Admin February 27, 2024
Topline
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday more than $1 billion in funding dedicated to Superfund cleanup efforts across the country, the latest investment in President Joe Biden’s historic $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.
Tuesday’s investment will fund 25 new Superfund cleanup projects and continue the work at 85 others. … [+]
Key Facts
Tuesday’s investment marks the “third and final wave” of funding for Superfund cleanup projects from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—which has already allocated $2 billion toward cleaning up sites across the U.S.
The historic infrastructure package is one of the signature pieces of legislation President Biden has been able to pass—after months of negotiations from legislators—during his term while dealing with a lasting congressional gridlock.
The EPA will launch 25 new projects with the funding and continue efforts at more than 85 sites.
New cleanup sites span across 15 states—with Pennsylvania topping the list with four new sites—as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Big Number
$3.5 billion. That’s how much the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocated towards cleanup projects for more than 150 sites across the nation, according to the release.
Key Background
Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, on Nov. 15, 2021, investing more than $1.2 trillion in one of the largest infrastructure packages in U.S. history. The law strengthened every aspect of the Superfund program, the agency said in Tuesday’s release. The first wave of funding was announced in December 2021 and the second in February 2023. In addition to funding cleanup projects, according to the release, the funding from the package allows the agency to “accelerate essential work needed to prepare sites for construction” while also ensuring “communities are meaningfully involved in the cleanup process.”
Tangent
Earlier this month, the Federal Aviation Administration announced nearly $1 billion in funding for airport modernization projects across the nation from the Airport Terminal Program, one of three aviation programs created by the infrastructure law.
Further Reading
Biden Pumps Nearly $1 Billion Into Airport Modernization Projects (Forbes)
Everything In The $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill: New Roads, Electric School Buses And More (Forbes)
