Bipartisan deal makes critical investments in New Jersey infrastructure
| 16 Aug 2021 | 07:20
U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (sherrill.house.gov)
On Aug. 10, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) released the following statement on the Senate’s passage of the bipartisan infrastructure deal:
Today, the Senate took a major step in addressing this nation’s infrastructure crisis by passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, a landmark piece of legislation that will create jobs, improve the quality of life for millions of families, and make critical investments in our nation’s infrastructure.
At one point, America set the world standard in infrastructure. But for the past half a century, we’ve been resting on Eisenhower-era investments and as a result we’ve paid the price for not ensuring our infrastructure can keep up with our economy. This bipartisan legislation is a critical step in addressing these shortfalls and making investments for our nation’s future in key areas such as rail, clean water, environmental resilience, and clean power.
We know how badly needed these infrastructure investments are in New Jersey. That’s why I’ve been fighting to ensure we complete the Gateway Tunnel Project since the moment I entered Congress. It is the most critical surface infrastructure project in a nation full of crumbling infrastructure. With the investments in the Northeast Corridor included in this infrastructure bill, we’re finally moving forward on Gateway and, in doing so, will be improving the quality of life for families across northern New Jersey and protecting the entire national economy. I’m thrilled that this core New Jersey priority is playing such a central role in this infrastructure package.
I’m confident we’ll pass this bipartisan infrastructure bill in the House and finally deliver these investments for the American people.
The deal includes the following provisions:
Gateway Tunnel: The package includes $66 billion for passenger rail infrastructure, including $22 billion for Amtrak and $24 billion as federal-state partnership grants for Northeast Corridor modernization. This funding for Amtrak and Northeast Corridor modernization will be directly available to finance the completion of Gateway.
Lackawanna cut-off: The $22 billion in new funding for Amtrak can also be used to support Amtrak’s proposed service expansion of the Lackawanna Cut-Off to bring accessible passenger rail to northwestern New Jersey. Amtrak published a service expansion map in May that included the development of the Lackawanna cut-off.
Electric grid: The package includes $65 billion to build thousands of miles of new power lines and expand renewable energy transmission and storage. It also includes $50 billion to make the electric grid (as well as other critical infrastructure) more resilient to droughts, floods, and cyber attacks.
Water infrastructure: The package includes $55 billion to upgrade and modernize the nation’s water infrastructure system, including dedicated funding to remove the dangerous chemical PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl) so that communities have access to clean drinking water.
Broadband access: The package invests $65 billion in broadband infrastructure to ensure that every American has access to reliable high-speed internet.
Electric vehicles: The package includes $7.5 billion to build a national network of electric vehicle chargers to accelerate the adoption of EVs, which will combat climate change and create manufacturing jobs. It also invests $7.5 billion to electrify and modernize America’s school bus fleet.