Infrastructure Bill Would Direct Billions Toward Climate Change Mitigation

 Jan Wesner Childs

Published: October 1, 2021

A man fills a water tank intended for drought-affected livestock from a community rancher's well on the Navajo Nation on July 4, 2021, south of Tuba City, Arizona. A trillion-dollar infrastructure bill proposed by President Joe Biden provides funding to help tribal communities mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The trillion-dollar infrastructure bill before Congress contains several provisions that would direct billions of dollars toward rebuilding and shoring up the nation's infrastructure against climate change and mitigating the impacts of global warming.

The bill would authorize nearly $550 billion in new funding for public works projects over the next five years, according to the White House, in addition to existing funding.

Among the provisions are overhauling the power grid, boosting climate research and weather forecasting, money for low-emissions buses and other transit vehicles, and making roads and bridges more resilient.

The bill also highlights assistance to communities of color and tribal communities, both of which the federal government says are more likely to suffer the effects of weather disasters and climate change.

The bill was scheduled for a vote Thursday, but as of Friday afternoon no action had been taken.

(MORE: Why California Wildfires Are Particularly Destructive in Fall)

Included in the funding would be $60 billion to upgrade power infrastructure with thousands of miles of new transmission lines, according to a White House fact sheet. The goal would be to make the grid more resilient and facilitate the expansion of renewable energy. The bill would also create what the White House calls a "Grid Deployment Authority" to guide the overhaul. Hurricanes, heat waves and winter storms have all stressed the power grid in recent years, resulting in millions of power outages and, according to the Department of Energy, costing the U.S. economy up to $70 billion a year.

Meanwhile, flooding, wildfires, landslides and other disasters are taking a toll on the nation's highways, bridges and other infrastructure.

The bill includes $110 billion of new funds for repairing and rebuilding roads and bridges and other major projects, with a focus on climate change mitigation, resilience, equity and safety. The funding would include $40 billion alone for bridge repair, replacement and rehabilitation.

The White House projects the initiatives set forth in the bill would add an average of about 2 million jobs per year over the next decade, according to the Associated Press. It's considered a cornerstone of President Joe Biden's administration.

The bill would be funded with $210 billion in unspent COVID-19 relief aid and $53 billion in unemployment insurance aid that remains unused by states that halted the program. The rest of the funds would come from several other smaller pots of money.

Critics have expressed concerns over the bill's size, scope and financing. The Congressional Budget Office said it would add $256 billion to deficits in the next 10 years, the AP reported.

Mudslides and flooding in an area with wildfire burn scars shut down Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon, Colorado, in July and August 2021. Experts say climate change helped fuel the conditions that led to the disaster.

The Senate approved the bill in August in what was considered a rare bipartisan move, after months of political wrangling. The House vote was on hold after more objections and delays to try and ensure enough votes to pass.

Here's a look at some of the other major climate-related provisions, according to the bill text and White House fact sheet:

-$105 billion for modernizing and expanding transit and rail infrastructure, including replacing thousands of buses with zero-emissions vehicles.

-$17 billion for port infrastructure and $25 billion for airports. The money would be earmarked for repair and maintenance backlogs, reducing congestion and lowering emissions.

-$11.6 billion to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for construction projects related to flood control, dredging and other infrastructure. Funding would also be provided for flood control and coastal emergencies.

-$7.5 billion to build a national network of charging stations for electric vehicles.

-$3.5 billion to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for flood mitigation actions and assistance.

-$3.5 billion to the Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program, which aims to reduce energy costs for low-income households by improving energy efficiency at home.

-$2.6 billion to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the nation's lead scientific and regulatory agency on climate and weather. The funds would include $492 million for coastal and inland flood and inundation mapping and forecasting along with "next-generation water modeling activities;" $50 million for wildfire prediction, detection and observation; and $80 million for supercomputing infrastructure used for weather and climate model development to improve forecasting and detection of droughts, floods and wildfires.

-$216 million for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, more than half of which would be designated for "community relocation." There are 567 federally recognized tribes in the U.S. representing more than 5 million people, and many live on lands taking the brunt of climate change impacts, according to data from the federal government's U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit. In Alaska, for example, rising temperatures are melting sea ice and glaciers and thawing permafrost. In the western part of the contiguous U.S., tribal populations face drought and water challenges. These changes in climate affect homes, communities, schools, water supplies and food supplies. Some communities are already moving to higher ground.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.