Schumer: Passage Of Infrastructure Bill Means Billions On The Way To New York

by Contributor | November 9, 2021 1:50 pm

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Marking formal House passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill he negotiated in the Senate, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer detailed the billions this historic legislation will deliver to New York.

The bill delivers huge investment for New York State and will advance critical projects—from fixing bridges in Rochester[1], to bolstering buses and transportation in Syracuse[2], ensuring clean environments in the Hudson Valley[3] and Great Lakes[4], improving the airport in Albany[5], securing life-saving limo safety measures, and expanding internet accessibility in the Southern Tier[6] and Mohawk Valley[7].

Schumer said upon President Biden’s signature these funds will ensure the bedrock of New York – its infrastructure, from the subway system, to water and sewers to roads and bridges – gets long-awaited investments and relief needed to meet growing demands, boost the economy while safely and responsibly moving both people and goods across the state and beyond.

“The bipartisan infrastructure is a record deal and a once-in-a-generation investment in New York infrastructure. A building and jobs boon for construction projects from Westchester to Watertown, and everywhere in between is now brewing,” said Senator Schumer. 

Schumer added, “Whether it’s our mass transit system, critical bridges or highway repairs, fixing our subway tunnels, safety improvements at our airports, bridging the digital divide, or ensuring clean drinking water for all, this bill will rebuild and revive the Empire State’s infrastructure and create good paying jobs for communities that need it most. As Majority Leader, I am proud to have lead this historic bill to passage that will deliver the largest federal investment in public transit and infrastructure in New York’s history so that we can continue to build back better. ”

Schumer detailed the ‘federal pot’ as it relates to New York’s wins on mass transit, passenger rail, highways, airports, water, electric vehicles, high-speed internet, and more .

Transit federal pot: $89.9B (compared to the last transit reauthorization in 2015)

	FAST ACT (2015)	THIS AGREEMENT
Highway Year 5	$46.3B	62.5B
Transit Year 5	$10.1B	14.64B
Total Transit Formula Dollars	$48.9B	$69.9B
Additional Transit Appropriations	$0	*$20B*
Total Transit Dollars	$48.9B	$89.9B

 

Highway Funding:

Specifically for New York:

• $11.5 billionfor the usual reauthorization apportionments
• $142 millionfor EV charging infrastructure
• $1.9 billionfrom a new vehicular bridge repair formula program

Airport funding:

Nationally, $25 billion; $937,030,865 for New York.

Airport Name	Total
Albany International	$28,662,945
Plattsburgh International	$7,634,940
Columbia County	$1,480,000
Saratoga County	$1,480,000
Floyd Bennett Memorial	$1,480,000
Schenectady County	$1,480,000
Adirondack Regional	$1,480,000
Fulton County	$790,000
Ticonderoga Municipal	$550,000
Piseco	$550,000
Lake Placid	$550,000
Malone-Dufort	$550,000
Syracuse Hancock International	$27,339,820
Ogdensburg International	$5,101,240
Watertown International	$5,084,660
Massena International-Richards Field	$1,480,000
Potsdam Municipal/Damon Field	$1,480,000
Griffiss International	$1,480,000
Oswego County	$790,000
Cortland County-Chase Field	$790,000
Hamilton Municipal	$790,000
Greater Rochester International	$27,038,025
Penn Yan	$1,480,000
Perry-Warsaw	$790,000
Finger Lakes Regional	$790,000
Dansville Municipal	$790,000
Genesee County	$790,000
Canandaigua	$790,000
Westchester County	$22,597,580
New York Stewart International	$12,499,175
Orange County	$790,000
Sullivan County International	$790,000
Warwick Municipal	$790,000
Joseph Y Resnick	$790,000
Hudson Valley Regional	$790,000
Long Island MacArthur	$21,595,630
Republic	$3,735,000
Francis S Gabreski	$1,480,000
East Hampton	$1,480,000
Brookhaven	$1,480,000
Elizabeth Field	$550,000
Bayport Aerodrome	$550,000
John F Kennedy International	$294,682,575
La Guardia	$150,008,970
Elmira/Corning Regional	$8,555,765
Ithaca Tompkins Regional	$7,151,415
Greater Binghamton/Edwin A Link Field	$5,143,250
Corning-Painted Post	$790,000
Tri-Cities	$790,000
Wellsville Municipal Airport, Tarantine Field	$790,000
Sidney Municipal	$790,000
Albert S. Nader Regional	$790,000
Lt Warren Eaton	$790,000
Cattaraugus County-Olean	$790,000
Hornell Municipal	$550,000
Buffalo Niagara International	$37,509,535
Niagara Falls International	$7,532,740
Chautauqua County/Dunkirk	$790,000
Chautauqua County/Jamestown	$790,000
NY Total	$937,030,865

