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☆ Why it's so hard to build new electrical transmission lines in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Building new transmission lines in the U.S. takes so long — if they are built at all — that electrical transmission has become a roadblock for deploying clean energy. Energy companies that build new transmission lines need to get a return on their investment, explains James McCalley, an electrical engineering professor at Iowa State University. "Someone that benefits more frequent transmission line will pay more than someone who benefits less from a transmission line." transmission lines, energy grid, clean energyGreat River Energy and Minnesota Power are in the early stages of building a 150-mile, 345 kilovolt transmission line from northern to central Minnesota. Engaging with all members of the respective community is a necessary part of any successful transmission line build out, Patel and Johnson both say.

☆ A GOP senator says Republican lawmakers are frustrated with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg because he wants 'everything to be climate and politically correct'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Hill Republicans are increasingly voicing their issues with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Sen. Capito told The Hill that Buttigieg had a "push" for everything "to be climate and politically correct." The Department of Transportation has defended Buttigieg's performance in handling recent crises. Secretary Buttigieg has been a vocal champion of President Biden's bipartisan infrastructure law. "Before, if you got your flight delayed, you weren't like 'oh that damn Elaine Chao,'" a Democratic operative told The Hill, referring to former President Donald Trump's transportation secretary.

☆ Watch live: Biden outlines plans to cut U.S. deficit by $2 trillion over the next decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Please refresh the page if you do not see a video above at that time.) Biden has made a point of speaking to union workers and highlighting jobs being created by his policies, like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, that don't require four-year college degrees. The president visited a LIUNA Laborers' Apprenticeship and Training Center in Wisconsin last week and a steamfitters hall in Virginia in late January. Biden, in excerpts from his speech, will argue that his budget won't include taxes on Americans making less than $400,000 a year and will ultimately cut the deficit by $2 trillion over the next decade. The president has yet to release his budget plan but has promised to by March 9.

☆ The workers who are supposed to lead the US response to the climate crisis are feeling 'burned out'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

There's a staffing crisis at the nation's top environmental agency, union officials say. The number of Environmental Protection Agency employees today is similar to the Ronald Reagan era. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on the culture & business of sustainability — delivered weekly to your inbox. "People are burned out," Marie Owens Powell, an EPA employee and the president of its union chapter known as AFGE Council 238, told Insider. "Communities need to implement these programs, whether it's replacing lead service lines for drinking water or cleaning up environmental pollution."

It seeks to give consumers unfettered access to a growing coast-to-coast network of EV charging stations, including Tesla Inc's (TSLA.O) SuperChargers. Tesla, the nation's largest EV maker and charging company, plans to adopt the CCS standard and expand beyond its proprietary connectors, the administration said. The United States and its allies Mexico and the European Union (EU) have clashed over protectionist policies implemented by Biden. The United States and the EU set up a task force last year to look at American laws that Europeans fear will discriminate against foreign electric car makers. EV chargers require iron and steel for some of their most crucial parts, including the internal structural frame, heating and cooling fans and the power transformer.

☆ Op-ed: U.S. inflation and jobs reports show fastest recovery in 30 years under Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Cecilia Rouse | Chair Of The Council Of Economic Advisers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The employment report earlier this month suggested U.S. employers added 517,000 jobs in January, well above what private forecasters were expecting. Over 12 million jobs have been created since President Joe Biden took office. At the same time, we have experienced the fastest jobs recovery from a recession in the last three decades. In January, the unemployment rate was 3.4%, with Black unemployment and unemployment for workers with less than a high school degree at near record lows. Looking back to where we were when President Biden came into office and the progress we have made is extraordinary.

☆ American drivers have a blinding headlight problem. It could last for years.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Drivers say they're routinely getting blinded by surrounding cars' headlights. This isn't because headlight regulations have changed — regulations on brightness haven't been altered in decades. This isn't because headlight regulations have shifted — they haven't changed in decades, according to Greg Brannon, AAA's director of automotive engineering. Adaptive driving beams automatically adjust the high beams emitted from LED car headlights in real time to avoid blinding pedestrians and other drivers. So prepare for the immediate future to be even brighter, as the blinding glare problem may get worse before it gets better.

☆ Biden played the State of the Union perfectly, but the raucous GOP proved he's dealing with a whole new kind of opposition
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Tuesday's State of the Union address was an at times raucous affair. Tuesday night showed that this is no longer your father's State of the Union address. Parts of Biden's second State of the Union resembled the United Kingdom's raucous "Prime Minister's Questions" sessions that C-SPAN nerds delight in. The State of the Union is not supposed to resemble the real-time grilling of a world leader though. To be clear, opposition party members have long trolled the president during the State of the Union.

