Infrastructure and Transportation Update - September 2023
California
Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill to require human drivers on board self-driving trucks, a measure that union leaders and truck drivers said would save hundreds of thousands of jobs in the state…
California is experimenting with digital driver’s licenses. Residents can download the CA DMV Wallet app on their smartphone and follow the instructions to scan their driver’s license, or ID…
President and Administration
In Europe, French manufacturers Airbus and Dassault are pushing for regulators to allow passenger planes to operate with only one pilot in the cockpit for the majority of a long-haul flight…
The Inflation Reduction Act will spur significant greenhouse gas reductions across multiple sectors while "substantially" decreasing the use of fossil fuels, according to a report released by EPA in mid-September…
Since oil and gas drilling began nearly 150 years ago, the salty wastewater it produces has been a nuisance for operators…
In mid-September, the EPA issued a final rule widening states' authority to block infrastructure projects over water quality concerns, handing a win to Democrat-led states that have used it to block new oil and gas pipelines, export terminals and other energy infrastructure…
Congress
On Thursday, 9/28, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin (D-WV) said he is preparing legal action against the Biden administration's decisions he contends will give electric vehicles too much leeway to qualify for federal incentives aimed at stimulating U.S. manufacturing…
In mid-September, the House passed a bill that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from issuing waivers for California pollution standards that aim to limit the sale of new vehicles powered by gas-powered engines, though the GOP-backed bill is unlikely to become law…
In early September, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and 80 other Democratic members of Congress asked the EPA to tighten its sales requirements for zero-emission trucks…
Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA) is pushing to curb the threat of "forever chemicals" at airports, seeking to enlist the help of federal agencies…