APWA Press Release
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In a letter today, the nation’s largest organization of public works professionals urged Congress to fully appropriate funds for the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which President Biden signed into law two months ago.
“With passage of the IIJA, Congress offered a bold vision for the future of our nation’s infrastructure. Now, it is time to ensure that the legislation receives full funding for implementation, thus ensuring that American infrastructure can support the lives of every citizen and continue to contribute to our nation’s general welfare as it has historically,” said APWA CEO Scott D. Grayson, CAE, and APWA President Stan Brown, PE, PWLF wrote in a letter to Congressional leadership.
Grayson and Brown said full funding for IIJA will be critical in ensuring our nation’s infrastructure system receives the support Congress recognizes and intends through passage of the new law.
“Each day, millions of Americans commute to work on aging highways, roads and bridges, utilize out-of-date water and wastewater systems, and rely upon thinly stretched emergency management services to respond to natural disasters, traffic incidents, and other life-threatening scenarios,” they wrote. “In short, infrastructure is what keeps our nation running, and now, more than ever, Americans need the support promised by the IIJA.”
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act adds $559 billion to the federal government’s average annual investment of $650 billion and addresses the association’s public policy priorities for surface transportation reauthorization, water resiliency, and emergency management, including:
- Reauthorizing the primary federal aid highway programs and increases overall spending $273.2 billion over 5 years,
- Codifying elements of the “one federal decision” policy to require agencies to coordinate reviews and authorization decisions for major infrastructure projects and sets a goal for completing environmental reviews within two years,
- $11 billion for road safety,
- $7.3 billion for the new Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) program to make infrastructure more resilient to storms and natural disasters,
- $55 billion towards water and wastewater infrastructure,
- $5 billion to the Assistance for Small and Disadvantaged Communities Drinking Water grant program to deal with emerging contaminants,
- $1 billion in grant program (FY2022 through FY2025) to help states, tribal or multistate governments address cybersecurity threats, and
- $3.5 billion for the National Flood Insurance Fund for flood mitigation assistance.
The American Public Works Association serves over 30,000 professionals in all aspects of public works who plan, design, build, maintain, operate, and oversee the country’s vast infrastructure networks. APWA’s members include employees from local, county, state/province, and federal agencies, and private sector personnel who supply products and services to those professionals. APWA membership is open to any individual, agency, or corporation with an interest in public works and infrastructure issues.
