Source: United States Senator for Ohio Rob Portman
August 5, 2021 | Portman Difference
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will provide an historic investment in in our nation’s infrastructure, repairing and upgrading our crumbling roads, bridges, and more, while improving productivity, growing our economy, and creating good-paying jobs. Here are a few of the highlights of this landmark bill, many of which will benefit Ohio directly:
Provides for historic investment in Ohio’s nearly 123,000 miles of roadway. Even though Ohio’s roadway network is extensive, congestion costs Ohio motorists an estimated $4.7 billion each year in lost time and wasted fuel, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), who scored Ohio’s roads at a “D” in their 2021 infrastructure report card.
- This package provides $110 billion in new spending over five years to construct, rebuild and maintain roads and highways.
- Specifically, this package provides $10 billion in highway funding for Ohio, on top of the over $20 billion in competitive grant funding for highway and multi-modal projects.
Provides funding to help address the Brent Spence Bridge and other major Ohio infrastructure projects. Ohio is 2nd in the nation for the number of bridges, with 44,736 bridges, nearly half of which are not in good condition.
- The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides $60 billion, including $45 billion in new grant funding, for state and local governments to fund projects like the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project as well as other major projects across Ohio.
- The package provides $12.5 billion to fund Portman’s Bridge Investment Act, which establishes a bridge investment program to award competitive grants to certain governmental entities for projects that improve the condition of bridges as well as the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of people and freight over bridges
The commercial aviation industry in Ohio supports 158,094 jobs and contributes 13.2 billion to the state’s GDP. Ohio’s airport system consists of 7 commercial airports and a total 176 public use airports and heliports.
- This package provides $25 billion in new spending for airports. Ohio’s airports have received more than $163 million for airport improvement projects within the COVID airport improvement program, and this program builds on that momentum to further improve Ohio’s terminals and runways.
Provides historic new funding to close the digital divide
- The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides $65 billion to increase access to broadband services to connect more Americans to the internet. Specifically, the bill provides $42.5 billion in funding to states to deploy high speed networks to unserved and underserved communities.
- Currently, more than 300,000 Ohio households, or approximately 1 million Ohioans, lack access to high-speed internet.
- Further, the package continues the Emergency Broadband Benefit to continue this popular affordability program beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The package also establishes grant programs totaling $550 million per year to promote digital inclusion efforts in communities that lack the skills, technologies and support needed to take advantage of broadband connections.
Addresses per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and lead remediation to improve drinking water quality
- Provides $25 billion in dedicated funding to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and for lead service line replacement to help ensure our communities have access to clean, safe drinking water.
Provides $1 billion for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), long one of Senator Portman’s key Ohio priorities
- The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes $5.5 billion in funding to support ecosystems, like our Great Lakes, across the country.
Provides for safe drinking water
- Authorizes more than $1.2 billion over five years for Ohio through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
Increases energy efficiency
- Includes provisions from Senator Portman’s energy efficiency legislation that will improve energy efficiency in buildings and the industrial sector, which will help reduce emissions, protect the environment, and create jobs.
Provides for recycling education
- Authorizes $15 million per year for five years for federal grants to educate regarding recycling programs. This provision is based upon the bipartisan RECYCLE Act Senator Portman introduced to help address the knowledge gap among consumers regarding proper recycling practices that contributes to a low nationwide recycling rate.
Funds reforestation projects within national forests
- The bill will remove the current $30M per year cap on the Reforestation Trust Fund, and help the U.S. Forest Service plant 1.2 billion trees on national forest lands and create nearly 49,000 jobs over the next decade. This provision is based upon Senator Portman’s bipartisan REPLANT Act to address the reforestation backlog among our national forests.
Helps finish the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS)
- The bill will provide $1.25 billion to help finish the ADHS, a series of highway corridors connecting 13 Appalachian states, from New York to Alabama. Ohio stands to receive $86.2 million in funding through this legislation. This provision is based on Senator Portman’s bipartisan Finish the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) Act to provide the first dedicated funding for the network of transportation corridors across Appalachia since 2012.
Supports domestic energy production and reduces carbon pollution
- Will make it easier for power plants and industrial facilities to finance the purchase and installation of carbon capture, utilization, and storage equipment, as well as direct air capture (DAC) projects through the use of private activity bonds (PABs). This provision is based upon the bipartisan Carbon Capture Improvement Act Senator Portman introduced to facilitate the adoption of carbon capture and direct air capture technologies.
Improving the Federal Permitting Process
- Will improve the federal permitting process and give project sponsors more certainty by making FAST-41 permanent, which will allow them to create more jobs and develop our nation’s infrastructure more efficiently. FAST-41 was introduced by Senator Portman enacted in 2015 as Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.
Improves the efficiency of P3s loans
- This package includes a new requirement for applicants of the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) credit program and Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing loans with project costs of more than $750 million.
- While Ohio is one of the 36 states with P3-enabling legislation, the public-private partnership financing model is severely underutilized. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes this provision, to require a Value for Money (VfM) analysis for these financing options, to ensure states are giving P3 financing full and fair consideration.
- In addition, this provision requires DOT to report this data to Congress, to further understanding of state utilization of public-private partnerships.
Increases cyber security
- Provides $21 million in funding for the Office of the National Cyber Director (NCD) which will provide the NCD with the resources needed to coordinate the implementation of national cybersecurity policy and strategy.
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