The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will Deliver for Mississippi (Press Release)

President Biden and Vice President Harris support the Senate’s passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the largest long-term investment in our infrastructure and competitiveness in nearly a century. The need for action in Mississippi is clear and recently released state-level data demonstrates that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will deliver for Mississippi.

For decades, infrastructure in Mississippi has suffered from a systemic lack of investment. In fact, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave Mississippi a D+ grade on its infrastructure report card. The historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will make life better for millions of Mississippi residents, create a generation of good-paying union jobs and economic growth, and position the United States to win the 21st century. Specifically, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will:

• >>Repair and rebuild our roads and bridges with a focus on climate change mitigation, resilience, equity, and safety for all users, including cyclists and pedestrians. In Mississippi there are 1,386 bridges and over 5,840 miles of highway in poor condition. Since 2011, commute times have increased by 5.6% in Mississippi and on average, each driver pays $637 per year in costs due to driving on roads in need of repair. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system. Based on formula funding alone, Mississippi would expect to receive $3.3 billion for federal-aid highway apportioned programs and $225 million for bridge replacement and repairs under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act over five years. Mississippi can also compete for the $12.5 billion Bridge Investment Program for economically significant bridges and nearly $16 billion of national funding in the bill dedicated for major projects that will deliver substantial economic benefits to communities.

• >>Improve healthy, sustainable transportation options for millions of Americans. Mississippians who take public transportation spend an extra 87.7% of their time commuting and non-White households are 2.9 times more likely to commute via public transportation. 41% of transit vehicles in the state are past useful life. Based on formula funding alone, Mississippi would expect to receive $223 million over five years under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to improve public transportation options across the state.

• >>Build a network of EV chargers to facilitate long-distance travel and provide convenient charging options. The U.S. market share of plug-in electric vehicle (EV) sales is only one-third the size of the Chinese EV market. The President believes that must 1 These values are estimates and may change based on updated factor data each fiscal year. Transit formula funding amounts are subject to changes resulting from the 2020 census or from annual transit service data reported to FTA’s National Transit Database. change. The bill invests $7.5 billion to build out the first-ever national network of EV chargers in the United States and is a critical element in the Biden-Harris Administration’s plan to accelerate the adoption of EVs to address the climate crisis and support domestic manufacturing jobs. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Mississippi would expect to receive $51 million over five years to support the expansion of an EV charging network in the state3. Mississippi will also have the opportunity to apply for the $2.5 billion in grant funding dedicated to EV charging in the bill.

• >>Help connect every American to reliable high-speed internet. 17.8% of Mississippians live in areas where, under the FCC’s benchmark, there is no broadband infrastructure. Even where infrastructure is available, broadband may be too expensive to be within reach. 23% of Mississippi households do not have an internet subscription. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Mississippi will receive a minimum allocation of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state, including providing access to the at least 531,000 Mississippians who currently lack it. And, under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, 1,181,000 or 41 % of people in Mississippi will be eligible for the Affordability Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income families afford internet access.

• >>Prepare more of our infrastructure for the impacts of climate change, cyberattacks, and extreme weather events. From 2010 to 2020, Mississippi has experienced 33 extreme weather events, costing the state up to $10 billion in damages. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, based on historical formula funding levels, Mississippi will expect to receive $19 million over five years to protect against wildfires and $16 million to protect against cyberattacks. Mississippians will also benefit from the bill’s historic $3.5 billion national investment in weatherization which will reduce energy costs for families.

• >>Deliver clean drinking water to every American and eliminate the nation’s lead service lines and pipes. Currently, up to 10 million American households and 400,000 schools and child care centers lack safe drinking water. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, based on the traditional state revolving fund formula, Mississippians will expect to receive $429 million over five years to improve water infrastructure across the state and ensure that clean, safe drinking water is a right in all communities.

• >>Improve our nation’s airports. The United States built modern aviation, but our airports lag far behind our competitors. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. These values are estimates and may change based on updated factor data each fiscal year. airports in Mississippi would receive approximately $99 million for infrastructure development for airports over five years4. Over the coming days and weeks, we will expect to receive additional data on the impact of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in Mississippi.