Historic infrastructure bill applauded by industry groups

The bipartisan bill includes $550 billion in new spending for roads, bridges, railways and ports, and numerous industry organizations have expressed support for it.

The legislation represents the largest investment in American infrastructure in decades, Robert Guenther, senior vice president of public policy for the United Fresh Produce Association, said in a statement.

“The movement of this legislation is long overdue and has been a critical request by the fresh produce industry and other food and agriculture stakeholders for years,” Guenther said. “This priority investment will help build a stronger and efficient transportation system along with enhancing much-needed Western water infrastructure projects.”

Western Growers and other Western ag groups applauded investments in water infrastructure.

“The Western water provisions included in this package represent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest in a reliable and sustainable water supply that supports our farms, businesses and rural and urban communities. We applaud the bipartisan approach taken by our Senate champions in moving this solution forward at a time of unprecedented drought in the West,” Family Farm Alliance executive director Dan Keppen said in a statement.

Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, also expressed support for the legislation.

“The investments in our nation’s roads, bridges, ports and inland waterways are not just necessary, they are long overdue,” Duvall said in a statement. “This legislation also provides critical investments that will expand broadband internet access and repair and upgrade aging western water infrastructure that is, in many cases, 50-100 years old and not adequate to meet today’s needs.”

Infrastructure gives U.S. growers and ranchers a competitive advantage and helps move farm commodities to consumers around the world.

“These investments will ensure we continue to safely and efficiently transport the agricultural and food products that our nation and the world rely on,” he said. “It is welcome news that senators did not place the burden of these investments on America’s farmers and ranchers through increased tax rates or by eliminating stepped-up basis.”

Trucking associations also put their support behind the legislation.

“For nearly three decades, our nation and industry have been held hostage by empty promises — all talk, no action. Today, the Senate put America ahead of itself,” American Trucking Associations president and CEO Chris Spear said in a statement.

Spear said passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill is a ground-breaking step toward revitalizing America’s decaying roads and bridges.

“The bill also contains significant measures to grow and strengthen trucking’s essential workforce,” he said.

Highlights of the plan:

• $110 billion of new funds for roads, bridges, and major projects, and reauthorize the surface transportation program for the next five years. The investment will repair and re-build roads and bridges with a focus on climate change mitigation, resilience, equity and safety for all users, including cyclists and pedestrians. The bill includes a total of $40 billion of new funding for bridge repair, replacement and rehabilitation, which is the single-largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system. The bill also includes around $16 billion for major projects that are too large or complex for traditional funding programs but will deliver significant eco-nomic benefits to communities.
• More than $8 billion to repair aging dams and canals; build new surface and groundwater storage and conveyance facilities; fund water conservation and recycling projects; and enhance watershed management and improve ecosystems.
• $11 billion in transportation safety programs, including a new Safe Streets for All program to help states and localities reduce crashes and fatalities in their communities, especially for cyclists and pedestrians. It will more than double funding directed to programs that improve the safety of people and vehicles in the transportation system, including highway safety, truck safety, and pipeline and hazardous materials safety.
• $66 billion in rail to eliminate the Amtrak maintenance backlog, modernize the Northeast Corridor, and bring world-class rail service to areas outside the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. Within these totals, $22 billion would be provided as grants to Amtrak, $24 billion as federal-state partnership grants for Northeast Corridor modernization, $12 billion for partnership grants for intercity rail service, including high-speed rail, $5 billion for rail improvement and safety grants, and $3 billion for grade crossing safety improvements.
• $17 billion in port infrastructure and $25 billion in airports to address repair and maintenance backlogs, reduce congestion and emissions near ports and airports, and drive electrification and other low-carbon technologies.