COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – The US Senate passed the bipartisan infrastructure investment and jobs law on Tuesday, August 10. But what does this mean for the state of Colorado?

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet released a statement celebrating his passing:

“Over the past few years, the American people have lost confidence in the ability of the Senate to come together and accomplish anything meaningful to them. Today, for the first time in a long time, we have made a historic investment to build 21st century infrastructure and create well-paying jobs.

“But we need to do more to invest in Colorado families, workers and children who have traditionally been an afterthought in Washington. We have a unique opportunity to build an economy that works for everyone and tackle our biggest challenges, like economic inequality, the threat of climate change, and the rise of China. “

Senator Bennet has led several initiatives under the IIJA, including the following:

• the Bennet-Hoeven Amendment formally authorize the United States Department of Agriculture’s Landscape Restoration Partnership Initiative.
• Biggest single of all time federal investment in broadband, consistent with Bennet’s bipartisan BRIDGE Act which he featured with US Senator from Maine Angus King and US Senator from Ohio Rob Portman in 2021.
• $ 300 million over five years for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP) to address a backlog estimated at $ 200 million.
• The Carbon Capture Improvement Act, legislation Senator Bennet and Senator Portman presented earlier this year, which will make it easier for power plants and industrial facilities to finance the purchase and installation of carbon capture, use and storage equipment, as well as direct air capture projects through tax-exempt private activities. obligations.
• Strong funding for water infrastructure for tribal communities, in line with Law on tribal access to drinking water with US Senator from New Mexico Martin Heinrich, US Senator from Colorado John Hickenlooper and US Senator from Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren
• Financing of water infrastructure in the West
• Senator Bennet and Senator Portman’s Major Disasters and Critical Events Automatic Taxpayer Relief Act modify the Internal Revenue Code to allow the Secretary of the Treasury to extend the tax filing deadline for all taxpayers affected by federally declared disasters, national emergencies, terrorist or military actions.
• $ 4.7 billion for programs to plug, clean up and rehabilitate orphaned wells on federal, state and tribal lands as part of the Oil and Gas Bond Reform and Orphan Well Remediation Act
• Senator Bennet State Energy Security Planning and Emergency Preparedness Improvement Act and the law on improving network security through public-private partnerships, legislation Bennet introduced to protect the energy network from cyber attacks.
• An extension of the Secure Rural Schools program until 2023.
• Authorization for the Department of Transportation to return $ 28.9 million, plus interest, for a deposit the Regional Transportation District made to secure a federal loan to redevelop Denver Union Station

This means Colorado will receive $ 3.7 billion for highway projects, $ 225 million for bridge replacement and repair, $ 917 million to improve public transportation, $ 57 million to support expansion of ‘an electric vehicle charging network in Colorado and a minimum of $ 100 million to provide broadband service across Colorado.

President Alec Garnett and Majority Leader Daneya Esgar released statements after being briefed on the infrastructure bill.

President Garnett said, “I am heartened to see politicians in Washington putting partisanship aside to make a much needed investment in our country’s infrastructure. The bill championed by President Biden and passed by the Senate today will allocate billions of dollars to needed improvements to our roads, bridges, railways, public transportation, power grid, water systems and broadband. . The work we have done at the state level this year, such as the passage of the SB-260, will allow Colorado to quickly and sustainably capitalize on this funding. I will continue to monitor the progress of this bill and look forward to its final passage. “

Majority leader Esgar said, “Passing today’s bipartisan bill is a victory every Coloradan can celebrate. This historic investment in U.S. infrastructure will create jobs, modernize our nation’s transportation, and keep us better connected. I am particularly pleased to see this bill direct strong funding towards passenger rail transportation, bringing us one step closer to realizing projects like Front Range Rail.

Marginalized groups in the state of Colorado are excited to see what this new law will do in their communities.

Ean Tafoya, State Director of GreenLatinos, said that while the bill is a good start, there is still a long way to go and the timing is critical.

“Colorado’s Latin American / a / x communities are often among the first communities disproportionately affected by policies, positions and policies that leave important lives on the line. Superfund sites, lead pipes, lack of access to clean transportation, methane pollution from fracking the Front Range, and much more are all things we face when we wake up for many years, ”Tafoya said.