Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced his intentions July 14 for a $2 trillion infrastructure package should he win the November election. The infrastructure plan, under which investments would be made in Biden’s first term, is geared toward green jobs and clean energy projects.
“We need millions of construction, skilled trades and engineering workers to build a new American infrastructure and clean energy economy,” a post on Biden’s campaign website reads. “These jobs will create pathways for young people and for older workers shifting to new professions, and for people from all backgrounds and all communities. Their work will improve air quality for our children, increase the comfort of our homes, and make our businesses more competitive. … And, Biden’s plan will empower workers to organize unions and bargain collectively with their employers as they rebuild the middle class and a more sustainable future.”
These investments would be made across the infrastructure, transit, power, commercial building and housing sectors, among others.
He also notes that these roles would be occupied by “diverse, local, well-trained workers.”
Specifically, the outlined goals of Biden’s plan include:
- Build a modern infrastructure
- Position the U.S. auto industry to win the 21st century with technology invented in America
- Achieve a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035
- Make dramatic investments in energy efficiency in buildings, including completing four million retrofits and building 1.5 million new affordable homes
- Pursue a historic investment in clean energy innovation
- Advance sustainable agriculture and conservation
- Secure environmental justice and equitable economic opportunity
Specific to infrastructure upgrades, Biden says he will transform failing transportation structures including roads, bridges, aviation, ports and inland waterways; improve railroads and municipal transit networks; and clean up brownfield properties, old power plants, industrial facilities, landfills and other idle community assets.
The plan would also be geared towards modernizing schools and early learning centers, improving the energy efficiency of homes and businesses, and repairing water pipelines and sewer systems.
“Biden will create millions of good, union jobs building and upgrading a cleaner, safer, stronger infrastructure—including smart roads, water systems, municipal transit networks, schools, airports, rail, ferries, ports, and universal broadband access—for all Americans, whether they live in rural or urban areas,” Biden’s website reads.
“Americans deserve infrastructure they can trust: infrastructure that is resilient to floods, fires and other climate threats, not fragile in the face of these increasing risks. We need infrastructure that supports healthy, safe communities, rather than locking in the cumulative impacts of polluted air and poisonous water. And we need infrastructure, like universal broadband, that unleashes innovation and shared economic progress and educational opportunity to every community, rather than slowing it down.
“Biden will rely on American union labor and American-made materials and products to build this infrastructure. He will create jobs in planning and management, from architects to engineers to designers. And, he will invest in the pre-development, development and construction of this new and necessary infrastructure, building it in places and with the advanced materials—like clean steel and cement—in a way that promotes the livability of our communities and the accessibility of opportunity.”
The full proposal is available on Biden’s website.