November 05, 2021
Broadband: $65B - Grants to states for broadband deployment, makes
broadband access more affordable for low-income families, expands eligible
private activity bond projects to include broadband infrastructure, and
supports middle-mile deployment efforts. Roads,
Bridges, & major projects:
$110B - Includes the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act and
Surface Transportation Investment Act. Funds new, dedicated grant program
to replace and repair bridges and increases funding for the major project
competitive grant programs. At the same time, the package preserves the
90/10 split of federal highway aid to states. Power
and Grid: $65B - Includes the
bipartisan, ENR-passed Energy Infrastructure Act, which includes funds for
grid reliability and resiliency and support for a Grid Deployment
Authority; critical minerals and supply chains for clean energy
technology; key technologies like carbon capture, hydrogen, direct air
capture, and energy efficiency; and energy demonstration projects from the
bipartisan Energy Act of 2020. Resiliency: $47.2B - Funding for cybersecurity to address critical
infrastructure needs, waste management, flood and wildfire mitigation,
drought, and coastal resiliency, ecosystem restoration, heat stress, and
weatherization. Passenger
and Freight Rail: $66B -
Provides funding for the Amtrak National Network for new service and
dedicated funding to the Northeast Corridor, which has incurred a severe
repair backlog after Hurricane Sandy. Increases funding for freight rail
and safety. Safety: $11B - Funds highway & pedestrian safety programs,
as well as pipeline safety and repair. Public
Transit: $39.2B - Funds nation’s
transit system repair backlog, which DOT estimates is more than 24,000
buses, 5,000 rail cars, 200 stations, and thousands of miles of track,
signals, and power systems. Expands transit systems, supports clean
transit options, and increases accessibility for seniors and persons with
disabilities. Airports: $25B - Increases funds for Airport Improvement grant
program for runways, gates, & taxiways as well as a new Airport
Terminal Improvement program for terminals, concessions, and multimodal
connections. Improves Air Traffic Control infrastructure. Water
Infrastructure: $55B - Includes $23.4 billion
for the bipartisan Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of
2021. Provides a historic $15 billion for lead service line replacement
and $10 billion to address Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).
Supports water infrastructure in Tribal communities by providing $3.5
billion ($1.8 billion under Water Infrastructure and $1.7 billion under
Resiliency) for the Indian Health Service Sanitation Facilities
Construction program, in addition to providing funding to complete all
currently authorized Indian Water Rights Settlements. Broadband: West Virginia will receive a minimum allocation of
$600 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state,
including providing access to the at least 258,000 West Virginians who
currently lack it. And, under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,
543,000 or 31% of people in West Virginia will be eligible for the
Affordability Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income families
afford internet access Roads
and Bridges: Based on formula funding
alone, West Virginia would expect to receive $3.0 billion for federal-aid
highway apportioned programs and $506 million for bridge replacement and
repairs over five years. West Virginia can also compete for the $12.5
billion Bridge Investment Program for economically significant bridges and
nearly $16 billion of national funding in the bill dedicated for major
projects that will deliver substantial economic benefits to communities. Public
Transportation: Based on formula funding
alone, West Virginia would expect to receive $196 million over five years
under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to improve public
transportation options across the state. Funding for Energy Technologies
and Demonstration Projects For
Renewables, CCUS, Energy Storage and Efficiency, Industrial
Emissions, Critical Minerals, Hydrogen, and Direct Air Capture. Of
particular note for West Virginia are investments in: Carbon Capture – The bill authorizes more than $12 billion for
carbon capture technologies, including direct air capture and
demonstration projects on coal, natural gas, and industrial plants and
supporting CO2 infrastructure. It also funds work to advance use of coal,
carbon, and CO2 for valuable products, including a demonstration in
Appalachia. Geothermal – The bill authorizes $84 million for enhanced
geothermal demonstration, including in the eastern United States, like
Appalachia. Critical minerals – The bill fully funds a program that West
Virginia University has championed to extract rare earth elements from
coal and authorizes $140 million for a new facility to demonstrate
the commercial-scale feasibility of rare earth elements refining and
processing from waste material, like acid mine drainage, that West
Virginia University has been leading. Energy Efficiency and
Weatherization –
West Virginia would be eligible for approximately $16 million from a new
revolving loan fund for states to encourage energy efficiency upgrades
and approximately $47 million in funding for weatherization based on the
current formula. Hydrogen – The bill authorizes $9.5 billion for hydrogen,
including regional hydrogen hubs, of which two will be in the largest
natural gas producing regions, including Appalachia. It makes NETL one of
three lead laboratories for the new DOE hydrogen programs. Hyperloop Eligibility For DOE
Loan Program – This bill would allow
the hyperloop technologies to be eligible for DOE’s Advanced Technology
Vehicle Manufacturing Loan Program and receive loans through future
appropriations. Clean Energy Demonstrations On
Mine Lands – The bill authorizes
$500 million to demonstrate the viability of clean energy projects on
