“It’s time to stop talking about infrastructure and to finally start building an infrastructure so we can be more competitive.”
Joseph R. Biden, 46th President of the United States of America
Fresno, CA – 01.20.2021 – As America welcomes it’s 46 President, what does that spell for infrastructure projects? It would appear that the future is bright on this front for all businesses that support construction, including environmental services.
On January 14, then President-Elect Biden unveiled an ambitious plan to jump-start the economy. He calls it the “Build Back Better” recovery plan. Construction industry leaders hope that this plan for 2021 and beyond and it’s yet to make public price tag, will enable this year to be the start of more bucks rolling in to get more infrastructure projects off the ground. Biden went on to say that this plan will provide, “millions of good-paying jobs that put Americans to work rebuilding our roads, our bridges, our ports to make them more climate-resilient … to make them faster, cheaper, cleaner to transport American-made goods across our country and around the world.”
So what do industry leaders have to say about this? There is hope. In a recent Engineering News-Record article, Steve Hall, American Council of Engineering Companies’ senior vice president for advocacy, made this comment, “Democrats’ Senate edge “allows President Biden, I think, to be a bit more aggressive and to shape the start of the conversation—in terms of the legislative agenda—more to his liking.” Compromise will be a large part of any successful legislation.
On the environmental front, industry watchers say the new administration could be a boon to environmental services.
In a Portfolio Advisor article, Gemma Woodward, director of responsible investment at Quilter Cheviot commented on the new administration’s focus for turning America 180 degrees from the Trump Administration, “On the environment, Donald Trump and Joe Biden are Yin and Yang. In the run-up to his election victory, Biden committed to targeting net-zero carbon emissions by no later than 2050 and he has since proposed what is arguably the most ambitious climate program from any President, including a $2 trillion dollar climate package to be spent over his four years in office, supporting renewable energy and overhauling polluting industrials.”
Also on the environmental agenda is increasing the use of renewable energy for electricity generation. Upgrading four million buildings to meet the highest standards for energy efficiency is also being floated.
What the next four years hold for construction and environmental projects, we’ll have to wait and see. But from all indications, the potential for more resources bodes well for increased construction in all sectors while taking extreme cautions for impacts to the environment.
Soar Environmental Consulting, Inc. is a California Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise. Our multidisciplinary staff of professionals provide the technical expertise for CEQA and NEPA analysis and permitting for infrastructure projects and environmental reporting for both public and private agencies.
