Susan Lent Quoted in Law360 on Prospects for Trump Infrastructure Proposal

Susan Lent, a partner at Akin Gump and head of its infrastructure and transportation practice, has been quoted in the Law360 story “Trump’s Big Talk On Infrastructure Draws Skepticism,” following President Trump’s call for new infrastructure investment during his State of the Union address this week. Some, according to the article, think whatever the administration proposes, as well as how Congress responds, will fall short of what’s really needed for new construction and rehabilitation and maintenance projects across the United States.

Mr. Trump, the article reports, called on Congress to come up with a bill that generates at least $1.5 trillion for new infrastructure investment. He is also reported to want to streamline the permitting and approval process for projects by cutting down to no more than two years, and perhaps even one, the time it takes to get key approvals.

Lent said that streamlining the environmental review and permitting process, incentivizing financial participation by the private sector and state and local governments and providing new funding for different types of infrastructure to address local needs are all good concepts that Congress likely will seriously consider when it comes to drafting infrastructure legislation.

“The outlook for infrastructure legislation is likely dependent on whether Congress can agree on how to pay for it,” Lent said. “While there is bipartisan support for more infrastructure investment, the funding question is a challenging one, particularly in an election year.”