Introduced in 2019, the Restore Pennsylvania program will invest $4.5 billion in high-impact infrastructure projects statewide, including reducing flood risk, cleaning up brownfields, repairing rural roads, increasing broadband access, and removing blight.
“Over the past year, we have heard from countless Pennsylvanians from municipalities across the commonwealth — communities devastated by blight and lacking access to critical communication infrastructure,” Dennis Davin, Department of Community and Economic Development secretary, said. “These challenges impact millions of people across the commonwealth, threatening their health, safety, and quality of life. The need to pass this commonsense proposal is greater than ever.”
The initiative is funded through a severance tax and encompasses new and expanded programs. It will provide resources to communities that disproportionately receive impact-fee funding to complete infrastructure projects.
Projects are identified by local input and will be evaluated through a competitive process.
More than 700 municipalities need to implement pollution-reduction plans for stormwater management and develop flood control systems to comply with unfunded federal regulations.
Restore Pennsylvania also will help these communities establish a disaster relief fund for repairs that are not covered by insurance or federal disaster loans or grants.
Restore Pennsylvania also would maintain state forest and park facilities.