Schumer: Infrastructure bills must tackle climate change

By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says legislation boosting federal investment in roads, bridges and other infrastructure must include efforts to curb global warming.

Lawmakers have cited infrastructure investment as ripe for bipartisan agreement next year, but Schumer’s position could complicate things.

The Trump administration has prioritized undoing the Obama administration’s efforts to slow climate change.

Schumer said Friday in a letter to President Donald Trump that climate change will cause “untold human suffering and significant damage to the U.S. economy” if left unchecked. The New York Democrat is calling for permanent tax credits to boost production of wind and solar energy and to make homes and offices more energy efficient.

Schumer also is calling for loans to communities that would invest in projects that limit the damage caused by hurricanes and other natural disasters.

 

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