Political Quotes

“I rise today to introduce a bill, the Natural Infrastructure Act of 2022. This bill requires the Secretary of the Interior, in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture, to establish a Joint Natural Infrastructure Science Program. This program, which would be a joint effort by the U.S. Forest Service FS and the U.S. Geological Survey USGS, would seek to further research on the use of natural solutions to address evolving infrastructure needs across the country. The bill also requires the Secretary of the Interior to assess the costs and effectiveness of select natural infrastructure projects on an annual basis. The bill defines natural infrastructure as constructed landscape features and systems that employ nature-based solutions that promote, use, restore, or emulate natural ecological processes. These features, when compared to grey infrastructure solutions, are often more cost- effective, increase community resilience to climate change impacts, and attract community support. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that our country's need for infrastructure repairs through 2025 totals over $4 trillion. In order to meet our country's short- and long-term infrastructure needs, research is needed to inform the decisions being made by the people charged with addressing these infrastructure needs--civil engineers, local governments, developers, and the construction industry.…”