This week, the National League of Cities (NLC) celebrated the second anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), officially known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which has stepped up a federal-local partnership on rebuilding America’s infrastructure. The blogs published this week showcased examples of projects that have received BIL funding from across all regions of the nation in over 25 communities. NLC’s Rebuilding America Dashboard showcases more than 1,100 municipalities that have competed and won direct federal grants under BIL, in just the first two years of funding. We are looking forward to seeing additional infrastructure funding put to work across communities in the U.S. over the next three years of BIL.
Year over year in NLC’s State of the Cities report, America’s city leaders shared that infrastructure was a top priority and area of opportunity. Now that federal partnership is available through the hundreds of BIL programs, NLC continues to hear from local leaders about how infrastructure rebuilding is impacting communities. In every state local leaders share the ways in which their resident’s lives have been improved through the climate and environment, energy investments, a stronger workforce, safer transportation, partnerships with the public and private sector, and a demonstrated economic return on the collective federal and local investments.
Infrastructure Resources for Local Governments
Every city, town and village should consider how they could take advantage of the infrastructure funding that matters to their communities in the final three years of the federal infrastructure programs. NLC has produced guides on many elements of the federal infrastructure funding process including: 10 ways to make your local match, getting to know the National Environmental Policy Act as it relates to federal infrastructure projects, and 10 tips to get a federal infrastructure grant. Additionally, program-specific blogs dive into the details of the federal infrastructure funding opportunities and showcase examples of local projects from across the nation.
Through the Local Infrastructure Hub, NLC helps municipalities as they navigate the process of applying for a federal grant – often for the first time. So far, the Hub has helped over 600 municipalities, and a new round of bootcamps for specific BIL grants are coming soon.
As referenced above, the Rebuilding America Dashboard showcases municipalities that have won direct federal grants under BIL. This resource can help communities find similar projects to their plans or find communities near them to learn from and partner with. Local leaders can also check out NLC’s Ready to Rebuild Page to keep to date on NLC’s latest resources.
As local governments champion the federal investments from BIL, local leaders are encouraged to share their infrastructure stories and provide feedback on their experiences with the infrastructure programs to the NLC team at advoacy@nlc.org.
Finally, the NLC Federal Advocacy newsletter provides up-to-date information on important BIL program announcements, upcoming notice of funding opportunity deadlines, and infrastructure program-related content and webinars. NLC members can sign up for the Advocacy Newsletter here.
About the Authors
Using the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Invest in Energy Infrastructure, Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Kelly Aves
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Helps Communities Prepare for Their Climate Futures
- Ayesha Mehrotra
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Second Anniversary: Historic Legislation’s Impact for Municipalities
- Julia Bauer
- Patrick Rochford
Local Leaders Urge Congress to Pass Bipartisan Agreement, Avert Shutdown
Local Leaders Urge Congress to Pass Bipartisan Agreement, Avert Shutdown
