Build.gov Offers Info on All Infrastructure Law Programs

The Biden administration has launched a new website featuring a guidebook containing information on all programs made available under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, categorized by infrastructure type (e.g., transportation, broadband, etc.) to assist applicants in learning what programs are available, grant funding amounts and who is eligible to apply. The guidebook will be continually updated as more information becomes available.

The site ― Build.gov ― and the related guidebook address the 375 programs included in the law. “This resource is a critical part of our extensive outreach to state, local, tribal and territorial governments to ensure the people of America can benefit from this once-in-a-generation investment,” said Mitch Landrieu, senior advisor and coordinator of the new White House Infrastructure Implementation Task Force. “Building a better America is a shared endeavor no one can do alone, and investing infrastructure dollars will require significant coordination between the federal government, cities, states, tribal governments, community members and other key partners. Our primary goal is to empower people across the country with information, so they know what to apply for, who to contact and how to get ready to rebuild.”

The $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which derives from the November 2021 enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Pub. L. 117-58), provides funding for programs to help rebuild crumbling roads and bridges, upgrade airports, replace lead pipes used for plumbing and provide high-speed internet nationwide, as well as create good-paying jobs. More than 125 of the 375 programs addressed in the guidebook are new programs. About 60% of the funds will flow through formula programs, including existing ones such as the federal-aid highway formula programs, as well as new formula programs, such as the Bridge Formula Program, created under the law (see “New Program Provides States, Tribes Bridge Repair Funding”). In addition, about a third of the funding under the law allows for amended cost-share arrangements, particularly for rural and disadvantaged communities, whereby those communities will not be required to provide matching funds.

Categorized by Infrastructure Type

Rather than organizing the guidebook by federal awarding agency, preparers categorized programs by infrastructure type to better assist applicants that will be providing funded services. “You can start by what your need is and better navigate what is available to you,” task force officials said in a recent webinar discussing the guidebook. The categories are transportation; climate, energy and the environment; broadband; and other programs (including solid waste management and recycling, and those programs administered by other federal agencies). Each chapter contains a cover note explaining how to get ready to apply for and receive funding, as well as a list of additional resources to better prepare for participating in these programs.

For example, in the broadband chapter, the “Getting Ready” note addresses a few specific broadband programs funded under the law. For the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program and the State Digital Equity Planning and Capacity Grants Program, it urges states preparing to receive funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration “to identify and solidify their state broadband leadership teams and begin coordinating across state agencies and with tribal and local governments and other stakeholders to begin to develop a strategy and plan for identifying and meeting the state’s broadband deployment, affordability and equity challenges.”

Each program listed in the guidebook contains the following information (if available): federal agency, bureau or account, funding amount, period of availability, funding mechanism, recipients, program description, eligible uses of funding, whether the program is new and next milestones. For example, within a listing for the existing Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration State of Good Repair Grants, some $21.64 billion in formula grants will go to states, counties, cities/townships, special districts and federally recognized tribal governments “to assist in funding capital projects for existing fixed guideway systems and high-intensity motorbus systems to maintain public transportation systems in a state of good repair and to ensure public transit operates safely, efficiently, reliably and sustainably so that communities can offer balanced transportation choices that help to improve mobility, reduce congestion and encourage economic development.” Capital projects are eligible uses and the next milestone notes that formula funds will be apportioned to states and urbanized areas after appropriations are received.

Even without referring to the guidebook, Build.gov contains a data file that allows users to quickly sort programs funded under the law by fields such as agency, funding amount, eligible recipient or program name.

Appendix Information

The guidebook also includes an appendix that provides federal agency contact information, a list of programs supporting underserved communities, a copy of a January 2022 White House letter sent to state governors on infrastructure implementation that encourages the creation of a state infrastructure implementation coordinator, and an excerpt from a January 2022 U.S. Conference of Mayors factsheet providing recommendations for mayors on infrastructure implementation. The factsheet notes that cities can begin to coordinate across their departments and with metropolitan planning organizations to:

• prioritize the community’s capital needs and develop a project pipeline, paying special attention to projects previously considered impossible due to lack of funding or regional coordination;
• ensure all transit, railway, road, highway and bridge projects are a part of the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Transportation Improvement Plan;
• begin mapping sites for electric vehicle and alternative fuel charging stations;
• inventory and map the lead pipes in the community;
• work with the state broadband agency to ensure the city or region’s needs are appropriately mapped and inventoried; and
• establish relationships with regional offices for key federal agencies, who can help direct recipients to specific resources and provide technical assistance.