Congressmember Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) this week joined with the 54 other members of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) to release the SEEC Sustainable Infrastructure Plan, which serves as a blueprint for smart, environmentally sustainable infrastructure investment throughout the nation.
The SEEC plan also stands in stark contrast to the recently released Trump Administration infrastructure plan that eviscerates core environmental safeguards, fails to meaningfully incorporate forward-looking sustainability and resiliency initiatives, and falls far short of the robust direct federal investment necessary to rebuild crumbling national infrastructure, according to Lowenthal’s office.
“The vast majority of Americans know that our nation can build and modernize infrastructure while keeping environment and public health protections in place,” states a press release from Lowenthal’s office.
“Sustainability should be integrated into all of our infrastructure projects,” Lowenthal, a SEEC vice-chair, said. “Unfortunately, the Trump Administration’s infrastructure proposal is heavy on environmental rollbacks that limit public input and weaken protections for our families and environment. This SEEC infrastructure proposal instead charts a fresh vision of smart, sustainable investments that will promote the well-being of all Americans, including healthier, safer communities and environments. When done right, infrastructure investment can promote commerce, sustain good jobs, and protect our environment. This Administration presents a false choice.”
Congressmembers and SEEC Co-Chairs Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Doris Matsui (CA-06) and Paul Tonko (NY-20), in a statement, added, “SEEC’s proposal takes on today’s infrastructure challenges in a sustainable, forward-thinking way. Contrary to what President Trump keeps saying, our environmental protections aren’t slowing infrastructure down— the real problem is a lack of funding. We are wasting our time and money if we don’t have an infrastructure plan that addresses the need for resilient infrastructure that can stand up to climate change and meaningful federal investment that can help get these projects to completion.”
The SEEC document begins with a statement of principles, laying out a broad outline for what “sustainable infrastructure” entails, and then presents a series of brief policy documents that contain specific proposals for multiple categories of physical infrastructure. The document should serve as a model for sustainable principles to be included in any infrastructure package that is considered by Congress.
Source: Lowenthal’s office
