Saturday, November 6, 2021

What Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" Infrastructure Plan Means for Michigan

Todd Spangler of The Detroit Free Press reports:

$7.3 billion in federal highway aid, $563 million for bridge replacement and repairs, and the chance to compete with other states for tens of billions more in projects deemed economically important.

$1 billion for buses, rail lines and other means of public transportation.

$100 million, at minimum, to help extend broadband Internet coverage, including across large rural sections of the state where it is lacking.

$1 billion over five years to be added to the $200 to $300 million a year that is used to pay for environmental projects in and around the Great Lakes.

$7.5 billion to help build electrical vehicle charging stations across the U.S., greatly helping Michigan’s automakers in their attempt to shift to selling more electric cars and trucks.

Melissa Nann Burke and Riley Beggin of The Detroit News report

The legislation, known as the Build Back Better Act, also tackles lead service line replacement with $9 billion in funding that would funnel an estimated $300 million for Michigan. There's also $150 billion for housing, including expanded rental assistance and home repair aid, and expanded health insurance coverage through Medicaid that the White House has said would cover 95,000 uninsured people in Michigan.

Additionally, the bill would give the three Detroit automakers a big boost over competitors through a $12,500 consumer rebate for electric vehicles, which includes $4,500 for cars built by union labor.

Shawn Hubler, Emily Cochrane and Zach Montague of The New York Times report:

In Michigan, the bill will infuse a record $1 billion into a decade-old program to restore and protect the Great Lakes, where drinking water and wildlife have been compromised by pollution. 

A loan program in the bill also will help local governments in states like Michigan set up projects to reduce the risk and damage from extreme flooding and eroding shorelines.