Infrastructure back in spotlight; Trump appoints advisory council

The wheels on the Trump administration’s $1 trillion infrastructure plan appear to be moving. After months of delays, the president, through an executive order, announced the creation of a Presidential Advisory Council on Infrastructure.

Neither the president nor Congress has been able to focus on infrastructure as health care legislation has dominated the early months of the Trump presidency. But now, the president has laid a foundation for the development of a 15-member panel to advise him on issues that are hampering the development of infrastructure projects nationwide. He has also named Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross as the individual who will direct the council’s activities.

Congress is in favor of funding rural America

There are a lot of question marks about the funding of rural America but there are also indications that a large segment of the Congress is in favor.

There’s no way to know how much, if any, will actually trickle down to small and rural areas. Spokespersons for the administration say rural America will not be overlooked but there is still angst because capturing federal and state funding has always been challenging for rural communities.

Nabers for Infrastructure USA: Got climate related services or solutions? If so, state and local officials are looking for you!

The federal government may not like the Paris Climate Agreement, but state and local elected officials do. This past weekend, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti hosted a large number of mayors who reiterated their commitment to the partnership agreement. These officials visiting Florida for the U.S. Conference of Mayors represent the Climate Mayors, a bipartisan organization that was organized in 2014. The group now boasts 331 mayors representing 65 million Americans. The membership includes mayors from the 10 largest cities in the U.S., including traditional energy hubs such as Houston and Dallas.