US Chamber chief wants energy included in infrastructure discussions
US Chamber of Commerce Pres. Thomas J. Donohue said oil and gas pipelines and electricity transmission systems must be included as he listed US infrastructure improvements as a top priority in 2018 in his annual State of American Business address on Jan. 10.
Donohue’s observation came a day after American Petroleum Institute Pres. Jack N. Gerard made similar points during his keynote address at API’s State of American Energy event (OGJ Online, Jan. 9, 2018).
Donohue opined that this year can and must be the one when major infrastructure investments are made in the US. “We have the political will, the bipartisan support, and we certainly have the need. Now is the time to act,” he said.
Roads and bridges must be rebuilt and modernized for coming technological changes such as driverless vehicles, Donohue said. Broadband needs to be expanded so it is more widely available, seaports and airports need to be revitalized to handle demands of an increasingly global and mobile economy, and water supply systems must be updated so that basic resource remains safe and available, he stated.
“And don’t forget we’re also living in the midst of an energy renaissance, yet we don’t have the infrastructure to support it. So we must revamp our power grid and build the pipelines necessary to transport our abundant resources to market,” Donohue said.
At a press conference following his address, Donohue noted that pipelines and power transmission systems are built with private investments and don’t require government expenditures, as Gerard also observed on Jan. 9.
Infrastructure summit scheduled
“That’s why I want to see people back here on Jan. 18 for our infrastructure event where we’re going to jumpstart the conversation between the private and public-sector leaders,” Donohue said. “We’re already talking to administration officials and with possible investors.”
But he warned that improving US infrastructure will not get far unless another 2018 priority—building the workforce of the future—isn’t meaningfully addressed, including reforming immigration laws so thousands of people who have been living and working here for decades will not remain under the shadow of possibly being deported.
“I will tell you now that if we do a $1 trillion-plus infrastructure deal, we won’t have the workers to do it without some big changes,” Donohue said. “I also have been a supporter of increasing the federal gasoline tax, which we haven’t done for 26 years. I don’t think Congress will be willing to allocate so much spending for infrastructure improvements without at least considering it.”
Asked about the Chamber’s goals heading into midterm congressional elections in November, he said the organization is trying to build a bipartisan consensus that build on 2017 successes including instituting an internationally competitive corporate tax rate and reversals of many excessive Obama-era regulations, “including sweeping rules that shackled our nation’s energy resources and innovators.”
At the press conference he said, “We’re trying to build a consensus. At the same time, we realize that whoever holds the majority in Congress drives the agenda. We’ll try to keep the pro-business leaders who are there already, including several Democrats.”
Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].
Nick Snow
NICK SNOW covered oil and gas in Washington for more than 30 years. He worked in several capacities for The Oil Daily and was founding editor of Petroleum Finance Week before joining OGJ as its Washington correspondent in September 2005 and becoming its full-time Washington editor in October 2007. He retired from OGJ in January 2020.
