House Democrats are formally introducing a sweeping $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill that includes numerous environmental and clean energy provisions, including a mandate to factor greenhouse gas emissions into transportation planning, extend clean energy tax credits and study whether EPA data could be used to impose future carbon fees. The June 22 introduction of the measure, dubbed the Moving Forward Act, comes amid continued partisan gridlock between Capitol Hill lawmakers and the Trump administration on the scope of any infrastructure legislation and options to pay for it. Even so, the package, which combines prior measures from seven House committees, serves as a marker for substantive action this Congress, as well as a political commitment to pursue such proposals if Democrats re-take the White House or Senate in the November elections. House leadership is pledging to hold a floor vote on the bill by the end of the month. "The Moving Forward Act marks a transformational investment in American infrastructure that will create millions of jobs, take bold action on the climate crisis, and address disparities in urban, suburban, and rural communities across our country," Democrats write in a June 22 press release. The legislation, H.R. 2, borrows heavily from prior proposals, including the Energy & Commerce Committee's LIFT America Act from mid-2019, pending transportation reauthorization legislation, an infrastructure "framework" Democrats floated in January, and proposals to extend low-carbon energy tax credits, according to the text, a summary and a fact sheet.
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