Senators on both sides of the aisle have long agreed that the hard infrastructure needs to be modernized and expanded, and infrastructure investments have traditionally been made non-partisan and through regular order. Traditional, hard infrastructure investments include financing roads and bridges, transit, rail transport, airports, drinking and wastewater infrastructure, ports and inland waterways, water storage and broadband infrastructure. The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Employment Act focuses on these core elements.
We need to keep pace with Idaho’s rapid growth. It is estimated that Idaho has more than 1,000 miles of freeway in poor condition and that commuting has increased more than 11 percent over the past 10 years. According to the American Society of Civil Engineer’s Infrastructure Report Card, there are currently 286 bridges in Idaho that are considered “structurally deficient”. Bad roads are predicted to cost Idaho drivers an average of $ 394 a year in repair bills. In addition, the severity of the forest fires makes it clear that we must not let up to ensure that firefighters and land management authorities have the necessary resources to prepare to respond to forest fires and reduce the threat of forest fires.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act sets out a number of priorities to alleviate these and other challenges in Idaho:
Idaho streets and highways – Authorizes Idaho $ 1.9 billion to build, rebuild, and maintain its roads and highways.
Water projects in Idaho – Approves $ 213 million for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in Idaho and includes funding for water storage, groundwater and recovery projects for the Bureau of Reclamation in Idaho, including water storage for the Boise River project.
Airports in Idaho – US $ 25 billion nationwide for additional airport improvement projects, such as assistance with the expansion, planning, conversion and improvement of the runway, lighting and air traffic control facilities. This is on top of the $ 13 million in government grants for the airport improvement program that the Federal Aviation Administration announced for Idaho airports earlier this year.
Idaho bridges – $ 225 million in bridge construction, maintenance, and repairs in Idaho.
Reducing the risk of forest fires in Idaho – More than $ 3.3 billion is available for wilderness firefighting in Idaho and other states, and an additional $ 5.75 billion nationwide for natural resource infrastructure, including fire management and suppression.
Counties of Idaho The move includes a three-year re-approval of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program through fiscal 2023. SRS payments are critical to maintaining educational programs for many rural counties that include states that are exempt from property tax. Idaho counties will receive $ 19.2 million in SRS payments this year.
Idaho’s nuclear leadership – Infrastructure planning for small modular reactors and microreactors is included. The bill also includes a civil law-based nuclear program, human resource development and the use of advanced nuclear technologies.
Idaho connectivity – $ 100 million to expand broadband in Idaho, with additional funding based on maps created by laws I helped enforce that show where additional broadband is needed most. As more Americans worked from home and taught students at home during the pandemic, the importance of comprehensive and reliable broadband technology was emphasized.
Reduces federal overregulation – Reforms the approval process to speed up construction projects.
These are just a few of the many provisions Idaho would benefit from in this legislation.
It doesn’t collect taxes. It is prioritizing the use of certain untapped COVID aids, away from bailouts and untapped resources, and shifting them to supply-side investments that will benefit Idahoans for many years to come. Because this infrastructure spending is focused on long-term productivity rather than short-term demand, it will not be inflationary. In fact, it will counter the inflationary pressures we see as a result of excessive spending. This is especially critical right now as rising prices affect families and small businesses across America. We managed to keep state labor changes out of this law and increased funding for the Internal Revenue Service.
This bipartisan investment in the essential infrastructure needs of our country is very different from the bipartisan $ 3.5 trillion uncontrolled tax and spending proposals made by my fellow Democrats. I will continue to fight this kind of partisan, irresponsible spending. Instead, we should build on, and not roll back, proven, growth-enhancing measures like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to fund a reckless shopping spree.
Mike Crapo represents Idaho’s first congressional district in the US Senate. He can be reached at crapo.senate.gov.
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