Explainer: Equitable Implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
IIJA makes historic investments to upgrade the country’s transportation and water infrastructure, build out a nationwide EV charging network, and electrify school buses and ports. The long overdue investments in the bipartisan infrastructure law are also historic in breadth, ranging from the cleanup of toxic pollution to the reclamation of abandoned mines and natural resources conservation. The $550 billion in above baseline funding has great potential to be an important part of the U.S. response to climate change, provided it is implemented in a way that reduces greenhouse gas emissions. As analysis from the Georgetown Climate Center makes clear, how federal agencies implement IIJA and how states and local governments spend available funds will determine if this law is ultimately successful in decreasing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. As the Biden Administration’s IIJA guidebook underscores, programs must be carefully tracked to ensure that they are implemented equitably and achieve maximum emissions reductions.