What civil engineers are reading this week

• Biden’s landmark climate and spending bill – what’s in it, and what got cut?

  The Inflation Reduction Act is a far cry from Biden’s original ambition, but it nonetheless represents victory for the presidentJoe Biden’s $740bn package tackling climate, the deficit and healthcare that has just passed the Senate and is almost certain now to become law is a far cry from his original even bigger ambitions, but it still represents a major triumph for the president.The bill – the Inflation Reduction Act – was virtually dead in the water before a last-minute turnaround by the conservative West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin saw it suddenly revived. Continue reading...

• Senate votes to overturn Biden environmental rule on infrastructure

  The vote signaled strong Senate support for action to reform the often demanding federal permitting process, which can take up to eight to 10 years for highways and other major projects.

• Inflation Reduction Act includes $4 billion for western drought

  The aid is for “grants, contracts, or financial assistance agreements” in 17 western states, with priority for the Colorado River basin and other severely dry areas.

• The US Is dry, dry, dry: See a new map showing how much

  The U.S. Drought Monitor's map shows vast areas of the western, southwestern, and central U.S. in dark red and bright red, representing exceptional drought and extreme drought.

• Breakthrough in magnesium to replace lithium batteries

  The wide application of magnesium ion-based batteries has been limited by poor conductivity in solids at room temperature, but researchers recently have overcome this hurdle.

• The state of global energy — in 6 charts

  Energy demand bounced back rapidly after the pandemic. These charts show what that means for the global energy crisis and efforts to control climate change.