On November 15th, 2021, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which appropriates federal spending for U.S. infrastructure improvements, particularly for roads, bridges, railways, transit, clean energy, and water in both urban and rural communities across the country. This infrastructure law allocates funding to over 350 distinct programs across more than a dozen federal departments and agencies. To aid state, local, tribal, and territorial governments and other partners in accessing this funding, the administration has released the Building a Better America guidebook. The guidebook allows users to familiarize themselves with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and its related funding vehicles.
Navigating Funding Opportunities
The recently published 465-page guidebook provides a roadmap to funding programs and direct federal grants for a variety of infrastructure projects, including how much funding is available at the program level along with upcoming key dates and planning activities municipalities and utilities can do now to prepare. The goal is to help users know what to apply for and who to contact.
The online version of the guidebook also hosts an application to quickly sort and filter programs by agency, issue, or eligible recipient. Users can search by name, funding amount, geographic area, and federal agency, among other fields.
Applicable Infrastructure Projects
Key infrastructure areas available for funding that have particular relevance for municipalities and utilities include water, wastewater, and water resources as well as dam safety, watershed management, transportation, and resiliency. Loan and grant programs range from Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRF) and Emerging Contaminants (which includes funding for PFAS mitigation) to Bridge Investment and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities.
Types of projects that fall under these categories include flood mitigation, energy efficiency, cybersecurity, and water and groundwater storage and conveyance. This may include the removal of lead pipes, water main rehabilitation or repair, and upgrading wastewater management systems. Money is also available for projects related to improving or creating reclaimed/reused water systems. In addition, funding opportunities include support for transportation projects as well as climate-related and environmental remediation projects.
Ready To Take Action
If your community is ready to move forward with improvements to vital infrastructure, Wright-Pierce is ready to assist you. We are well versed in seeking out funding opportunities and assisting local governments and utilities in applying for a variety of funding programs related to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Contact us today to take full advantage of the opportunities this new funding presents.