Infrastructure Bill Passes: Positive Outcomes for Natural Gas Customers and Communities

Washington, D.C. –Last night the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill 228-203. The bill now is now headed to President Biden’s desk for signature.

“This bill includes a number of provisions that AGA supported which will benefit natural gas customers,” said Karen Harbert, AGA President and CEO. “This infrastructure package will expand our industry’s ability to make sure all customers continue to have access to safe, reliable and affordable energy while reducing emissions.”

Important provisions in the bill include:

The House also moved the procedural rule for the parameters of floor debate on the Build Back Better Act (BBB), leaving that for further advancement.

Harbert continued: “The BBB Act still contains provisions that would negatively impact customers and communities, especially the costly natural gas tax and the misnamed Zero-Emissions Homes Act. The natural gas tax would increase energy bills for families by at least 12 percent while increasing energy imports from foreign countries and providing little to no environmental benefit. The Zero-Emissions Homes Act will limit homeowners’ choices to only install electric appliances with all taxpayers footing the bill regardless of whether that equipment will actually reduce emissions. These short-sighted policies ignore the benefits that affordable and clean natural gas has brought and continues to bring to our nation. We will vigorously advocate on behalf of the 180 million Americans who depend on natural gas to have these provisions eliminated from the final legislation.”