Transportation & Infrastructure
Plan to export Pennsylvania natural gas by rail sidetracked by feds
Federal officials have suspended a Trump Administration rule that would have allowed the shipment of explosive liquified natural gas on rail cars through dozens of eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey communities. The move on Friday by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, deals a blow to […]
Advocates vow to fight shale gas export terminal in Delaware County’s poorest community
Community leaders said Tuesday that a plan to build a $6.4 billion liquid natural gas export terminal would compound decades of environmental injustice in Chester, one of Pennsylvania’s poorest cities. Advocates, including the city’s Democratic nominee for mayor, vowed to fight construction of the facility proposed by a New York firm to prepare natural gas […]
‘The internet is no longer a luxury’: $667M from USDA for rural broadband
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend another $667 million on rural broadband loans and grants, the department said Monday, marking the fourth round of Biden administration funding under a program that the 2021 infrastructure law invigorated. Nearly three-quarters of the funding, $493 million, will go toward grants, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on a […]
Fetterman, Casey urge Norfolk Southern to join close call reporting system
Pennsylvania U.S. Sens Bob Casey and John Fetterman on Friday sent a letter to the CEO of Norfolk Southern urging the company to participate in an early warning system that the railroad announced it would join earlier this year. In March, Norfolk Southern said it would join the Confidential Close Call Reporting System, (C3RS) an […]
FEMA’s disaster relief fund is running low on cash. What happens now?
WASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund is in desperate need of cash, with the agency projecting at least a $4 billion deficit in the weeks ahead — even as the government responds to devastating fires in Hawaii and hurricane season continues. FEMA, however, won’t simply stop the response and recovery activities […]
Millions of federal dollars slated for 54 EV charging projects across Pennsylvania
Following a public input process, work on some of the projects could begin as early as late 2023.
VP Kamala Harris unveils new wage rule for federal projects
Construction workers who work on federal projects are poised to receive better wages and worker protections under a Department of Labor rule touted by Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday. Speaking at a union hall in Philadelphia, Harris praised the Biden administration’s economic agenda and pointed out that the new rule would be the first […]
Lawmakers hear testimony on Pennsylvania’s urban search and rescue capabilities
After Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed into a ravine one snowy morning in 2022, it took hours before authorities could confirm that no one had been killed or trapped beneath the rubble. Pennsylvania’s only urban search and rescue team with dogs trained to locate victims of structural collapses is based in Philadelphia, about five hours […]
How to offer feedback on a plan to expand broadband access in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority launched an online survey to help draft the plan, which requires federal approval.
As extreme heat sweeps the U.S., Biden warns that states must act to protect workers
With many parts of the country gripped by extreme heat, President Joe Biden said Thursday his administration would target states that don’t offer workers heat protections and would direct millions of dollars to water projects and improved weather forecasting. In a live address, with the mayors of Phoenix and San Antonio joining by video, Biden […]
Democrats push more resilient, lower-carbon infrastructure at U.S. Senate climate hearing
The changing climate is hurting infrastructure and the national economy, members of a U.S. Senate panel and experts said Wednesday. Members of both parties on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee agreed at a Wednesday hearing on the need for more resilient infrastructure that could withstand the pressures of a changing climate. They also agreed speeding […]
U.S. Senate votes to curb farmland purchases by China, Iran, North Korea, Russia
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators approved bipartisan amendments to the annual defense policy bill Tuesday night that would prohibit China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from purchasing U.S. farmland and screen American investment in high-tech ventures on foreign adversary soil. By a 91-7 vote, the lawmakers approved a measure that would require review of — and direct the president to […]