U.S. Sen. Bob Casey highlighted Monday several benefits to Pennsylvania after President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law.
Casey, a Democrat, said the bipartisan law will bring billions of dollars to Pennsylvania to improve roads and bridges, increase access to public transportation, build out clean energy infrastructure and expand broadband.
“This bipartisan legislation will make transportation easier, safer and more sustainable,” Casey said in a statement. “It will expand broadband access, invest in climate mitigation and provide many Pennsylvanians with clean drinking water.”
Now, Casey said, the Senate has to finish work on legislation “to support families and address the rising costs that they face, such as investing in home and community-based services for seniors and people with disabilities, raising wages for home care workers, expanding access to early childhood education and affordable child care, cutting taxes for families with kids and lowering health care costs.”
Casey said there are more than 3,300 bridges and over 7,540 miles of highway in poor condition in Pennsylvania. Since 2011, commute times have increased by 7.6% in the state and, on average, each driver pays $620 per year in costs due to driving on roads in need of repair.
The IIJA will send $11.3 billion to Pennsylvania for federal-aid highway programs and $1.6 billion for bridge replacement and repairs over five years, the senator said.
Pennsylvania can expect $2.8 billion over five years to improve public transportation across the Commonwealth, meaning reliable transit for workers and families.
Regarding broadband, Pennsylvania will receive a minimum of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage to the more than 390,000 Pennsylvanians currently living without it, Casey said, while another $37 billion will be allocated across the nation — including in Pennsylvania — utilizing a needs-based formula.
Among other critical broadband provisions, he said, the IIJA will also provide $30 monthly broadband subsidies for families struggling to afford reliable broadband service.
Casey also said IIJA provides funding for a national network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers, including $171 million for Pennsylvania to expand its EV charging network and lead efforts to address the climate crisis and support American manufacturing jobs.
There is also funding ($1.4 billion) for replacing lead pipes and delivering clean drinking water, $355 million for airport improvements and funding for recovery from climate-driven disasters and national investment in energy efficiency and weatherization programs.
Casey also said abandoned mine problem areas have been identified in 43 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, accounting for more than $1 billion of high-priority reclamation needs across the Commonwealth.
Pennsylvania is expected to receive more than $3 billion to assist with abandoned mine reclamation, while IIJA authorizes $4.7 billion nationwide to plug, remediate and reclaim orphaned oil and gas wells. Casey noted there are at least 8,000 documented orphan wells in Pennsylvania that will be able to be addressed under this program.
Gov. Tom Wolf joined fellow governors at the White House as the president signed the funding bill into law.
“These investments will strengthen not only our infrastructure, but our economy, our environment and good union-paying jobs,” Wolf said in a statement. “It will undoubtedly move Pennsylvania forward and I am grateful that the president shares my commitment to addressing these critical needs.”
Biden, who was joined by both Democrats and Republicans for his bill signing, faces a tougher road on negotiations over his broader $1.85 trillion social spending package.
“While President Biden signs another irresponsible, trillion-dollar spending bill today, Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi and Washington Democrats are wasting no time trying to ram through $4 TRILLION MORE in spending this week,” Rep. Fred Keller, a Snyder County Republican, tweeted Monday.
