Today, November 15, marks the second anniversary of the signing of the bipartisan infrastructure deal. … [+]
By: Rhett Buttle
Today, November 15, marks the two-year anniversary of President Biden signing the bipartisan infrastructure deal. The benefits of this unique investment in America’s infrastructure and competitiveness are visible in communities and on main streets across the country.
To date, the bipartisan Infrastructure Act currently funds nearly $400 billion for more than 40,000 projects in more than 4,500 communities in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., U.S. territories and tribal communities. These include efforts to modernize our bridges and highways and invest in clean energy and are part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which has helped generate more than $614 billion in investment in the sector private manufacturing and green energy.
The work being done is impressive when presented in numbers. For example, the law helped more than 21 million low-income households access free or reduced-cost high-speed Internet service through the high-speed Internet network. Affordable Connectivity Program and launched more than 2,300 projects to help communities build resilience to threats such as climate change and cyberattacks. This will make it easier and safer for entrepreneurs in all communities to start a business wherever they are.
Other aspects of the bipartisan infrastructure law make it easier for companies to operate and ship their goods and services. Improvements are currently underway on 135,800 miles of roads and 7,800 bridge repair projects, which will help reconnect communities across the country. Additionally, 445 port and river projects are being funded to strengthen supply chains, speed up the movement of goods and reduce costs.
Additional efforts that will make communities safer for all types of growth include more than 60 projects aimed at improving the resiliency and reliability of the U.S. power grid and providing cheaper, cleaner electricity. This is the largest investment in electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure in U.S. history. The law also removes hazardous combustible materials from 8.7 million acres of land, plugs more than 6,000 orphaned oil and gas wells, and funds 70 previously unfunded Superfund projects to clean up contaminated sites. Not only will this help protect communities from wildfires and other disasters, but it will also allow these areas to be revitalized.
A simple drive through many cities and towns over the past decade has shown how our infrastructure is crumbling in some areas. The bipartisan Infrastructure Act, coupled with additional investments from the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Sciences Act, and the American Rescue Plan, will reverse this trend and prepare America to be more competitive for ‘future.
