Making the Grade 2.0: Investing in America’s Infrastructure to Create Quality Jobs and Protect the Environment.
Infrastructure Improvements Could Create 14.5 Million Job-Years, Increase GDP By 1.66 Trillion, Reduce Emissions Over Next Decade
Leaders from the BlueGreen Alliance were joined by Sens. Tom Carper (D – DE), Tammy Duckworth (D – IL) and U.S. Reps. Cheri Bustos (IL-17) and Debbie Dingell (MI-12) to release a new report today that analyzes the jobs and environmental impact of raising the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Infrastructure Report Card grades—which gave the U.S. an overall “D+” grade—in a variety of sectors to “B” grades over the next decade.
The report, entitled Making the Grade 2.0: Investing in America’s Infrastructure to Create Quality Jobs and Protect the Environment, found that investing an estimated $2.2 trillion in America’s infrastructure in these sectors to improve them from a “D+” grade overall to a “B” grade—coupled with investments in our natural gas distribution systems—has the potential to support or create an additional 14.5 million job-years across the U.S. economy, add a cumulative $1.66 trillion to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over 10 years, and reduce greenhouse gas pollution, versus a business as-usual approach.
Download the Executive Summary
Making the Grade 2.0 also provides a roadmap for local, state, and federal policymakers that can be used to ensure infrastructure investments maximize benefits for workers, communities, and the environment.