The Road Ahead for Infrastructure Funding and Policy

As Congress convenes for the fall and with the election swiftly approaching in November, infrastructure is poised to be a focus of Washington policymakers. The last surface transportation bill (the FAST Act) expires on September 30, and reauthorization of the highway trust fund will be at the top of Congress’ agenda. Meanwhile, both President Trump and former Vice President Biden have signaled their support for enhancing US infrastructure spending as part of their presidential campaigns. In addition, the infrastructure industry is closely watching the implementation of the Administration’s new National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulation, which will take effect on September 14, and President Trump’s recent executive order on expediting permitting for infrastructure projects. 

These developments represent just the first steps in a renewed focus on infrastructure funding and policy as we near the 2020 election and look ahead to 2021. To provide further insight, we invite you to watch below our video podcast Q&A with Joe Seliga, co-lead of the firm’s Government practice and Projects and Infrastructure team, and Andrew Olmem, a partner in the Public Policy practice and former US National Economic Council (NEC) deputy director. Topics addressed include:

• The current state of infrastructure policy and anticipated legislative action on infrastructure funding in 2020 and 2021
• The opportunities and challenges around a significant expansion of infrastructure funding and policies that would facilitate private investment in infrastructure
• The impact of evolving infrastructure policy on the transportation, energy and telecommunications sectors