Environment

Not since the New Deal has the U.S. government poured this kind of money into rebuilding America’s infrastructure. Companies and states are clamoring for their piece of that federal jackpot. That helps explain why infrastructure is the major topic of conversation in economic development circles this year, and why it also looms large in CNBC’s
Coal-fired power plants in Mariveles, Bataan, the Philippines, on June 6, 2023. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Philippines’ dependency on coal-fired power surged 62% last year, overtaking China, Indonesia and Poland, according to London-based energy think-tank Ember. The Philippines was also the most coal-dependent country in Southeast Asia in 2023, as adoption of