ICYMI: An Actual Infrastructure Week

Infrastructure week has begun -- and thanks to President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, infrastructure week will continue throughout the decade.

Weeks after signing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Biden-Harris Administration has hit the ground running to deliver for communities across the country. This week alone, infrastructure investments were directed towards replacing lead pipes, rebuilding highways, modernizing airports, cleaning up pollution, building electric vehicle chargers, and more.

As Vice President Harris announced two new action plans to accelerate EV charger installation and lead pipe replacement, Cabinet members traveled the nation to meet Americans where they are and showcase what the infrastructure law will do for them.

Here's what you may have missed this infrastructure week:

• Vice President Harris announced the Biden-Harris Electric Vehicle Charging Action Plan, showcasing the Administration's strategy to supercharge buildout of a national network of reliable and accessible chargers across the country. Secretary Granholm and National Climate Advisor McCarthy highlighted how the Action Plan will center equity and environmental justice, strengthen domestic manufacturing, create good-paying, union jobs, and advance our climate goals. The next day, Secretary Buttigieg and Granholm launched a joint office to support states, cities, rural regions, school districts, and others as they deploy charging infrastructure.
• Vice President Harris launched the Biden-Harris Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan, demonstrating how the Administration will accelerate Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investments and use every tool and resource available across agencies to replace all of America's lead pipes and remediate lead paint. The plan earned widespread praise from labor unions, environmental leaders, scientists, public health professionals, civil rights leaders, governors, mayors, congressional leaders, and water agencies.
• The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) apportioned $52.5 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to states in 2022. These funds will help address overdue infrastructure repairs and bring roads and bridges up to speed.
• The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that the first $3 billion of investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will soon be disbursed to 3,075 airports across the country, and they launched an interactive map displaying how much funding airports can receive.
• EPA Administrator Regan traveled to a Superfund site in Pennsylvania to announce more than $1 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will be used next year to clear a backlog of and start cleaning up 49 contaminated sites that have been dumped with hazardous waste or other pollutants hurting public health.
• Agriculture Secretary Vilsack visited the rural town Bloomer in Wisconsin to discuss how the USDA was providing $27.6 million to the town to get rid of and upgrade 20,000 feet of lead-jointed water mains – helping bring drinking water back into compliance for more than 3,500 people.
• The Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded more than $13 million to state and local governments to protect low-income families from lead-based paint and home health hazards.
• The Department of Energy announced that $18.6 million will be used to weatherize homes, save Americans money on energy bills, and reduce pollution. Energy Secretary Granholm and HUD Secretary Fudge toured a weatherization job training facility and a weatherized housing unit in Baltimore.
• Secretary Granholm and Secretary Buttigieg visited a charging station in Maryland to announce the creation of a joint office between the Departments of Energy and Transportation to advance the Administration's EV charging plans.
• The White House announced two key leaders, Katie Thomson and Winnie Stachelberg, who will serve at the Department of Transportation and the Interior Department, respectively, as infrastructure coordinators.
• The Cabinet continued traveling the country to show how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making investments that will change people's lives for the better. Transportation Secretary Buttigieg visited Manchester, New Hampshire to spotlight how it will improve rail projects in the Granite State, Labor Secretary Walsh met with local officials in Springfield, Massachusetts about rail and transit investments, and Secretary Buttigieg visited the Port of Savannah in Georgia to discuss strengthening our supply chains.