On November 5th, the House of Representatives passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) by a bipartisan vote of 228-206. The legislation totals more than $1.2 trillion in funding for roads, bridges, public transit, water infrastructure, broadband internet access, and other items. President Biden signed the bill in a ceremony at the White House on November 15, 2021.
While many federal agencies like the Bureau of Reclamation and the Environmental Protection Agency will take some time implementing programs and expending funds for their components of the IIJA, the Corps of Engineers has been given 60 days to provide Congress with spend plans identifying projects for approximately $17 billion in investment.
The bipartisan infrastructure legislation will boost authorized spending levels and create new funding for programs to provide additional assistance opportunities to support water infrastructure and the management of water resources. The IIJA includes:
o $17 billion for the Corps of Engineers infrastructure projects including:
o $11 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers Construction Account
o $4 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers Operations and Maintenance Account
o $55.4 billion for the water programs at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), including multi-year grant funding to address emerging contaminants like PFAS as well as:
o $11.713 billion for the Clean Water SRF
o $11.713 billion for the Drinking Water SRF
o $8.3 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation administered water infrastructure programs including:
o $1 billion for water recycling and water reuse projects
o $250 million for water desalination projects
(Hat tip to Van Scoyoc Associates)