Congressional delegation says 2021 may be the year of infrastructure

Members of the Colorado congressional delegation say that this year might be the best chance in several years to achieve passage of an infrastructure bill that would benefit the state and the nation as a whole.

Sen. Michael Bennet, Rep. Joe Neguse and representatives from the offices of Sen. John Hickenlooper and Rep. Ken Buck joined a Zoom call Friday that was hosted by the Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance, the lobbying group for the chambers and economic-development agencies of Northern Colorado.

Bennet said he expects that infrastructure will move to the top of the priority list once the next economic stimulus package becomes law. 

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“Infrastructure is economic development. If you don’t invest in it, it will drag on the economy,” Bennet said.

On multiple occasions, he referenced the infrastructure investments that China is making not just in China but around the world. “China is taking a 30-year and a 50-year view of everything,” he said. It is building ports in strategic locations, building tunnels and laying fiber.

Noting that China is investing heavily in battery technology, Bennet said that failure to invest in that technology in this country will put the nation at a disadvantage as the auto industry adopts electrical vehicle strategies.

Neguse, also, said he expects developments on infrastructure legislation. 

“My understanding is that it is a top priority of the Biden administration,” Neguse said. 

Bennet said that existing funding formulas for transportation, education, health care and others “all disadvantage Colorado … Justice is not what triumphs but it’s how many votes you have,” he said. Because multiple western states have two Democratic senators, and because the legislative and executive branches are controlled by Democrats right now, it might be possible to pass legislation that benefits the western United States, he said.

Neguse agreed. “There’s an opportunity to adjust the formula to better comport with the western United States,” he said.

Neguse did say that local and state matching dollars may be necessary in order to secure federal investment. 

“The state will have to have conversations about what kind of state we want to be and whether we’re willing to make the investments in highways, roads, bridges,” Neguse said.

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