What civil engineers are reading this week

• Senate advances legislation allowing use of unspent COVID-19 relief funds on infrastructure, disaster relief

  Legislation to reallocate unspent COVID-19 relief dollars toward infrastructure and disaster relief passed in the Senate last week.

• New left lane rules go into effect in multiple states

  The state of Oklahoma is the fourth state this year to take action to bolster rules for left lane use.

• Fossil fuel plants to get new life as thermal energy storage facilities

  A new partnership aims to leverage thermal energy storage systems to accelerate the transition to low-carbon energy systems in North America.

• Transportation unions meet with Buttigieg to discuss supply chain issues

  The leaders of 33 transportation unions recently met with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to discuss worker-first solutions to supply chain and other challenges caused by the pandemic.

• To secure the energy supply chain, feds want to reimagine the power sector as defense

  Department of Energy officials say vulnerable software and data supply chains expose the U.S. power grid to attack.

• EPA has an action plan to improve water infrastructure and sanitation for US tribes

  Indigenous leaders pushed for increased tribal consultation and funding.