Latest news with #BipartisanInfrastructureBill
American Press
2 days ago
- Business
- American Press
Landry: State's successes the 'greatest story that has yet to be told'
The 20th annual Chamber Southwest Louisiana LegisGator Luncheon was hosted at L'Auberge Casino Resort on Friday. LegisGator is the largest legislative event in the state. Hosted each year to bring constituents, state and federal representatives together in the same room, the luncheon serves as an opportunity for lawmakers to update community members on state and federal actions directly. This year several state leaders attended the luncheon, including U.S Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy and Gov. Jeff Landry. This was not the first LegisGator for these government leaders, but it was for Chamber of Southwest Louisiana President Scott Walker. He opened the luncheon by speaking on how the region is 'on the cusp' of dynamic change. He stepped into the role of president about six months ago. In that time, he has recognized Southwest Louisiana as an adaptive region 'built on energy, industry and grit' that 'pulls together to get things done.' 'We are shaping and innovating the future of energy, advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defense,' he said. 'I see us creating opportunity here, right here in Southwest Louisiana. We can create opportunity here for companies, for workers, for families and for our communities.' For Landry, LegisGator was an 18-month check-in. More than a year into his term. Louisiana has been gradually moving up the ranks in surveys, with the state jumping up in nationwide rankings, he said. This is in addition to statewide increases in job opportunities, new business interests and an impending industrial boom, he said. Louisiana has reached a historic level of economic activity, Landry said. There is $70 billion in private investment planned throughout the state — from the $10 million AI data center being built in Richland Parish to the several carbon-capture projects that have been proposed in Louisiana. Among that growth, he called Southwest Louisiana one of the 'bright, shining spots' in Louisiana. With investments like the LNG Center of Excellence and the I-10-Calcasieu River Bridge Project, the region is keeping up with the state's momentum. These steps taken towards a more diversified economy are thanks to 'one of the most cohesive congressional delegations,' he said. One of those delegates is Cassidy, who is finishing his second term as a U.S. Senator. Working to better the state and country is his 'higher purpose,' he said. 'If I'm only living for myself, what's the worth of living? But if I'm waking up and thinking about how do I work and win for the people of Louisiana and the people of the United States of America, I got a spring in my step.' He spoke to a few of the feathers he has in his legislative cap. He worked to help secure the $11 billion Louisiana infrastructure that came with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, which includes $150 million for the Calcasieu River Bridge and 'hundreds of millions of dollars' for flood mitigation and coastal restoration. Kennedy said he believes the state's future can be better than its past and present, but will take hard work and self-sufficiency. 'We're only as good as our dreams. We shouldn't fear our future when we ought to grab hold of it. I'm not going to bubble wrap. No one's coming to save us but ourselves, folks. And in Washington, D.C., the water is not going to clear up until you get the pigs out of the creek.' Louisiana's present is the 'greatest story that no one in this state is writing about,' Landry said. 'Over the past 18 months, we have actually been able to assemble that critical mass of people who want to put aside the selfish part of politics and are hell-bent on changing the state,' he said. 'We are no longer the laughingstock of the South. Louisiana, for once in a lifetime, is poised to take its place as a leader in a new industrial South. And if you don't believe me, just go look up Google.' He urged residents to get 'past the gaslighting that people like to do that divides us' and have 'faith in those that we have elected to change the state.' 'While we have waited, I want you to know, we don't wait anymore. Today, the world gets to see us as who we are. … As the people who get to share a culture of hard work and humility,' he said. 'And whether they write this story today, or not, today we are living in the greatest story that has yet to be told.'
