President Joe Biden's bipartisan infrastructure law will disburse up to $239 million to help Georgia improve the resilience of transportation infrastructure. Environmental groups are urging state leaders to focus on rural communities, beyond Atlanta.

Severe weather events in recent years, such as flooding in the southeastern part of the state and Hurricane Zeta, are evidence enough that infrastructure funding should include climate preparedness, said Marsha Gosier, a Georgia organizer for the EDF Action Fund, part of the Environmental Defense Fund. She said she's most concerned about rural and coastal areas.

"Our submerging lowlands throughout Georgia, the coastal flooding that could occur in particular areas like Hudson Hill and Savannah, Georgia," she said, "money should definitely be placed for that in preparation, making sure that those communities are prepared."

Before the federal dollars were released, Republicans bristled over restrictions. They wanted more flexibility for using the funding, instead of the Biden administration's focus on improving existing infrastructure over creating new.

The Atlanta Regional Commission is set to host the Connect ATL summit on Aug. 23 at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center. The topic will be making the city's transportation network smarter, better connected and electric.

Gosier said she'd like to see the kind of focus happening in Atlanta in more rural areas, and is calling on state leaders to support local towns and counties to be just as innovative. But, she quipped, many rural Georgians also need the basics - such as clean running water - as well as electric-vehicle charging stations.

"When we think about lead pipes needing to be replaced in communities, it's not just impacting Flint, Michigan," she said. "This is something that is an issue all throughout the state of Georgia, and especially in rural areas."

The new PROTECT Formula program funding - short for Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation - is available to states over five years. The Atlanta Regional Commission plans to use its $45 million to pay for electric buses and charging stations, upgrades to transit infrastructure in Cobb and Clayton counties, and road improvements.

Most experts agree putting more electric vehicles on the road is a major step toward fighting climate change, but a new report says states will also need to find new ways to fund road maintenance.

Currently, Michigan pays for road construction with a tax on gasoline and diesel, but as more electric vehicles take to the road, the highway fund is expected to shrink by tens of millions of dollars.

Report author Patrick Anderson, CEO of the East Lansing-based Anderson Economic Group, warned that unless lawmakers devise a new formula to pay for upkeep, Michigan's already-crumbling roadways will only get worse.

"For a lot of people who make a switch to an electric vehicle, they're paying $100 or $200 less a year in road taxes, but they're putting more weight on the road," he said. "That's a big, big switch, and something that has significant consequences for our ability to maintain our roads."

Anderson said EV owners now pay $140 a year in fees, while gas-powered vehicle drivers pay about $400 in fees and fuel costs. By 2030, he said, that could mean fewer tax dollars for the state, by hundreds of millions.

Anderson said a 2021 survey of Michigan roads and highways found that one-third of them were rated "poor," with only one-quarter in "good" condition. Michigan is slated to get $2.4 billion for transportation projects from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill over the next five years, but Anderson said the state needs a longer-term solution for its roadway upkeep.

"The report doesn't recommend that people either buy or don't buy an EV - I drive one myself - but they're not telling people what kind of car they should drive," he said. "We are saying that these decisions have consequences and that, right now, electric-vehicle drivers are not paying the same to maintain roads."

The report outlined several suggestions for EVs, including higher registration costs, mileage-based fees, a fee charged per kilowatt hour and a "miles fee" calculated during annual registration or by toll roads. Currently, eight other states are testing pilot programs to equalize the maintenance fees paid by all vehicle owners.

Cincinnati's small business owners say they're eagerly anticipating upgrades to the Brent Spence Bridge, announced jointly last week by President Joe Biden, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

The federal government gave the two states more than $1 billion for bridge infrastructure improvements and for construction of a companion bridge to ease vehicle congestion.

Anne Zimmerman owns a Cincinnati accounting firm and is the co-chair of the group Small Business for America's Future. She said her business has been hampered over the years by unpredictable bridge shutdowns and traffic problems.

"It's just in such bad shape that a lot of people won't even drive it any more," said Zimmerman. "They're worried it's too dangerous after a couple of recent crashes and fires, and crumbling of it."

According to the Federal Highway Administration, Brent Spence is responsible for the second-worst truck bottleneck in the nation.

More than $400 billion of cargo crosses the Ohio River each year.

Gov. Mike DeWine says groundbreaking will happen this year, and the project is expected to be complete by 2029.

Zimmerman said she's not the only small business owner anticipating major benefits to the regional economy, including more jobs and service businesses.

"Well, you can't live in Cincinnati and not cross into Kentucky if not daily or more," said Zimmerman. "So if I'm going to do business, if I'm going to go see a client, I have to cross the river."

The Brent Spence Bridge was constructed more then 60 years ago to carry around 80,000 vehicles a day, but daily traffic has doubled in the decades since.

This story was produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.

It's been two decades since Minnesota stopped allowing undocumented people to apply for a driver's license. But there's renewed momentum in the Legislature to roll back that restriction.

A House panel heard testimony yesterday for a "Drivers' Licenses for All" bill. The idea has seen heavy debate in recent years but hasn't been able to pass under split state government.

Its supporters feel their chances are better now, with Democrats controlling the governor's office and legislature.

Community organizer with Unidos MN Regina Olono Vidales spoke in support of the plan, and said that in college, it was a barrier for her and other undocumented students.

"People like us live in fear every day," said Vidales. "Just from going to work, to class, to go get groceries, you name it. This is an issue of transportation, accessibility, education, public safety and so much more."

Other supporters who testified included business groups, faith leaders and members of law enforcement. Some note it would provide stability to Minnesota's labor force and make roadways safer.

Republicans who oppose the idea argue it opens the door to illegal immigration and could lead to instances of voter fraud.

But Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers have noted these would be "noncompliant" licenses related to the Real ID Act, meaning they couldn't be used to register to vote.

Francisco Segovia is the executive director of Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina (COPAL MN), which is leading a campaign to get the bill passed in the first 45 days of session. He said opponents have allowed this issue to become politicized.

"A driver's license is basically an authorization or a privilege to be able to operate a motor vehicle," said Segovia. "It shouldn't be an immigration issue here. And everyone benefits from having people driving vehicles with the proper authorization and the proper training."

Segovia said he thinks policymakers need to consider the state's growing Latino population, nearly 40% of whom under age 18.

He said some are growing up in households with parents who can't drive them to after-school activities and appointments, putting them at a disadvantage.

Nearly 20 states already offer driving privileges to people who lack permanent legal status.