Emily Scarr
Senior Advisor, Maryland PIRG
Senior Advisor, Maryland PIRG
Maryland PIRG
BALTIMORE — President Joe Biden plans to sign the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law Monday. The bill directs historic investments to Maryland
$4.5 billion to repair and upgrade roads, bridges, and walkways and bikeways
Funding to expand clean transportation options in Maryland, including $1.7 billion for public transit, $63 million to build a network of electric vehicle charging stations in Maryland, and more than $4 billion Maryland can apply for in nationwide grants to electrify transit vehicles.
$2.5 billion available in nationwide grants to electrify Maryland’s school buses
$844 million to clean up Maryland’s waterways, remove lead pipes, and address lead in schools’ drinking water
Nationwide, the bill provides $73 billion to strengthen the electrical grid and for energy efficiency and weatherization programs
$100 million to expand reliable broadband internet access to at least 148,000 Marylanders.
The legislation also restores a “polluter pays” tax to fund clean-up of toxic waste sites via the Superfund program. Maryland is home to 20 Superfund priority sites scattered throughout the state that have put communities at risk of hazardous waste exposure.
In 2021, the Maryland PIRG backed School Safe Drinking Water Act became law, strengthening requirements for Maryland schools to remediate for lead after mandatory testing found contamination across the state. Maryland PIRG in 2020 released a report, Blueprint for America, calling for many of the infrastructure investments included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
In anticipation of the bill’s signing, Emily Scarr, director of Maryland PIRG, released the following statement:
“Outdated infrastructure endangers Marylanders’ health and our environment. For years, Maryland PIRG has been working to reduce lead exposure for Maryland’s children; to build a cleaner transportation system that doesn’t pollute our air; and to improve energy efficiency to lower electricity bills and improve the reliability of our electric grid.
“The bipartisan infrastructure bill will make greatly needed progress in addressing these problems and leave Maryland stronger and healthier than before, and we’re glad to see it signed into law thanks to the members of Maryland’s congressional delegation who supported the bill.”
References:
Maryland fact sheet from White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/MARYLAND_Infrastructure-Investment-and-Jobs-Act-State-Fact-Sheet.pdf