☆ White House unveils plan to boost use of U.S.-made goods in infrastructure
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The White House is releasing proposed guidance to boost the use of American-made goods in government-funded infrastructure projects, according to documents seen by Reuters. President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address Tuesday touted the effort to require construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in the United States. And on my watch, American roads, American bridges, and American highways are going to be made with American products." The infrastructure law significantly expanded standards to require government-funded infrastructure projects use more American-made iron, steel, construction materials, and manufactured products. The public will have 30 days to comment on the proposed guidance.

☆ State of the portfolio: What Biden's address means for 10 Club stocks from Caterpillar to Ford
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

President Joe Biden 's State of the Union address put the spotlight on multiple tailwinds that will benefit 10 Club holdings including Caterpillar (CAT) and Ford (F). Linde Linde, a longtime Club holding, supplies industrial gases needed at semiconductor manufacturing facilities, known as fabrication plants. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB.

☆ Yellen: 'You don't have a recession' when U.S. unemployment at 53-year low
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"You don't have a recession when you have 500,000 jobs and the lowest unemployment rate in more than 50 years," Yellen told ABC's Good Morning America program. "What I see is a path in which inflation is declining significantly and the economy is remaining strong." Yellen told ABC that reducing inflation remained Biden's top priority, but the U.S. economy was proving "strong and resilient." Yellen called on Congress to raise the U.S. debt limit, warning that failure to do so would produce "an economic and financial catastrophe." Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Katharine Jackson; Editing by Toby Chopra and Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Some of the widest highways in the US have more than 20 lanes — but widening them won't solve traffic congestion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( James Pasley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The federal government is providing states with $350 billion to spend on highways to alleviate traffic congestion. The US has some of the widest highways in the world, but some states are planning on expanding them. Last year, the federal government enacted an infrastructure law, providing states with $350 billion for highways. Even though more lanes often just means more traffic, a number of states, including New York, Texas, Oregon, and Maryland, are considering highway widening projects to ease congestion. Here are some of the widest highways in America — and why widening them won't solve the problem.

☆ It took 50 years and $11 billion to complete a train station beneath NYC's Grand Central Terminal. It shows how hard it is to build things in the US.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

New commuter rail service to New York City's Grand Central Terminal began last week. The new station cost more than three times its initial budget and faced significant delays. The new rail service, which began limited operations last week, delivers riders to a gleaming new station some 15 stories beneath the soaring limestone facade of Grand Central Terminal. Train platforms at Grand Central Madison are well over 100 feet underground. Mary Altaffer/APPeople walk past a mural in the new Grand Central Madison last week.

WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday credited Brian Deese, his outgoing top White House economic adviser, for helping achieve the administration's economic vision for the country. "Brian has ... helped steer my economic vision into reality, and managed the transition of our historic economic recovery to steady and stable growth," Biden said. Deese, who is expected to step down in mid-February, told MSNBC that Biden had not made any decision on his replacement. Other candidates for the NEC job include Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Reuters reported last week. Only the CEA job requires Senate confirmation.

☆ U.S. awarding $800 million to improve roads, cut traffic deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The Biden administration will announce Wednesday it is awarding $800 million to redesign roads, improve sidewalks and make other upgrades to address the sharp increase in U.S. traffic deaths. Traffic deaths jumped 10.5% to 42,915 in 2021, the highest number killed on American roads since 2005. After declining for decades, traffic deaths jumped sharply after COVID-19 lockdowns expired in 2020 and more drivers engaged in unsafe behavior. Other projects include mid-block crosswalks, rumble strips, narrower lanes and backplates with reflective borders to improve traffic signal visibility. The United States has 4 million miles of roads and nearly 300 million vehicles that travel more than 3 trillion miles annually.

"While others tried to shut this down, I made clear this is a national priority," Biden told a group of lawmakers and supporters gathered at a rail yard at the Hudson River tunnel, the nation's busiest rail corridor. On Tuesday, Biden announced that the administration has awarded nearly $1.2 billion from the law's new national infrastructure project assistance discretionary grant program for nine projects across the country, White House officials said. [1/4] U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks touting how Infrastructure Law funding will be used for the Hudson River Tunnel project, during an event at the West Side Rail Yard in New York City, U.S., January 31, 2023. "Americans see these projects popping up across the country and it sends an important message that we're gonna work together," Biden said. The Hudson River tunnel project, known as the Gateway Program, would repair an existing tunnel and build a new one for Amtrak and state commuter lines between New Jersey and Manhattan.

Biden noted that 2,200 trains ride through it daily, making it the busiest tunnel in the United States. "Folks talk about how badly the Baltimore tunnel needs an upgrade. Trains that travel through the tunnel now at 30 miles per hour will travel at 110 mph when renovations are through, Biden said. In Washington, Biden faces a colder reality as Republicans, now in control of the House of Representatives, threaten to block his economic agenda, bog down his programs in investigations and prevent the raising of the debt ceiling to force spending cuts. Biden plans a similar event on Tuesday in New York related to that city's Hudson Tunnel project.

