Statement by Administrator Regan on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal
The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal makes historic investments in tackling climate change, protecting public health, creating jobs in communities across the country, and delivering a more equitable future
Statement by Administrator Regan on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal
The President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal makes historic investments in tackling climate change, protecting public health, creating jobs in communities across the country, and delivering a more equitable future
Contact: EPA Press Office, [email protected]
WASHINGTON (Nov. 6, 2021) — Overnight, the U.S. House of Representatives joined the U.S. Senate in passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, unlocking billions of dollars to address climate change and protect American communities from pollution. This historic legislation puts the country on a path towards achieving the President’s ambitious climate goals, marks the single largest investment in water that the federal government has ever made, invests billions in cleaning up longstanding pollution in communities across the country, and advances a more equitable nation.
“On his first day in office, President Biden committed to acting on climate change, cleaning up pollution, and creating good-paying jobs in the process. He is delivering on those promises with bipartisan action,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “For far too long, communities across the country have struggled with environmental challenges. I have traveled the country visiting overburdened communities to better understand their plight. I’ve talked to moms whose children have been exposed to lead in drinking water, and advocates that have been fighting to eliminate long-standing pollution in their backyards. Finally, these communities have been heard. Now we deliver billions of dollars of new investments into programs and services that will make people’s lives better.”
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal makes historic investments in key programs and initiatives implemented by EPA, including:
- More than $50 billion for clean water projects, the single largest federal investment in water ever made. With these funds, EPA will take action to address the 6 to 10 million lead service lines still in the ground across the country, the threat of PFAS pollution facing communities, and protections for critical water bodies that are important to communities and the economy.
- More than $5 billion for cleaning up longstanding pollution at Superfund and brownfields sites and for making improvements to waste management and recycling systems, helping to restore the economic vitality of communities that have been exposed to pollution for far too long.
- $5 billion for decarbonizing the nation’s school bus fleet, improving air quality for more than 25 million children who ride the bus to school each day.
- $100 million for the Pollution Prevention Program, including the launch of a new program focused on delivering environmental justice, which will help businesses reduce toxic pollutants, cut water usage, improve efficiency, and lower business costs, while better protecting the communities they serve.
In the coming weeks and months, EPA will provide additional information on the impact of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, including how resources will be directed and how the public can access them.
For more information on the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, including a breakdown of EPA funding by appropriations account, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/fact-sheet-epa-bipartisan-infrastructure-deal