Local communities want federal dollars to strengthen climate change infrastructure

State lawmakers and conservationists met in Millvale on Thursday, calling on Congress to allocate billions of dollars in federal funding to fight climate change.

Cities across Pennsylvania have started to address the climate crisis by building environmentally friendly infrastructure, like solar panels and micro-grids. But according to Brittany Reno, president of the Sharpsburg Borough Council, it is difficult for small communities to manage obsolete infrastructure on their own.

“We are also facing the crumbling infrastructure that has come from generations of deferred maintenance of a country, as well as the growing storm of climate change and how we already feel it is impacting our health,” our security and economic vitality, ”she said.

Reno said federal money could help communities deal with major problems, such as extreme weather events, flooding and landslides.

“It is not enough to do the bare minimum as leaders, to simply repair the crumbling infrastructure that should have been fixed two decades ago,” she said. “We have to make these investments not just for today or tomorrow, but for 10, 20, 50 years.”

The US Senate is expected to vote on a $ 550 billion bipartisan infrastructure bill this week. Local lawmakers have said some of the bill’s money could be used to invest in renewable energy and to finance the fight against climate change, but more federal support is needed.

“We need an updated power grid powered by more renewable energy to reduce emissions, to be more resilient to extreme weather impacts,” said Katie Blume, policy director for Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania. “We need to dramatically improve public transportation (…) to get people to and from the jobs they need, especially emerging from a pandemic.”

Officials must also consider equity and social justice when building infrastructure, Blume said.

“These dangers have plagued communities – especially low-income communities and communities of color – for generations, and we must address them now. “

Officials highlighted projects underway in Millvale, Etna and Sharpsburg, such as solar panels and microgrids, as projects that could benefit from increased funding.