Infrastructure is one of the few issues where Congressional Democrats and Republicans are working together.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg acknowledged that Thursday in Coeur d’Alene, when he thanked Western governors for their support in implementing the new wide-ranging federal infrastructure plan. He focused specifically on measures that address the ripples related to climate change.
“Everything from modernizing bridges to withstanding flooding to building evacuation routes to protecting roads against landslides. There’s no doubt that we have many differences on many important issues and policies and I wouldn’t pretend otherwise. But I also know that we have a real opportunity to make very good progress together in areas where we find common ground," he said.
Buttigieg spoke on the final day of the Western Governors’ Association semi-annual meeting. He focused on the challenges associated with climate change, singling out Oregon’s governor for praise.
“You are leading the way with moves like the electric vehicles road map, an initiative that Governor Brown spearheaded," he said. "And recently, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming joined together to create the electric vehicle charging network, Charge West. Your efforts in this regard won’t just fight climate change and improve air quality, they will save people money at a time when we are fighting inflation with everything we’ve got.”
Buttigieg will be in Utah tomorrow [Friday] to announce a new federal program to improve the resiliency of state transportation systems.
