Today, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) voted to pass H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a bipartisan framework of investments in America’s crumbling infrastructure. In addition to voting on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Package, Blunt Rochester voted to advance a rule for consideration of the Build Back Better Act. The Bipartisan Infrastructure bill includes approximately $1.2 trillion in funding for America’s surface transportation infrastructure, including our roads, highways, and bridges, and clean water infrastructure, wastewater infrastructure, electric vehicles, public transportation, reliable and affordable broadband, and more. Along with its once-in-a-century investments in our nation’s infrastructure, this bill will also create good-paying jobs, tackle the climate crisis head-on, and enhance America’s competitiveness on the world stage.
“The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a critical step in making the long-overdue investments to existing infrastructure in Delaware and across the nation. That’s why I was proud to cast my vote to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Agreement, while also voting to advance the transformative Build Back Better Act,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester. “These funds will allow Delaware to make historic improvements to its surface transportation and highway infrastructure as well as its broadband and clean water initiatives throughout the state. I’m proud to have worked alongside the other members of Delaware’s federal delegation, Senator Carper and Senator Coons, to get the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act bill over the finish line and onto President Biden’s desk for signature, and look forward to passing the Build Back Better Act.”
H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, supports high-paying jobs, vital projects, and internet connectivity in Delaware and throughout the country. Major investments include:
- Access to Clean Water and Pollution Remediation: Over the next 20 years, Delaware's drinking water infrastructure will require about $1 billion in additional funding. The infrastructure bill calls for $55 billion for clean drinking water in the country, including significant funding to address PFAS contamination. The bill contains $21 billion for environmental remediation, including funds to clean up Superfund and Brownfield sites. The bill would also create a program to help low income households access clean drinking water and wastewater services, provisions based on Blunt Rochester’s Low Income Water Customer Assistance Programs Act.
- Resilience: From 2010 to 2020, Delaware experienced 10 extreme weather events, costing the state up to $2 billion in damages. The bipartisan infrastructure bill invests $46 billion for resilience across the country, including $26 million for the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program, $238 million for the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program, and $200 million for the NOAA Marine Debris Program.
- Broadband: The infrastructure bill authorizes $65 billion to connect every American, including those in rural areas of Delaware, to high-speed internet. Almost 4% of residents in Delaware live in areas where, by one definition, there is no broadband infrastructure that provides minimally acceptable speeds. Even where broadband infrastructure is available, broadband may be too expensive to be within reach. More than 10% of Delaware households do not have an internet subscription.
- Ports and Airports: The bill calls for $17 billion for port infrastructure and $25 billion for airports to reduce congestion and emissions and address maintenance backlogs.
- Reconnecting communities: The bill provides $1 billion for a new program to reconnect communities divided by the interstate highway system and other transportation infrastructure, as called for in the Reconnecting Communities Act, introduced by Rep. Blunt Rochester
- Roads and Bridges: In Delaware, there are 19 bridges and over 250 miles of highway in poor condition. The bill invests $110 billion in roads, bridges, and other significant projects. This investment will repair and rebuild roads and bridges focusing on climate change mitigation, resilience, equity, and safety for all users, including cyclists and pedestrians.
- Transit System: The infrastructure bill provides $39 billion to modernize our nation's transit system and make public transportation more accessible.
- Rail: The bill provides $66 billion for rail, including the largest investment in passenger rail since Amtrak's creation. Within this funding, $22 million would be provided as grants to Amtrak, $24 billion as federal-state partnership grants for Northeast Corridor (NEC) modernization, $12 billion for partnership grants for intercity rail service, $5 billion for rail improvement and safety grants, and $3 billion for grade crossing safety improvements. The rail funding will allow NEC service providers, including Amtrak, to make necessary capital investments. The NEC is one of the busiest and most complex rail lines globally and runs through New Castle County with stops at Wilmington and Newark. The state-of-good-repair backlog in the NEC has climbed to over $40 billion, and Amtrak and other infrastructure owners lack the long-term funding to address it.
- Ferries: The bill includes $250 million for a new low-emission ferry pilot program. Delaware's ferry system, run by the Delaware River & Bay Authority, connects Lewes to Cape May, N.J.
- School Buses: $5 billion for electric and low-carbon school buses to reduce the exposure of students in Delaware and around the country to pollution.
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