☆ Watch: Biden touts latest infrastructure project, replacing the 150-year-old train tunnel in Baltimore
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. President Joe Biden is in Baltimore, Md. on Monday to laud the latest road project funded by his Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, highlighting the state's plans to replace a 150-year-old tunnel that runs Amtrak trains between Washington, D.C. and New York City. The current Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel opened during the Ulysses S. Grant administration and is used daily for commuters with an estimated 9 million passengers travel through the tunnel annually. He will continue his infrastructure tour on Tuesday in New York, NY where he will trumpet the Hudson Tunnel project, also paid for by the new law. Both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Friday where funding from the law is being used to remove lead pipes.

☆ Biden to promote Baltimore spending as Republicans try to force cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In Washington, Biden faces a colder reality as Republicans, now in control of the House of Representatives, threaten to block his economic agenda, bog down his programs in investigations and prevent the raising of the debt ceiling to force spending cuts. Monday's event takes Biden, a Democrat who touts his alliance with labor unions, to liberal Baltimore at an event expected to be attended by the state's governor and two senators, all Democrats. He is expected to announce an agreement between Amtrak and a labor group on the tunnel project, according to a White House official. Biden plans a similar event on Tuesday in New York related to that city's Hudson Tunnel project. On Friday, he will highlight the infrastructure bill's provisions replacing toxic lead pipes at an event in Philadelphia.

☆ Elon Musk Meets With White House Officials, Congressional Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Natalie Andrews | Alexa Corse | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla Inc. and Twitter Inc., met Friday with White House officials as well as top Republicans, amid deep interest on Capitol Hill in both electric-vehicle subsidies and social-media rules. Mr. Musk spoke Friday with John Podesta , a senior energy adviser to President Biden, and Mitch Landrieu, the White House’s infrastructure law coordinator to discuss electric vehicles, according to a White House official. The meeting was held at Tesla’s Washington, D.C., office.

☆ Elon Musk met senior Biden officials to discuss working together to ramp up EV production
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk met two White House officials to discuss increasing US electric vehicle production. The Tesla CEO talked to Biden's advisors about laws including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It comes after Musk criticized Biden for not recognizing Tesla's contribution to EV production. Jean-Pierre also said: "The outreach and the meeting says a lot of how important the President thinks the bipartisan infrastructure legislation is." The $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill was signed into law in November 2021.

☆ Jeff Zients to Succeed Ron Klain as White House Chief of Staff
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Catherine Lucey | Andrew Restuccia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jeff Zients, speaking in 2021, was in charge of the White House’s Covid-19 response. WASHINGTON—President Biden announced Friday that Jeff Zients , the official who led the White House’s Covid-19 response, will be his next chief of staff. Mr. Zients will succeed Ron Klain , who is stepping down after more than two years on the job. Mr. Klain played a central role in the White House, coordinating strategy on key policy proposals such as the infrastructure law and climate package, and helping oversee the president’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Musk responded on Twitter to the initial exclusive Reuters report that he met with the officials, saying it was "True." Later, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed the meeting took place and added that Musk did not meet with Biden personally. A Reuters witness on Friday saw Podesta, Landrieu and Musk entering a downtown building that houses both Tesla's Washington lobbying operation and the Center for American Progress, a think tank Podesta founded. BIDEN, MUSK TENSIONSRelations have often seemed antagonistic between Biden, who has pushed for companies to use union labor, and Musk, who has pushed to keep unions out of his factories. Biden only publicly acknowledged the role of Tesla in U.S. electric vehicle manufacturing over a year after taking office, after Musk repeatedly complained about being ignored.

A Reuters witness on Friday saw Podesta, Landrieu and Musk entering a downtown building that houses both Tesla's Washington lobbying operation and the Center for American Progress, a think tank Podesta founded. BIDEN, MUSK TENSIONSRelations have often seemed antagonistic between Biden, who has pushed for companies to use union labor, and Musk, who has pushed to keep unions out of his factories. Musk called Biden "a damp sock puppet in human form" last year after Biden highlighted EV production by GM and Ford in a tweet but left out Tesla. Biden only publicly acknowledged the role of Tesla in U.S. electric vehicle manufacturing over a year after taking office, after Musk repeatedly complained about being ignored. It also includes new U.S. battery production credits that Musk said earlier this week could have significant benefits to the company.

☆ White House Chief of Staff Planning to Step Down
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Andrew Restuccia | Ken Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—President Biden’s chief of staff, Ron Klain , is preparing to step down after more than two years as one of Mr. Biden’s top White House advisers, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Klain has been central to the president’s agenda during the administration’s first two years, frequently acting as a liaison between the White House and Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill, coordinating strategy on key policy proposals such as the infrastructure law and climate package, and helping oversee the president’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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