 

Rail
Purpose	Amount	Objective (Sub-Account)	Notes	Account
Amtrak -National Network	$16 Billion	$16B for Amtrak national capital backlog needs	$688 million: will save NYS its contribution to replacing the Amtrak railcars that operate upstate.	Amtrak National Network Grant Account
Amtrak -Northeast Corridor (NEC)	$6 billion	$6B for Amtrak NEC capital backlog ($3B for sole use, and $3B shared use capital renewal backlog)	Some will go to Gateway	Amtrak NEC Grant Account
Northeast Corridor Modernization	$24 billion	$24B for NEC modernization through NECC Connect 2035 backlog/improvements plan	These are competitive grants that Gateway, Metro-North Penn Access, and East River Tunnels can compete for	Fed-State Partnership Grant Program (NEC set-aside)
Intercity passenger rail	$12 billion	$12B for development of corridor services (new/ upgraded, including high speed rail)		Fed-State Partnership Grant Program (non-NEC set-aside)
Total: $59 Billion

 

NEW YORK WATER WINS:

This bill will provide billions to address water contaminants, including replacing lead pipes and eliminating PFAS so that New York State can ensure communities have the clean drinking water they deserve. The bill includes:

• Billions for the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Fundswhich provide below-market rate loans and grants to fund water infrastructure improvements. Importantly, Schumer fought for a lower state share for the early years of this funding and for 49 percent of the money to be administered as grants and completely forgivable loans, key provisions for ensuring New Yorkers can get the most out of this funding.
• $15 billion carve out within the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to replace lead service linesacross the country, including communities across New York State. The senator noted that New York has some of the oldest sewers in the country, many of them made of lead, that pose severe health risks to communities. Schumer has been a driving force[8] in securing federal funding to reduce lead exposure in New York. In 2016[9], after reports of elevated lead levels in Ithaca[10] and schools across the state[11] were published, Schumer took action to help jumpstart lead testing programs for schools and day care centers and in 2018[12], ensured that those programs were fully funded.
• $10 billion in grants to address emerging contaminants, like PFAS and 1,4-dioxane through EPA’s small disadvantaged communities program and the State Revolving Funds. The federal funding will provide a much-needed boost to fast-track the cleanup processes at these locations and hasten remediation efforts. Schumer has championed PFAS cleanup in New York, most recently, successfully pushing[13]for Stewart Air National Guard Base to be selected for the Defense Environmental Restoration Program which will allow remediation efforts to begin.

Electric Vehicle Infrastructure:

Senator Schumer has long been leading the charge[14] on expanding American investment in electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure.  To jump-start this growth the bill includes:

• $7.5 billion to build out a national network of EV chargers.  This means more accessible EV chargers in NY along highways and in Upstate communities to provide convenient charging where people live, work, and shop.
• $5 billion will be dedicated to replacing public transportation like buses with zero-emission vehicles, including electric school buses.

Schumer said this component is a key factor in creating good paying manufacturing jobs, and importantly reducing emissions of vehicles on the road to keep our environments clean and combat the climate crisis.

Closing Deadly Federal Loopholes on Limo Safety:

 

Following the deadly 2018 Schoharie Limo crash, Schumer pledged to rectify several vital safety concerns that were made apparent by the accident. After initially facing Republican opposition in the Senate, Schumer directly intervened to get the amendment adopted. The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act included Schumer’s amendment to address these top safety concerns to get dangerous limos off the road.

