Interagency Working Group Spotlights Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in Webinar on Overcoming Infrastructure Challenges

Today, the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization (Energy Communities IWG) hosted the first webinar in its two-part series exploring the historic investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that support infrastructure challenges in energy communities.

“Overcoming Common Infrastructure Challenges in Energy Communities – Part 1” focused on federal funding aimed at transportation and electric grid infrastructure. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes billions of dollars to lower energy costs, enhance energy security, and jump-start a new era of clean energy jobs for energy communities.

Today’s webinar highlighted several key programs, including:

• The Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) program, a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) initiative to address disparities in rural transportation infrastructure by developing user-friendly tools and information, aggregating DOT resources, and providing technical assistance.
• Several programs to improve and modernize the nation’s grid infrastructure through the U.S. Department of Energy.
• The U.S. Department of Labor highlighted workforce considerations for these two topics.

“Since its passage in 2021, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has delivered life-changing investments to energy communities across the nation,” said Energy Communities IWG executive director Brian Anderson. “With federal agencies announcing additional opportunities every day, this bill continues to funnel money to the communities with the most pressing infrastructure challenges.”

To learn more about what Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding has been awarded to your state, check out the White House’s state fact sheets. Energy communities can also access Bipartisan Infrastructure Law programs on the Energy Communities IWG funding clearinghouse.

Federal officials on the webinar include Ryan Berni, Senior Advisor for Infrastructure Implementation at the White House, Amanda Rogers, Policy Analyst at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Whitney Muse, Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Energy and Molly Bashay, Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Labor.

Established by an Executive Order during President Biden’s first week in office, the Energy Communities IWG is pursuing a whole-of-government approach to create good-paying union jobs, spur economic revitalization, remediate environmental degradation and support energy workers in coal, oil and gas, and power plant communities across the country. The Energy Communities IWG supports the Administration’s goals of a carbon emission-free electricity sector by 2035 and economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050.