Michigan, heat waves have killed hundreds in the Northwest, and the ocean caught on fire from spilled fossil fuels multiple times; we need to act now.
2 We are encouraged by the recent chorus of Democrats demanding “no climate, no deal” and remain committed to delivering a robust Green New Deal for our constituents. Now, our caucus must offer a moral vision for this moment rooted in the real-world needs of the communities we represent.
As our caucus advances the budget resolution, which will dictate the scale and scope of the upcoming reconciliation bill on infrastructure, we urgently need to include the following priorities:
● $250 billion in climate and
environmental justice funding for local governments;
● $1 trillion investment to build
public renewables with
union labor
● $600 billion investment to expand public transit, passenger rail and active transportation and rapidly electrify the transportation sector;
● $600 billion investment to upgrade public housing and public schools;
● $132 billion investment for
Civilian Climate Corps;
● Direct 50% of funds to
frontline communities; and
● An end to directing public dollars towards subsidizing fossil fuels, matched with aggressive energy and equity standards to transition off of fossil fuels and support affected workers. In representing our communities, we must push for an infrastructure and jobs bill that places
climate justice at its center and puts us on track to exceed President Biden’s own commitment of cutting US emissions in half by the end of the decade. Any investments we make should
prioritize frontline communities, ensure respect for tribal sovereignty, and include strong labor standards and protections. This is the very least we can do to avert the worst of the climate crisis. Anything less would be unacceptable and an abdication of our
global responsibility. We welcome your partnership in making sure these provisions are included in a jobs plan that not only meets the needs of the American people, but also provides the necessary investments that
our communities deserve.
Sincerely, CORI BUSH Member of Congress
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ Member of Congress
JAMAAL BOWMAN, ED.D Member of Congress
AYANNA PRESSLEY Member of Congress
ILHAN OMAR Member of Congress
JESÚS G. "CHUY" GARCÍA Member of Congress
PRAMILA JAYAPAL Member of Congress
RASHIDA TLAIB Member of Congress
MONDAIRE JONES Member of Congress
RITCHIE TORRES Member of Congress
ADRIANO ESPAILLAT Member of Congress
