On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (“Infrastructure Act”), which provides for $550 billion in new federal spending on infrastructure in the United States over a five-year period. The Infrastructure Act provides for federal spending on infrastructure in excess of New Deal levels as measured as a percentage of US GDP, and constitutes a key opportunity to strengthen the competitiveness of the U.S. economy.1 The White House estimates that the Infrastructure Act will create approximately 1.5 million new jobs per year.2
The Infrastructure Act provides for $284 billion in new spending on America’s transportation infrastructure, including but not limited to $110 billion for roads and bridges, $66 billion for railroads, $39 billion for public transportation systems, $25 billion to upgrade and expand U.S. airports, and $15 billion for electric vehicles. The Infrastructure Act also provides for $240 billion in new investments in the utilities sector, including $65 billion for upgrades to the power grid, $65 billion to expand broadband internet access in rural areas, $55 billion for water infrastructure, and $47 billion for strengthening U.S. resilience in the areas of cybersecurity and climate change. In addition, the Infrastructure Act commits $21 billion to remediate pollution, including superfund and brownfield sites.3 A number of large-scale infrastructure projects have been identified as potential recipients of...
Super Falcons defender Ashleigh Plumptre has dismissed a social media impersonation after fraudsters used her identity to spread false claims about her alleged exclusion from Nigeria’s squad for th...