What Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary Means for Vinyl Industry

President-elect Joe Biden has tapped former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg as his nominee for Secretary of Transportation.  If confirmed, Buttigieg will be trusted to usher Biden’s ambitious $1.3 trillion “Build Back Better” plan to invest and rebuild the U.S.’s infrastructure, bolster manufacturing and competitiveness, and replace aging water pipes. Biden’s plan also seeks to revolutionize U.S. railroads, invest in freight infrastructure, invest in clean energy, and move the country to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Buttigieg will have to “use his skills to bring jobs, infrastructure, equity, and climate all together under one agency,” as Biden noted when announcing his nomination.

Buttigieg has become a rising star in the Democratic party but has relatively less transportation policy experience than other names that the Biden transition teams floated for the job.  Regardless, Buttigieg is highly praised for his management skills and his experience in running South Bend will provide a level of understanding of what mayors and governors need to rebuild their cities and states.

President-elect Biden and Buttigieg see eye to eye on many issues that fall under the agency’s jurisdiction. Buttigieg was one of the first presidential primary candidates to offer an infrastructure plan and is a also a proponent of rebuilding with resiliency and climate change in mind. He also advocates for clean water systems, modernizing flood protection systems, and replacing corrosive pipes.  In his own plan, Buttigieg called for the creation of a $40 billion “Sea Level Defense Fund” to prepare for rising sea levels and help communities via natural and hard infrastructure protections. The plan would have put $5 billion in direct grants toward feasibility studies and predevelopment and $35 billion in loans and grants for coastal defense projects. Furthermore, he aimed to expand access to Americans with no access to running water and invest $20 billion to replace three million lead services lines by 2030.

Biden’s infrastructure plan is reportedly second in priority only to a COVID-19 relief bill and an issue likely to gain bipartisan support. It is also one of a few big-ticket legislative priorities that many in Washington are optimistic can be passed in a highly polarized Congress. Even though some Republicans maintain that the U.S. has provided enough stimulus through coronavirus relief and will look to limit additional funding under infrastructure. Buttigieg’s level style and communications skills should serve him well as he works to bring the two parties together on an issue that has escaped consensus in recent years.

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