By: Rhett Buttle
Today, November 15, marks the two-year anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal being signed into law by President Biden. The benefits of this once-in-a-generation investment in America’s infrastructure and competitiveness can be seen in communities and on Main Streets across the country.
To date, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is currently funding nearly $400 billion for over 40,000 projects across over 4,500 communities in all 50 states, Washington, DC, U.S. territories, and tribal communities. These include efforts to upgrade our bridges and highways and invest in clean energy and are part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which has helped drive over $614 billion dollars in private sector manufacturing and green energy investments.
The work underway is impressive when laid out in numbers. For example, the law has helped more than 21 million low-income households access free or discounted high-speed internet service through the Affordable Connectivity Program and launched over 2,300 projects to help communities build resilience to threats such as climate change and cyber-attacks. This will make it easier and safer for entrepreneurs in all communities to start a business from anywhere.
Other aspects of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are making it easier for businesses 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. In addition, 445 port and waterway projects are being funded to strengthen supply chains, speed up the movement of goods, and lower costs.
Additional efforts that will make communities safer for all types of growth include over 60 projects to improve the resilience and reliability of America’s electric grid and deliver cheaper and cleaner electricity. This is the largest single investment in electric transmission and distribution infrastructure in the history of the United States. The law is also removing hazardous fuel material from 8.7 million acres of land, plugging over 6,000 orphaned oil and gas wells, and funding 70 previously unfunded Superfund projects to clean up contaminated sites. Not only will this help protect communities from wildfires and other disasters, it will also allow these areas to be revitalized.
A simple drive through many cities and towns over the last decade showed how our infrastructure was crumbling in areas. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law coupled with additional investment from the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Sciences Act and American Rescue Plan will reverse this course and prepare America to be more competitive for the future.
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