A signing date for a major piece of infrastructure legislation, White House assurances on the economic impact of the bill, Post Office preparations for the holidays, new small business tools from Apple, a forecast for increased renewable energy deployments,
National
President Joe Biden will sign bipartisan legislation that makes major investments in United States infrastructure in a ceremony on Monday. The $1 trillion bill includes a wide range of initiatives, including upgrades to physical infrastructure, the expansion of broadband internet, and climate initiatives.
Speaking about the legislation, Biden said the infrastructure investments will help resolve supply chain bottlenecks and ease inflation. However, Biden also cautioned that construction on a variety of projects needs to be completed in order to reap these benefits.
Business trends
The U.S. Postal Service is prepared to meet the challenge of increased shipping demand during the holiday season, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has promised. The USPS was criticized for slow delivery last year, but DeJoy says its staffing levels and resources are adequate to avoid a repeat of that situation.
Apple has announced that it is launching a business tools service for small businesses with up to 500 employees, enabling it to compete with Microsoft and Google. The service includes iCloud storage, 24/7 support, and other features to help companies expand their digital offerings and accommodate remote work arrangements.
S&P Global Market Intelligence anticipates that utility-scale wind and solar deployments will come online in record numbers in 2022. The firm expects that 44 gigawatts of new solar and 27 gigawatts of new wind energy will come online as states and businesses ramp up their commitments to renewable sources of power.
