President Joe Biden on the Front Lawn of the White House signed into law the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that he and North Jersey lawmakers hailed as a game changer to moving New Jersey and the nation in the 21st century and beyond.
“Throughout our history, we’ve emerged from crises by investing in ourselves. I promised that we couldn’t just build back to what it was before. We literally had to build back better,” said Biden in his remarks at the bill signing ceremony Nov. 15. “You couldn’t build back—we’re the only country that’s always come out of great crises stronger than when we went in.”
“I truly believe that 50 years from now, historians are going to look back at this moment and say, ‘That’s the moment America began to win the competition of the 21st century’.”
Physical Infrastructure
The bill has been promoted as an investment in the national aging physical infrastructure that will create jobs as the U.S. emerges from the coronavirus pandemic and helps to fight rising inflation. Besides allocating monies to fix roads, bridges and investments in mass transit, the new law earmarks funding for water infrastructure, flood resiliency needed due to climate change, Superfund sites and cybersecurity.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill said attending the ceremony is was a reminder of why she wanted to be in Congress: to get things done for the people of North Jersey.
Sherrill’s Side
“It’s hard to overstate how large of a win this legislation is for families across NJ-11. For years, I’ve listened to the stories of hellish commutes that disrupt daily life and lived those disruptions myself,” said the Congresswoman. “(From) the Gateway Tunnel Project and the Lackawanna Cutoff, ensuring our drinking water is safe from PFAS and lead pipes, creating good-paying union jobs that will fuel our economy, and investing in our children’s future and our global competitive edge—this legislation will benefit families in innumerable ways for decades to come.”
Both Sherrill and Rep. Josh Gottheimer noted the bill showed that despite the polarization seen in politics, there are still opportunities for lawmakers on both side of the aisle to find common ground and deliver for the American people.
“In a major victory for pragmatic problem solving, Democrats and Republicans came together, working with the President, to craft and pass the greatest infrastructure investment in a century,” said Gottheimer. “This bipartisan bill is a huge win for New Jersey families and will help create two million jobs a year for the next decade. Now, we can finally get shovels in the ground and people to work.”
Water Infrastructure
Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. in his statement focused on federal investment in water infrastructure.
“I am proud that it includes money to replace water pipes to protect Americans, especially American children, from lead exposure in their drinking water,” said Payne. “We have needed this investment for decades and I applaud President Biden for his leadership to make this critical bipartisan investment.”
Rep. Tom Malinowski highlighted the bill’s attempts to address climate change, including an expected $104 million over five years to support the expansion of an electric vehicle charging network in the state and $50 billion nationally for flood control and climate-resilient infrastructure projects to protect communities from natural disasters.
Investing in Climate Change
“With this bill, we are making the largest investment ever in…protecting our communities from flooding, and transitioning America from fossil fuels to a clean energy future,” said Malinowski.
The congressman added that the new law will strengthen the U.S. supply chains by investing $17 billion in port infrastructure and waterways and $25 billion in airports to address repair and maintenance backlogs, and reduce congestion and emissions near ports and airports.
“Its investments in America’s roads, railways, and bridges will increase resiliency along our supply chains by rebuilding the broken infrastructure that is slowing us down and holding our economy back,” he said.
Senators Highlight Gateway Commitment
Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker outlined how the bill will send billions of dollars to New Jersey in federal funding to expand mass transit and build the Gateway Project.
“NJ Transit is the largest statewide transit system in America and we’re also home to the critical infrastructure that supports the busiest rail corridor in America—the Northeast Corridor,” said Menendez. “For agencies like NJ Transit, this legislation will provide access to billions of dollars over the coming years to complete major upgrades.”
The legislation will provide an estimated $12.3 billion in guaranteed transportation and transit funding formula dollars for New Jersey over the next five years—the largest ever investment in the state’s transportation infrastructure.
Boost to NJT Capitol Plan
“As President Biden signs the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, New Jerseyans can expect to see billions of dollars for our state’s infrastructure and advancing the Gateway Project,” said Booker. “In addition to funding critical infrastructure projects, these investments will also enhance our nation’s competitiveness and position our economy for continued growth by putting more Americans to work.”
NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin Corbett added “This infrastructure plan will provide much needed funding to advance essential projects within our Five-Year Capital Plan that will enhance service reliability and frequency as ridership returns to the system.”
Biden: America Leads Again
Among the items of the capital plan Corbett is eyeing to use federal funds include extending the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail into Bergen County and the West Side of Jersey City; moving to a zero-emissions bus fleet; modernizing aging train stations and rail bridges, including the Newark Light Rail; and increasing rail capacity on several lines.
President Biden ended the ceremony by proclaiming the bill is more than just building new roads and bridges, but a message to Americans and the world.