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
East Haddam Swing Bridge 3-year rehab complete
EAST HADDAM, Conn. (WTNH) — Many are celebrating the completion of a three-year rehab of the East Haddam Swing Bridge, which began in 2022 and faced many delays. 'The delays hurt everyone but we pulled through it,' said Lou Milardo, who owns River's Edge Home Center in Haddam. 'It's been a long 10 years. We had water come through. We had sidewalks come through. But it's beautified our neighborhood. We're very happy to see it.' CSP seeking information on East Haddam 7-Eleven robbery suspect The 112-year-old span, which crosses the Connecticut River, connects Haddam and East Haddam. 'I also have to thank the local businesses for their perseverance,' First Selectman Bob McGarry (R-Haddam) said. 'We're thrilled that it's… we're finally here and that it's open,' added State Rep. and First Selectman Irene Haines (R-East Haddam). 'As soon as those rotaries get done we can get back to normal.' The $80.8 million bridge project was mostly funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, which was also celebrated when it passed. 'I will just tell you that room exploded with just spontaneous applause and shouting,' Congressman Joe Courtney (D) said. They also added a walkway on the south side of the 90 foot span which when it first opened was the longest truss bridge in the world. 'We reinforced the steel, structure, overhauled the mechanical systems, and replaced both the roof and the aging electrical infrastructure,' DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto noted. Back then, two oxen were the first to cross the brand new bridge which was a toll bridge. It would have cost two oxen or two horses pulling a vehicle 25 cents to cross. There are no more tolls for the bridge and many hope there will be no more delays with the swing bridge getting stuck open anymore. 'I can see this discussion back in 1913. I don't know, the ferry was good enough for George Washington, why do we have to rush into a bridge,' joked Gov. Ned Lamont. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Lt. Gov. Davis visits new Indiana County water treatment facility
VINTONDALE, Pa. (WTAJ) — Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (D) visited the new Blacklick Creek Abandoned Mine Drainage Treatment Facility that discharges elements from the water. Metals and chemicals pollute Blacklick Creek, with more pouring into the stream. One-third of abandoned mines in the nation reside in the Commonwealth, which is the most out of any state. State officials took note of the problem and where it stems from. 'We recognize that Pennsylvania was a powerhouse that literally built America, but we paid a pass for our heavy industrial manufacturing sectors,' Davis said. 'And so we're working every day to make sure that our communities can thrive going forward, both from a health standpoint but also from an economic standpoint. And this project goes a long way in achieving those goals.' Upcoming fundraiser to help save historic Centre County barn The project cost $27 million, paid by state funds and federal programs. It took years to develop the area. 'We've been dealing with some of these issues for 40 years to 50 years,' Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley said. 'And in 2006 is when we really started talking about solutions to cleaning up the Blacklick Creek and we went through a planning process.' Both Davis's party and Shirley's team toured the plant together. Local officials from both Indiana and Cambria counties joined along to see how the treatment plant works. The facility plans to pump 7 million gallons of water per day at an operating cost of $600,000. The plant will filter elements like iron, aluminum and manganese from orange water before settling down in large silos and being sent out toward the 25-mile long waterway. 'It's something that you can see when it comes to environmental, not all environmental improvements you actually see right away, but this is one that you can see right away,' Shirley said. 'And I think the folks that live here and use this water body very soon will start to see the positive impacts of this facility.' 'This is, an exciting day for a project that has been over almost 20 years in the making to get abandoned mine drainage filtered and back into the community to make sure that we can revitalize wildlife, bring back fishing and create economic opportunity from the creek that runs through Vintondale,' Davis added. The main goal is to clean up areas where wildlife likes to roam and live, like the fish in the creek. Their efforts will look to boost the state's $19 billion outdoor recreation industry and areas like the Ghost Town Trail. 'It's not a silver bullet, but it's part of our economy, and people love that,' Cambria County Commissioner Tom Chernisky said. The Blacklick Creek facility is up and running but more may be on the way. Twelve other sites are being developed, and state officials have a plan for what to do moving forward. 'Federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act or the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill really is able to kick start a lot of these design projects,' Shirley said. 'I think very soon we will see more plants like this come online all across the state of Pennsylvania.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - A revived Democratic Leadership Council cannot save the Democratic Party
What has been clear to some of us for years is finally common knowledge: the Democratic Party is lost in the wilderness. It is the most unpopular it has been since Quinnipiac began asking the question in 2008. The election saw it lose support among every voter group except White college-educated voters. Far from learning its lesson, the recent DNC meeting was a parade of progressive cliches, from land acknowledgements to handwringing over pronouns. Party leaders doubled down on the very priorities voters had just rejected. Now, self-proclaimed Democratic centrists claim to have the solution: Simply revive the Democratic Leadership Council, the moderate movement that elevated Bill Clinton and rescued Democrats from obscurity in the 1990s. Both of us worked at the DLC for more than a decade at founder Al From's side, and take it from us: Reviving the DLC today is a pipe dream. For one, this is not the 1990s. When the DLC was formed, the far left was fringe. It had to be contended with, sure, but nobody thought Jesse Jackson controlled the ideology of the party. Not so today. In the last decade, radical progressives took the party citadel while the very Democratic elites now calling for change welcomed them in, bargaining that they would bring power, popularity and money. For a while, it seemed to work. Only now do these establishment players want a do-over. Their counter-coup against the progressives is destined to fail before it begins. Two major takeaways from the DLC reveal why. One, the DLC emerged from outside the establishment, from those with the courage to take significant risks and the credibility to speak truth to power. No one in the Democratic establishment has that courage or credibility today. If they did, they would have stood up to the progressives back when they had power. An ideal moment would have been the debate over 'Build Back Better' in 2021. These same supposedly centrist Democratic groups attacked members of their own party who questioned the far-left agenda around it, like Sens. Joe Manchin ( and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and the group of nine House members led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.). Those brave leaders built the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill without any support from their party, and eventually it became clear that their solution was the only way forward. Now the Democratic establishment takes credit for their work. Second, the DLC succeeded because it innovated to create a new politics. It didn't twist itself in knots trying to win over a progressive base. It built a new movement outside of the party to appeal to the common-sense majority, regardless of party affiliation. Today, as then, that common-sense majority is not the property of the left or right. The new politics will emerge by combining together Republicans, Democrats and Independents who still care about sensible governance and problem solving. This contrasts with the Democrats calling for a new DLC, who are solely concerned with repairing their own party. Theirs is a cynical effort. Real courage is to say 'Forget the party, let's build a new movement.' Remember: the DLC held its own convention, separate from the DNC. Democrats only claimed it and owned it when it was clear that it was winning. Our organization, No Labels, is built around this very goal of innovating to create a new politics. We support the leaders in both parties who are bucking leadership to work together in the middle. Our focus is not to build a third party but rather a third force. We are also marshaling the citizen support for such a politics, which is the enduring success of our unity ticket effort — an effort attacked by the Democratic establishment even though the election proved our thesis true. An old saying comes to mind: 'Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought.' The DLC was built four decades ago. It was of and for a different era. There is no repeating it now, no going back, especially not under the leadership of the very elites who let the cancer of progressivism consume their party. Our experience at the DLC tells us that the way forward is to create an entirely new politics that is representative of the times — one that unites common-sense Democrats, Republicans, and Independents into a new movement for America. Nancy Jacobson is co-founder and CEO of No Labels. Holly Page is co-founder of No Labels. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
13-02-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
A revived Democratic Leadership Council cannot save the Democratic Party
What has been clear to some of us for years is finally common knowledge: the Democratic Party is lost in the wilderness. It is the most unpopular it has been since Quinnipiac began asking the question in 2008. The election saw it lose support among every voter group except White college-educated voters. Far from learning its lesson, the recent DNC meeting was a parade of progressive cliches, from land acknowledgements to handwringing over pronouns. Party leaders doubled down on the very priorities voters had just rejected. Now, self-proclaimed Democratic centrists claim to have the solution: Simply revive the Democratic Leadership Council, the moderate movement that elevated Bill Clinton and rescued Democrats from obscurity in the 1990s. Both of us worked at the DLC for more than a decade at founder Al From's side, and take it from us: Reviving the DLC today is a pipe dream. For one, this is not the 1990s. When the DLC was formed, the far left was fringe. It had to be contended with, sure, but nobody thought Jesse Jackson controlled the ideology of the party. Not so today. In the last decade, radical progressives took the party citadel while the very Democratic elites now calling for change welcomed them in, bargaining that they would bring power, popularity and money. For a while, it seemed to work. Only now do these establishment players want a do-over. Their counter-coup against the progressives is destined to fail before it begins. Two major takeaways from the DLC reveal why. One, the DLC emerged from outside the establishment, from those with the courage to take significant risks and the credibility to speak truth to power. No one in the Democratic establishment has that courage or credibility today. If they did, they would have stood up to the progressives back when they had power. An ideal moment would have been the debate over 'Build Back Better' in 2021. These same supposedly centrist Democratic groups attacked members of their own party who questioned the far-left agenda around it, like Sens. Joe Manchin ( and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and the group of nine House members led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.). Those brave leaders built the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill without any support from their party, and eventually it became clear that their solution was the only way forward. Now the Democratic establishment takes credit for their work. Second, the DLC succeeded because it innovated to create a new politics. It didn't twist itself in knots trying to win over a progressive base. It built a new movement outside of the party to appeal to the common-sense majority, regardless of party affiliation. Today, as then, that common-sense majority is not the property of the left or right. The new politics will emerge by combining together Republicans, Democrats and Independents who still care about sensible governance and problem solving. This contrasts with the Democrats calling for a new DLC, who are solely concerned with repairing their own party. Theirs is a cynical effort. Real courage is to say 'Forget the party, let's build a new movement.' Remember: the DLC held its own convention, separate from the DNC. Democrats only claimed it and owned it when it was clear that it was winning. Our organization, No Labels, is built around this very goal of innovating to create a new politics. We support the leaders in both parties who are bucking leadership to work together in the middle. Our focus is not to build a third party but rather a third force. We are also marshaling the citizen support for such a politics, which is the enduring success of our unity ticket effort — an effort attacked by the Democratic establishment even though the election proved our thesis true. An old saying comes to mind: 'Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought.' The DLC was built four decades ago. It was of and for a different era. There is no repeating it now, no going back, especially not under the leadership of the very elites who let the cancer of progressivism consume their party. Our experience at the DLC tells us that the way forward is to create an entirely new politics that is representative of the times — one that unites common-sense Democrats, Republicans, and Independents into a new movement for America.
