LANSING — This week, the U.S. Senate passed a historic infrastructure package that would bring several billions to Michigan to make crucial investments into highway and bridge repair, lead water pipe replacement, and broadband access expansion for hundreds of thousands of families.
Tudor Dixon, the one Republican gubernatorial candidate to acknowledge the bill at all, leaned fully into hyperpartisan denial, referring to this bipartisan legislation as “a fake infrastructure plan that does little for roads and bridges and a lot to grow government’s control over our lives.” In reality, the plan would bring nearly $8 billion to Michigan dedicated solely to road and bridge repair.
See below for a recap of coverage on the monumental Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, what all nine Republicans running for governor refuse to admit would be an undeniable boon to Michigan’s economy:
The Detroit News: Big win for $1T infrastructure bill: Dems, GOP come together
With a robust vote after weeks of fits and starts, the Senate approved a $1 trillion infrastructure plan for states coast to coast on Tuesday, as a rare coalition of Democrats and Republicans joined together to overcome skeptics and deliver a cornerstone of President Joe Biden’s agenda. […]
A sizable number of lawmakers showed they were willing to set aside partisan pressures, at least for a moment, eager to send billions to their states for rebuilding roads, broadband internet, water pipes and the public works systems that underpin much of American life.
If signed into law, the package is expected to send more than $8 billion in federal funding over five years to Michigan for highway and bridge projects — a 31% boost in federal funding for the state’s roads and bridges.
Michigan would also see an additional $1 billion over five years to boost public transit options, the White House has estimated, and the state may compete for additional funding. […]
With the Republicans lockstep against the next big package, many of them reached for the current compromise with the White House because they, too, wanted to show they could deliver and the government could function.
ABC 12: Whitmer: Michigan receiving billions of dollars from federal infrastructure bill
Michigan will cash in with billions of dollars when Congress passes a $1 trillion infrastructure bill later this month, according to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. […]
The Michigan Department of Transportation estimates the state will receive over $7.25 billion for roads and bridges over the next five years compared to current funding levels under the massive spending bill. Most of that money can be spent on maintaining and expanding roads and freeways.
About $171 million of Michigan’s share will go toward reducing carbon emissions from automobiles and $194 million will go toward protecting infrastructure from the effects of climate change, such as increased lake levels and warmer weather.
The $1 trillion bill also includes $7.5 billion to boost the auto industry with development of more electric vehicle charging stations and alternative fuels. The bill also includes Buy American provisions requiring the federal government to purchase vehicles from domestic automakers.
Michigan also will receive a share of $42 billion in federal grants to expand broadband internet access in underserved rural and urban areas. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is slated to receive an additional $1 billion to improve water ecosystems and protect coastal communities.
The Detroit News: Michigan poised to get over $8B from Senate’s bipartisan infrastructure bill
Michigan is slated to receive at least $8 billion in federal funding over five years for highway and bridge projects as part of the bipartisan infrastructure package that’s set to clear the Senate as early as Tuesday.
That total includes $7.3 billion from federal highway programs and $563 million for bridge replacement and repairs, according to estimates by the White House based on transportation funding formulas. […]
The U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote some time Tuesday on final passage of the $1 trillion bill, which would devote $550 billion in new money toward the country’s physical infrastructure.
Michigan would also see an additional $1 billion over five years to improve public transit options, the White House has estimated.
The state may also compete for additional funding from the legislation’s $12.5 billion program for economically significant bridges and roughly $16 billion intended for major projects with economic benefits for communities, officials said.
Detroit Free Press: US Senate passes $1-trillion infrastructure bill: Here’s what Michigan would get
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s campaign pledge of three years ago to “Fix the Damn Roads” got a boost Tuesday as the U.S. Senate capped months of negotiations by passing a $1.2-trillion infrastructure bill. […]
Ford Motor Co. said in a statement it “applauds this bipartisan step to make long overdue investments in our nation’s infrastructure and accelerate the transition to a zero emissions transportation future.”
That’s not all that is in the bill that could change the future of the auto industry, with measures that could require vehicles to have technology to stop drunken drivers from operating them as well as having automated braking systems.
Other parts of the legislation that could help Michigan include national funding for improving ports of entry at the northern border; $500 million for a program pushed by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., to help communities prepare for natural risks, such as the flooding that has hit the state this year, and $55 billion to be invested in clean drinking water, including replacing lead service lines and addressing so-called “forever” PFAS chemical wastes.
