On Monday, the White House released the first edition of its guidebook on how state, local, tribal, and territorial governments can make the most of benefits from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The guidebook, the White House said, is intended to be a one-stop-shop for the law and contains comprehensive information on the more than 375 programs included in the infrastructure investment law.
“This resource is a critical part of our extensive outreach to state, local, tribal and territorial governments to ensure the people of America can benefit from this once-in-a-generation investment,” said Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor & Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator. “Building a better America is a shared endeavor no one can do alone, and investing infrastructure dollars will require significant coordination between the federal government, cities, states, Tribal governments, community members, and other key partners. Our primary goal is to empower people across the country with information, so they know what to apply for, who to contact, and how to get ready to rebuild.”
The White House said the guidebook is “a roadmap to funding available under the law,” as well as documentation showing direct federal spending at the program level. The White House has also published an accompanying data file that will allow users to sort programs by fields like agency, amount, recipient, or program name. The guidebook covers how to get ready to receive funding and identify additional resources to prepare over 12 chapters that cover programs by issue area.
So far, the administration has allocated more than $80 billion to states from formula and competitive programs for roads and highways, bridges, ports, airports, and water systems. The administration said that additional programs for high-speed internet, electric vehicle chargers, energy grid upgrades, and clean energy demonstration projects are also being rolled out.
Earlier this month, Landrieu sent a letter to Governors recommending a series of actions they can take, including appointing infrastructure coordinators to manage the flow of funds to their states. Landrieu has also outlined steps cities can take and has begun engagements with Tribal leaders, county officials, and territorial leaders through outreach calls, listening sessions, and Tribal consultations.