The Opportunity for Infrastructure
Across the U.S., infrastructure is aging and in need of repair or replacement. This creates a major opportunity to improve on energy efficiency, add energy generation to existing assets like dams and water systems, and increase the reliability of our energy system.
CRES Forum supports a free-market, all-of-the-above energy approach to clean energy.
Administration and Congressional leaders shouldn’t miss the opportunity to grow the economy, create jobs, and improve the environment through clean energy and infrastructure investment. Adding clean energy technologies and modernizing the electric grid will facilitate the addition of energy storage technology, and jumpstart the appropriate use of micro-grids, leading to continued opportunity for economic growth and energy stability.
Four keys ways to establish this foundation at this critical time are:
- Establish clean energy as a strategic priority. With the help of federal investment, utilities, states and municipalities stand to lower their costs and increase economic development. Furthermore, looking at water and transportation projects with an eye on energy generation or energy efficiency can help make the project or investment more economically viable or profitable.
- Maximize public-private partnerships. Leveraging the private sector to make the most of each taxpayer dollar helps generate revenue for states and take advantage of the private sector’s innovation, growth, and efficiencies.
- Streamline permitting and promote early environmental review. Instead of focusing on an arbitrary definition of “shovel-ready” projects, federal efforts should identify means for streamlined permit reviews and promote early environmental impact assessments for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.
- Consolidate and streamline funding. The current landscape makes it difficult and costly to navigate funding projects for infrastructure. By streamlining funding mechanisms and empowering states to administer federal funds, an immediate impact can be made.
Read more on the opportunity for infrastructure here.
View CRES Forum’s Issue Brief: Principled Approaches to Federal Infrastructure Investment here.