 

Specifically, the bill will ensure limo safety by instituting the following measures:

 

1. Establish a program to provide funding for states to impound unsafe vehicles;

 

2. Mandate that the Department of Transportation (DOT) establish a mandatory annual inspection regime;

 

3. Conduct formal research and rulemaking on limo side-impact protection, roof crush assistance, and airbag systems;

 

4. Conduct formal research and rule making on how to evacuate limo passengers more easily and safely in emergency situations;

 

5. Mandate limo operators conspicuously share their vehicle inspection history with prospective customers;

 

6. Create a formal definition of a limousine in federal statute, making it easier to create safety standards for this type of vehicle.

High-Speed Internet:

Schumer said communities from the Southern Tier, North County, and Mohawk Valley who are among the hardest hit for broadband needs will be able to immediately tap into this historic $65 billion investment.

Specifically, Schumer highlighted the following broadband funding programs to further expand future high-speed internet access:

• $42.45 billion for Broadband Deployment Grants to States, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Territories

o   Provides funding to the states to close the digital-divide in high-cost, unserved and underserved communities.

• $14.2 billion for Permanent Broadband Affordability

o   Provides funding to create the new Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The ACP begins when funding for the Emergency broadband Benefit is exhausted, ensuring that qualified households will be able to access affordable high-speed internet beyond the COVID-19 emergency period. The ACP expands affordability support by broadening eligibility to 200% of the federal poverty level, adds coverage for WIC recipients, and strengthens the long-term availability of support for qualified households. The ACP protects consumer choice by guaranteeing that eligible households may use the benefit for ANY broadband service offering, preventing providers from restricting it to only certain service plans.

• $2.75 billion for Digital Equity and Inclusion

o   Funding for states to provide digital literacy and digital skills education to low-income or senior populations, improving the online accessibility of social services for individuals with disabilities, or more accurately measuring broadband access and adoption in rural communities.

• $2 billion for the USDA ReConnect Loan and Grant Program

o   Increases the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect Loan and Grant Program and Rural Broadband Access Loan and Loan Guarantee Program to connect the most rural and hard-to-reach rural areas.

• $2 billion for the Tribal Connectivity Fund

o   Additional funding for the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, building on the program established in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 that was passed in December 2020. This flexible funding will allow Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiians to meet their most urgent broadband needs, including deployment, affordability, and digital inclusion efforts.

Eliminating Pollution in NY:

The bipartisan infrastructure deal will open up access to billions of dollars in funding to remediate pollution throughout New York, especially for Superfund and Brownfield (which are under state purview) sites. New York has 84 Superfund sites, which is more than 6% of all Superfund sites in the U.S. Superfund and Brownfield sites are abandoned waste sites – such as oil refineries, smelting facilities, mines, and other industrial areas – and often have negative environmental and economic impacts on the surrounding communities. Therefore, as New York emerges from the pandemic, Schumer said it is all the more important to ensure the cleanup of these waste sites in order to maximize the economic and environmental recovery of Upstate New York.

Additional details on major wins relating to pollution in New York:

• $3.5 billion available for 5 years for the Remedial account within the Hazardous Substance Superfund. This section of the bill would allow the Environmental Protection Agency to invest in clean-ups and continue moving forward on remedial actions for Superfund sites. Schumer has a long history fighting to clean up Superfund sites, and most recently visited[15]the asbestos-ridden TechCity Site which was the home of IBM before the computer giant sold the property in 1998. There, he called for the EPA to begin cleaning up the toxic site in order to usher in new economic opportunities for Ulster communities. The senator also fought hard[16] to protect federal funding for Superfund site cleanup last year when the previous administration proposed $100 million in cuts to the Hazardous Substance Superfund program.
• $1.2 billion for theBrownfields competitive grants while raising grant caps for half of the competitive grant funding under this section ($600 million). Schumer has championed federal funding for Brownfield cleanup in the Senate, delivering[17] $1 million for sites throughout the Rochester region and Central New York in 2018 and nearly $570 thousand[18] for the Brownfields Response Program which assists sites all over New York in 2017.
• $1.5 billion equally distributed over 5 years for State and Tribal Assistance Grants: Brownfields This section of the bill would provide significant investment into the Brownfields program to help communities, States, Tribes and others to assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse contaminated properties.

Press release from Chuck Schumer’s office.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/politics/schumer/schumer-passage-of-infrastructure-bill-means-billions-on-the-way-to-new-york/

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