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☆ Biden's laws are pouring billions into new infrastructure and it could be a rare opportunity to make communities safer and more sustainable
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The American Society of Civil Engineers gave it a C-minus in 2021 and said the US needed about $2.6 trillion in infrastructure investment over a decade. These include nonvehicle transportation projects such as pedestrian bridges and urban bike paths and neighborhood-level projects like park improvements. Inflation, worker shortages, and other obstaclesAcross the country, there are some key practical challenges to implementing infrastructure projects. Overcoming barriersLocal governments and employers across the country recognize many of the challenges to building and maintaining major projects. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act alone, 72 programs "emphasize or allow some type of workforce development activity," a Brookings report found.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Joseph Kane, Charles Marohn, Marohn, Kane, Drew Angerer, it's, Biden, It's, Greg Gianforte Organizations: Service, American Society of Civil Engineers, Infrastructure Investment, Jobs, Business, Transportation, Brookings Institution, Rail, Potomac, White House, Texas Department, US Department of Transportation, Michigan's, Grant, they're, Biden, Builders and Contractors, Congress, Jobs Act, Brookings Locations: Washington, Strong, Baltimore, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Long, New York, Austin, Austinites, America, Detroit, Brookings, Montana

☆ Republicans want to shred Amtrak funding as the railroad plans a historic Sunbelt and Western expansion
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

House Republicans are proposing slashing funding for Amtrak and other infrastructure in the 2024 budget. The spending cuts, which would put Amtrak funding below 2003 levels, would also undermine the railroad's major plans to expand its routes and improve infrastructure in the Sunbelt and West. Passenger rail service is abysmal or nonexistent in most of the country. Both Houston — the fourth most-populous US city — and Phoenix, where the closest Amtrak station is 36 miles from downtown, have Amtrak service just three days a week, the railroad noted. More modern, electrified rail routes have even less environmental impact.

Persons: Stephen Gardner, Gardner Organizations: Republicans, Amtrak, Service, Privacy, House Transit, Housing, Urban, Infrastructure Investment, Jobs, The Texas Department of Transportation, Houston, Department of Energy, The Washington Post Locations: Washington, Boston, West, Seattle, Portland, Houston, San Antonio, Cleveland, Detroit, Nashville, Savannah, Midwest, Texas, Dallas, Fort Worth, —, Phoenix, Atlanta, The

☆ Exclusive: EV charging firms oppose Texas' 'premature' plan to mandate Tesla standard -letter
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Abhirup Roy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters reported last week that Texas would require charging companies to include both Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) as well as the nationally recognized rival Combined Charging Standard (CCS) technology to be eligible for a state program to electrify highways using federal dollars. Tesla, the dominant EV maker in the United States, has scored a string of victories for its charging technology in recent weeks, starting with Ford Motor (F.N) saying it would adopt NACS. General Motors (GM.N), Rivian Automotive (RIVN.O) and a raft of auto and charging companies did the same, on concerns of losing out on customers if they offer only CCS. But concerns remain about how smoothly the two charging standards would talk to each other and whether having both standards in the market would raise costs for vendors and customers. Charging companies have to re-work several aspects of NACS connectors, including extending the cable length and ensuring adequate temperature ranges, as well as get certifications for specific parts, the companies said in the letter.

Persons: Elon Musk's, FLO, Tesla, Abhirup Roy, Sayantani Ghosh, Leslie Adler Organizations: FRANCISCO, Reuters, Washington, SAE, ChargePoint Holdings, ABB, Texas Transportation Commission, The Texas Department of Transportation, ChargePoint, Affordable Clean Energy, Ford Motor, General Motors, Rivian Automotive, Tesla's, U.S . Department of Energy, Thomson Locations: Texas, United States, San Francisco

☆ Exclusive: EV charging firms oppose Texas' 'premature' plan to mandate Tesla standard, letter shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Abhirup Roy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Those announcements follow decisions by GM (GM.N) and Ford (F.N) to add Tesla charging technology, shunning efforts by the Biden administration to make CCS the dominant charging standard in the United States. Texas - home to Tesla's headquarters and a new car factory complex - is the first state which will mandate Tesla's charging technology, giving a boost to CEO Elon Musk's hope of making it the national charging standard. "It’ll effectively make an NACS the new charging standard," Cox said. The move was to prevent Tesla's North America Charging Standard from dominating the network. And at least one other state is considering giving applicants bonus points on applications if they include the Tesla charging ports.

Persons: Rivian, Tesla, Biden, Elon Musk's, Lew Cox, It’ll, Cox, Jarrett Renshaw, Hyunjoo Jin, Abhirup Roy, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Reuters, BTC, GM, Ford, CCS, Texas Department of Transportation, U.S . Department of Transportation, Tesla's, Thomson Locations: Texas, United States . Texas, California , Iowa, Michigan, U.S, Philadelphia, San Francisco

Organizers with Stop TxDOT I-45 said expanding in the area would hurt the predominantly Black and Latino communities along the stretch. Kendra London joined Stop TxDOT I-45 three years ago when she learned of the state’s plans to expand the highway. Stop TxDOT I-45 and Allendale Strong are two of more than 70 groups across the country that comprise the Freeway Fighters Network, a coalition of groups advocating for the dismantling of harmful highways and urging city leaders not to expand highways or build new ones. “We hadn’t actually stopped building new highways that still harm communities, predominantly communities of color. “We should be thinking about long-term repair,” Hood said, highlighting the Black communities affected by the highway.

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