current and former mine land. Plugging Orphan Wells And
Reclaiming Abandoned Mine Lands Orphan Wells –This bill authorizes $4.7 billion to plug,
remediate, and reclaim orphaned wells via grants to the States and new
federal programs. There are at least 4,646 documented orphan wells in
West Virginia that will be able to be addressed under this program. Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation – The bill authorizes $11.3 billion for the
Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Reclamation Fund. As of September 2020, there
were at least 140,355 acres of unfunded AML problem areas in West
Virginia, which would cost at least $1.78 billion. It also extends the collection
of the AML Reclamation Fee for 13 years. This fee levied on coal provides
funding for the AML program. Grid Resilience, Transmission,
Cybersecurity
Resilience Upgrades – West Virginia utilities would be eligible for
the $5 billion authorized to install resilience upgrades on their systems. State Energy Programs – West Virginia will receive part of the $500
million authorized for State Energy Program activities, including
transmission and distribution planning. Clean Energy Supply Chains Coal Country Energy
Manufacturing – The
bill authorizes $750 million in grants for small- and
medium-sides manufacturers to build new or retrofit manufacturing and
industrial facilities to produce or recycle energy products in
communities where coal mines or coal plants have closed. This complements
the 48C tax credit, which would provide a tax credit for similar
activities in these areas. US Geological Survey Mapping – The bill establishes the Earth Mapping
Resources Initiative (EarthMRI) for the USGS, in partnership with the
state geologic survey, to focus on mapping critical minerals, especially
abandoned mines and mine waste that may contain these critical
minerals. With the many mines sites in West Virginia, this will
provide environmental and future economic benefits as efforts are
accelerated to extract critical minerals from mine waste. Natural Resources In West Virginia, there are
currently over 170,000 acres of un-reclaimed abandoned mine lands, and
1-in-3 West Virginians live within a 1-mile radius of an AML site.
The bill authorizes $200 million in funding for planting trees and other
vegetation on mined land (on Federal and, upon request, on non-Federal
land) to bring economic activity and wildlife back to these areas. The bill also authorizes $8
million for efforts to supply firewood to people that heat their homes
with wood in the winter if for some reason they cannot cut or afford to
purchase the firewood they need to heat their home. This is comparable to
the West Virginia food bank where people can go if they have fallen on
hard times. Similarly, this will help people if for some reason
they are not able to cut and split the firewood they need to heat their
home. The West Virginia-Department
of Natural Resources currently has three “good neighbor” projects ongoing
on the Monongahela National Forest, where the State is overseeing timber
harvesting work on the National Forest. This has been identified as
a priority in the West Virginia 2020 State Forest Action Plan, prepared
by the West Virginia Division of Forestry, and the bill specifically
authorizes $200 million for these types of projects. The West Virginia forest
products industry has facilities across the State, but not as many as
there used to be. The bill authorizes $400 million to provide loans
and loan guarantees to companies involved with the forest products
industry (including to expand, re-open, or improve local sawmills). Last December, the New River
Gorge National Park and Preserve became America’s newest National Park,
and in the months following visitation has increased. Moreover,
visitation has increased across all of the Federal recreation sites in
West Virginia during the pandemic as the public looked for things to do
in the outdoors. This bill authorizes $80 million for Federal recreation
sites (like the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve) that have
been experiencing or are expecting to experience increases in visitation.
Manchin Praises House Passage Of Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill
Charleston, WV – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) praised the U.S. House of Representatives passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that will bring around $6 billion to West Virginia for infrastructure investments over the next five years. The Senate passed the legislation in August.
“West Virginia has 1,545 bridges and more than 3,200 miles of highway in poor condition and 32 percent of trains and other transit vehicles in the state are past useful life. At least 258,000 West Virginians have no broadband access,” said Senator Manchin. “Our bipartisan bill will help West Virginia, and every other state in the nation, address the infrastructure needs of our nation while creating good-paying jobs and growing the economy. This type of investment hasn’t been made in three decades. I am pleased the House of Representatives passed this bipartisan legislation, and look forward to President Biden signing it into law. I have always said that the best politics is good government, and I’m incredibly proud of my bipartisan colleagues for their tireless efforts to get this across the finish line and deliver on this major investment in the needs of America.”
The bipartisan infrastructure bill section by section can be found below or here.
Estimates on the West Virginia benefits can be found below or here.
Senator Manchin serves as Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which reported the Energy Infrastructure Act in July before it became Division D of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. West Virginia benefits from the Energy Infrastructure Act can be found below or here.
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