Should Congress spend $100 billion on improving American energy infrastructure?

Environment and Energy
Energy Infrastructure Act (S. 2377)
Awaiting Vote
Bill Summary

This bill invests federal money into the United States energy infrastructure through technological, structural, and safety improvements. With this legislation, over $100 billion will support clean energy domestic supply chains, water infrastructure in the West, wildfire prevention, methane reduction, and electric grid transmission. Additionally, this bill continues funding the Energy Act of 2020 by promoting energy storage, advanced reactor, and industrial emissions demonstration projects. Sponsor: Sen. Joseph Manchin (Democrat, West Virginia)
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Opponents say

•    "No one denies that investments are required to provide Americans a more modern, resilient, and secure energy sector. It’s vital to our national security, the economy, and our environment. The question is how do we get there, and I believe this bill goes too far in giving the federal government too much power over states, businesses, and private individuals. I hope there is more interest in accommodating these concerns as this bill moves forward."

Source: Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (Republican, Mississippi)


•   "Sen. Manchin’s proposal spells nothing short of a climate catastrophe, and it must be rejected. Throwing breadcrumbs to renewable energy while spending billions to prop up fossil fuels and nuclear energy is worse than doing nothing at all. Our planet faces a climate crisis, and Sen. Manchin is fiddling while it burns."

Source: Brett Hartl (Center for Biological Diversity)


•   "The Energy Infrastructure Act not only fails to address climate change, the Act will worsen climate change. Over 50 pages of the Act are dedicated to funding Enhanced Oil Recovery  as Carbon Capture and Storage through public funding further entrenching extractive industry violence on Native and environmental justice communities. The Act includes a multitude of false solutions including nuclear and hydropower. We do not have time for these distractions to climate action."

Source: Tom Goldtooth (Indigenous Environmental Network)


Proponents say

•    "I’m tremendously proud of the productive, bipartisan work we accomplished today on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee….This infrastructure bill includes provisions that have enjoyed strong bipartisan support in this Committee, like the SCALE Act and the REGROW Act. It also delivers on President Biden’s American Jobs Plan in many ways and has earned the support of a wide swath of stakeholders. Today’s vote is another critical step toward finalizing our bipartisan infrastructure package, and an important reminder that we can find sensible solutions to difficult problems when we put partisanship aside and work together."

Source: Sen. Joseph Manchin (Democrat, West Virginia) 


•    "We support the all-of-above approach taken in the Energy Infrastructure Act, which includes more than $8 billion for Western water projects that expand conservation and recycling efforts, improve ecosystems, fix crumbling dams and canals, and build new storage and conveyance facilities"

Source: Dave Eggerton (Association of California Water Agencies) 


•    "I am pleased that a significant number of provisions from my bipartisan Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act with Senator Shaheen were passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee as part of the Energy Infrastructure Act. These are common-sense measures that will increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions across the economy.  We need a balanced approach to protecting our environment and reducing emissions, while also safeguarding our economy and jobs – our bipartisan efficiency legislation will accomplish just that."

Source: Sen. Rob Portman (Republican, Ohio)

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