“The world has changed, and we have to be ready,” said the President. “My fellow Americans, I want you to know: We hear you, and we see you. So my message to the American people is this: America is moving again, and your life is going to change for the better. For real. It’s a big deal.”
By the Numbers
Following is a breakdown of what is in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and what will be available for New Jersey
TRANSPORTATION
- Highways/Roads $6,883,719,399
- Bridges $1,146,780,115
- Electric Vehicles $104,373,268
- Ferry Service $24,407,410
TRANSIT
- TOTAL $4,154,648,806
- FY21 $626,068,511
- FY22 $792,674,692
- FY23 $809,730,546
- FY24 $831,558,775
- FY25 $849,219,308
- FY26 $871,465,485
GATEWAY PROJECT
- Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC) $30,000,000,000
- Supplemental appropriation $8,000,000,000
- Annual authorization $3,000,000,000
AIRPORTS*
- Airport Infrastructure Grants $15,000,000,000
- Airport Terminal Program $5,000,000,000
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE*
- Drinking Water State Revolving Funds $15,000,000,000
- Clean Water State Revolving Funds $11,700,000,000
- Lead Contamination in Schools $200,000,000
- PFAS Contamination Remediation $10,000,000,000
BROADBAND $100,000,000
SUPERFUND/BROWNFIELDS $5,000,000,000
FLOOD RESILIENCY*
- Flood Mitigation Assistance Grants $3,500,000,000
WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE $3,500,000,000
CYBERSECURITY $2,000,000,000
*Funding is national over the next five years
In New Jersey, fund totals include:
- $8 billion in guaranteed funding to repair and repave New Jersey highways for the next five years.
- $14 billion to improve transit throughout the urbanized areas of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut
- $4.1 billion over five years to improve public transportation options across the state, including for NJ Transit.
- $104 million over five years to support the expansion of an electrical vehicle (EV) charging network in the state. New Jersey will also have the opportunity to apply for the $2.5 billion in grant funding dedicated to EV charging in the bill.
Too bad that money is being devoted to EV battery charging stations (which can be deployed on a commercial basis without subsidies, particularly in a densely populated state like NJ) rather than developing the technology and infrastructure for hydrogen fuel cells, the ultimate source of power for EVs. Government should be funding “leading edge” technologies, not obsolescent technologies.
Same thing for broadband. Broadband availability is only a problem in the most remote rural areas — there’s no place in NJ that fits that description — and low-earth-orbit (LEO) satelitte broadband now being deployed by SpaceX (Elon Musk) and Kuiper (Jeff Bezos) plus many others solve that problem without major government spending (of course Musk, Bezos et. al are happy to feed at then government trough).
Remember your excitement New Jerseyans when you see nothing of this getting done.
This bill is just more inflation. All this bill is is a bunch of pork and bribes targeted at democratic party constituencies with the effect of trying to ensure that democrats get reelected and hold onto power. This bill is marketed and sold to the public as something that will “help” the public but it is not intended to help . Its ONLY purpose is to buy votes. And it will make EVERYTHING worse
Who’s going to do some checks and balances on all this money. Certainly not the thiefs that passed it.
Without taxing the corporate rich beyond any economy, we still live off the backs of wage workers paying for a system that serves the evaders of the common good. Infrastructure would need to be fixed anyway; and monies should have already been held in trust for; especially water. If 1/10 of the “defense” budget were allocated this alone would have given us medical/dental and education. Ponder this why can’t we simply subsidize all with bit-coin? Money is the greatest illusion of all; a drug instead of a application for real needs and evolutionary progress.
WOW!! WELL NOW; “Rep. Mikie Sherrill said, “For years, I’ve listened to the stories of hellish commutes that disrupt daily life.” Well Now; Mikie, You’re going to be hearing A L0T MORE 0f them Hell-lashes stories, 0nce this fiasco starts!! Why Not use some 0f those Funds to Provide Porta Johnny’s every 1/4 mile along, thus helping to easy those discomforts & to make those Hellish Commutes Less Messy.. Also, some refreshment stands, so people may Hydrate as Needed!! Why must I do all the thinking here, that will Provide Comfort & Safety for’n the People; and being a Drop-0ut to boot.. Mite Be it’s time to get some Homeless in these Gov’t Job’s, since many do have a Commonsense..//
Rep. Sherrill and the rest of the “Gang of 535” are spending us off a cliff. I paid to have my water line replaced with my own funds. Why am I now funding others water line replacements? These clowns obviously have not read the Constitution which gives the federal government limited powers, the rest of our needs are up to the individual states. Can any of these gang members explain where all the precious metals and chemicals needed to build electric cars will come from? AND, how do we dispose of these massive batteries at the end of their life cycle? “Hellish commutes” , Mikie? Do you think that overdevelopment has anything to do with it? I believe in term limits, BUT not through legislation. Simply use your finger or pen on election day. “or election month: