In August 2001, the United States Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a broad infrastructure bill providing funding to upgrade America’s infrastructure, support economic growth, and develop a workforce in transportation, energy, and broadband internet segments.  

Features of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act 

Funding for Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure 

The bill includes funding to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change by supporting solar, wind, and low-carbon power generation, power transport, storage and distribution, and power plant emission reduction. For example, the bill funds electric vehicle charging infrastructure, public transit, and electric grid modernization to support integrating renewable energy from source to end users.  

Reduce Emissions and Grow Renewable Energy Sources 

The Clean Power Plan aims to reduce emissions from power plants by 32% below 2005 by 2030. This includes multiple measures, from improving the efficiency of existing power plants including co-generation, carbon capture, and storage. This also includes a strategic position on nuclear plants. The bill provides funding to grow renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, and geothermal, to an increasingly larger percentage of America’s total power portfolio and reconsiders nuclear power generation as a low strategic carbon, stable asset that can provide grid resiliency.   

Upskilling Workers 

There is a current shortage of workers available. The bill includes the American Jobs Plan to provide the necessary skills to new workers entering the workforce and to upskill workers currently employed in carbon-generating industries.   

Research 

The bill includes research through Federal Support for Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Projects: The scope of this funding is for higher-risk, high-reward clean energy technologies managed through the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E). These may include new technologies and improvements in existing power generation – perhaps for co-generation plants.  

Investment in Resilient Infrastructure includes developing strategies and contingencies to keep key power generation, transmission, and water plant facilities operating during outages and disruptions.  

The bill provides funding for broadband access in cities, suburban, rural, and underserved regions. Grants may be given to states, tribes, and territories to support broadband development.   

There is funding for digital equity to ensure that all Americans have access to technology and are fully literate in a modern digital world. There is also funding for cybersecurity through the Department of Homeland Security, 911 Services, and Supply Chain Security.   

Overall, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will drive significant economic development in telecom, energy, and equity across multiple industries and regions. 

This article was contributed by our expert David Wortman