Giddy Up! Hickenlooper Cheers Passage of Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill He Helped Write

Largest public investment in American in a century

Bill contains Hickenlooper-authored provisions on electric vehicles, broadband, RTD & marijuana

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper cheered the Senate’s passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Hickenlooper was part of a bipartisan group of 22 senators who negotiated and wrote the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which will expand broadband access, jumpstart our transition to clean energy and electric vehicles, make roads and bridges more resilient to climate change, and safeguard access to clean water.

“Today the Senate is kickstarting the economy by making the largest investment in our infrastructure in nearly a century. We’re proving to the world that our democracy can still deliver,” said Hickenlooper, a member of the “G-22” group of senators who negotiated the bipartisan bill. “Coloradans will see better roads, faster internet, and cleaner energy thanks to our bipartisan collaboration.”

According to White House estimates, Colorado is expected to receive $3.7 billion for roads, $225 million for bridge replacement and repairs, at least $100 million to expand broadband coverage, $917 million for public transit, and $57 million to expand electric vehicle charging.

Other key provisions for Colorado include:

Western Water Infrastructure:

• $3.2 billion for aging infrastructure
• $1 billion for water recycling, including $450 million for large water recycling projects
• $1 billion for rural water and $500 million for dam safety
• $300 million for the Drought Contingency Plan, including $50 million for Upper Basin States
• $400 million for WaterSMART, including $100 million for natural infrastructure projects
• $100 million for cooperative watershed management, $250 million for aquatic ecosystem restoration program, and $100 million for watershed projects
• $50 million for Colorado River endangered species recovery and conservation programs

Transportation:

• $110 billion for roads and bridges, which would help repair 481 Colorado bridges and over 3,600 miles of Colorado highway in poor condition
• $25 billion for airport improvements
• $39 billion to modernize public transit
• $66 billionfor passenger and freight rail investments, including $16 billion specifically for Amtrak

Climate Change Mitigation and Clean Energy:

• $73 billion for transmission lines, grid reliability, carbon capture and direct air capture, clean hydrogen, energy efficiency, and other energy innovation priorities

• $43 billion for wildfire and drought resiliency, weatherization, flood mitigation, and cybersecurity for critical infrastructure

• $7.5 billionfor the first-ever federal investment in a national charging network for electric vehicles

• $2.5 billion for zero-emission buses

Drinking Water and Pollution Remediation:

• $21 billion to address legacy pollution, including Superfund sites and abandoned wells, and a new program to clean up abandoned hardrock mines
• $55 billion for drinking water infrastructure updates and lead pipe removal, including $3.5 billion for Tribal access to clean water