Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

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Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (IIJA)

Signed into law on November 15, 2021, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), provides $973B—of which $550B is new funds—over five years, with more than half of new funds going to roads, bridges, and other transportation needs. The $550B in new funds is directed as follows:

Department of Transportation: $284B
EPA: $55B for water, $21B for environmental remediation
Department of Commerce: $65B for broadband
Department of Energy: $73B
Department of Homeland Security: $46B for cybersecurity and resiliency
Various agencies: $8.3B for Western water infrastructure

Broadly, counties’ access to funds will generally come in one of three ways:

Through federal formula grants
Through suballocations from state based on populations

Through competitive grant programs run by the federal or state government (e.g., Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants or INFRA Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects grants)

To provide a sense of scale for increases in formula grants for local governments, it may be useful to consider that, for example, allocations through the Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) are expected to increase about 10% from FY21 to FY22. There will be infusion of formula funding in these areas.

Some funding highlights to give a sense of how IIJA money will be used include:

Surface transportation –adding funds to existing federal aid highway program that disburses funds to states through formula funding, providing funding for bridge repairs through both competitive and formula grant programs, etc.
Public transit –disbursing additional funds through the Urbanized Area Formula Grants
Aviation – three-quarters of funds will be provided via the Airport Improvement Program formula fund
Water infrastructure – includes additional funding for the CWSRF and DWSRF as described below, along with funding for the EPA to disburse to address PFAS and other emerging contaminants and to support the replacement of lead water lines.
Wastewater infrastructure –authorizes $280M annually for five years to states to support municipal planning and construction of projects addressing combined sewage overflows.
Energy infrastructure – increases funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program and Low-Income Housing Energy Assistance Program, which provide formula funding to states to aid in reducing low-income households’ energy costs.
Broadband infrastructure – establishes a $42B grant programs for states and territories for the expansion of broadband infrastructure construction, prioritizing unserved (lacking 25/3 mbps), underserved areas (lacking 100/20 mbps), and flagship community institutions like schools, healthcare centers, and libraries
- Includes Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program to provide competitive grants to local governments and others
Cybersecurity – establishes a cybersecurity risks and threats grant programs to be administered through the Department of Homeland Security for states and localities
Disaster response – provides $3.5B for FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance program which provides financial assistance to states and affected communities to reduce the risk of flood damage via buyouts, elevation, and other mitigation activities.

Applications for Federal Funds

Massachusetts provides an up to date inventory of federal sources of funding authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). This inventory lists information about each federal funding stream, estimated amounts for Massachusetts, the funding timeline and status, and other details. From this, there are currently 8 opportunities with open deadlines for funding, 5 of which are non-formula (competitive) grants. Those 5 opportunities are:

Rail Vehicle Replacement Grants
National Culvert Removal, Replacement and Restoration Grant Program
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant
Hazard Mitigation Revolving Loan Funds/Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation (STORM) Act
Energy Storage Demonstration Projects and Pilot Grant Program

Many of the programs in the IIJA are formula funding (as described above) and many others will operate on an annual basis with recurring application opportunities. The inventory should be reviewed regularly to identify opportunities for applying for funds.

You can access multiple grant opportunities and resources through the detailed list of Federal Agencies listed below by clicking on the following boxes:

Emergency Watershed Program

Description: Provides funding to repair damages to the waterways and watersheds resulting from natural disasters.

Estimate: 300M

Competitive: No

How to access: Apply through state Emergency Watershed Protection Program Manager

Special Eligibility Requirements: Counties must have legal interest in or responsibility for areas threatened by watershed emergency.

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Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (IIJA)

Applications for Federal Funds

Department of Agriculture

Dept. of Commerce

Dept. of Commerce (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

Dept. of Energy

Dept. of Energy (Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations)

Dept. of Energy (Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy)

Dept. of Health and Human Services

Dept. of Homeland Security (Federal Emergency Management Agency)

Dept. of the Interior (Bureau of Reclamation)

Department of the Interior (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Dept. of Transportation

Dept. of Transportation (FAA)

Dept. of Transportation (Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration)

Dept. of Transportation; Dept. of Commerce; Dept. of Interior (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Environmental Protection Agency

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