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House Passes $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill

Package increases much-needed funding for roads and bridges, including targeted funding for rural areas

PIXABAY
PIXABAY

The House passed a more than $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill late Friday, sending it to President Biden’s desk for signing.

The House of Representatives has passed H.R. 3684, the bipartisan infrastructure package the Senate passed in mid-August. The ag industry supported the measure to assure a modern, efficient transportation structure for American agriculture.

The measure passed in a 228-206 vote. Thirteen Republicans supported it, while six Democrats voted against it. Biden may sign the bill within days.

The package increases much-needed funding for roads and bridges, including targeted funding for rural areas; accounts for freight rail and inland waterways funding; has provisions to address truck driver shortages, including hours-of-service changes; supports a new pilot program to highlight the benefits of biobased construction materials, like soy-based concrete sealant; and, addresses critical rural broadband issues.

“A comprehensive transportation infrastructure bill, while popular, has long been elusive," says National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) President and CEO Mike Seyfert.

"By sending the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to the president’s desk, Congress has seized an exceptional opportunity to boost the competitiveness of American agriculture."

The bipartisan legislation would increase infrastructure spending by $550 billion over five years, including an additional $110 billion in U.S. roads and bridges, $65 billion for broadband, and approximately $17 billion for ports and waterways. The latter includes $2.5 billion specifically for inland waterways construction projects.

The bill also includes a number of provisions designed to boost the resiliency of the agricultural supply chain, including $10 billion in grants to upgrade and strengthen the electric grid, an apprenticeship pilot program to address the nationwide truck driver shortage, as well as authorizing further investments in cybersecurity.

“NGFA members rely on a robust and competitive transportation system, including U.S. highways, bridges, inland waterways, ports and railways, to efficiently and competitively serve domestic and global markets,” Seyfert says.

“The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will enhance the efficient and cost-effective transport of agricultural and food products resulting in substantial contributions and opportunities for U.S. economic growth and trade.”

Kevin Scott, soybean farmer from Valley Springs, S.D., and American Soybean Association president, says infrastructure is critical to the long-term success of not only the ag industry, but also the general health of American commerce and global competitiveness.

“Good things can indeed come to those who wait, and passage of this long-considered bill is a win for everyone in our country," says Scott.

Soybeans and other agriculture commodities rely on a multimodal network including truck, rail and waterways. The current supply chain challenges underscore the importance of reliable infrastructure, which impacts competitiveness at both the farm level and on the global stage.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall also commented on the passage of the bill.

“While AFBF was disappointed with the unnecessary delays in the House of Representatives, we appreciate Congress finally passing crucial bipartisan infrastructure legislation," says Duvall. "We cannot afford to ignore the millions of miles of roadways, waterways and railways rural America relies on to keep our country fed, especially as we see widespread supply chain challenges.

“Extending broadband to rural communities is just as much a priority. A quarter of America’s farm families have no high-speed internet access while working to meet the needs of a growing world. Investments in physical infrastructure like broadband will be critical to bridging the digital divide."

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