Sen. Hirono Celebrates POTUS Signing the Historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill into Law

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) issued the following statement following the President signing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, an historic bill that will provide the largest long-term investment in our infrastructure in nearly a century, into law:

“Our crumbling infrastructure is impacting the lives of families in Hawaii every single day. But today, President Biden signed into law historic legislation that will repair our roads, bridges and public transportation, update our airports and ports, expand access to high-speed internet, deliver clean drinking water, and invest in clean, reliable energy. By strengthening our nation’s infrastructure, we’ll improve our supply chain crisis, ease inflation, and create thousands of good-paying jobs across the state.   

“But we’re not stopping there. We need to do more to make our economy work for everyone. This starts by expanding the Child Tax Credit, making child care affordable and available which will help parents—and in particular, women—get back to work, lowering the cost of health care, and taking decisive, bold steps to confront the growing impact of climate change. That’s exactly what the Build Back Better package will do—and we’re going to pay for this by making sure the biggest corporations and wealthiest individuals actually pay their fair share of taxes.”

The State of Hawaii will receive the following funding:

• $1.2 billion to repair and rebuild roads in Hawaii with a focus on climate change mitigation, resilience, and safety.
• $339 million to repair and replace bridges that are deficient or outdated.
• At least $637.4 million to repair and expand Hawaii public transit system, including a focus on cleaner and safer buses.
• $246 million for improvements to runways, gates, taxiways and terminals, and investments to reduce congestion and emissions by using low-carbon technologies at Hawaii airports.
• $100 million to expand broadband access to more families in Hawaii.
• Including $60 million for the Department of Hawaiian Homelands will to provide high-speed internet access to more Native Hawaiian families.
• At least 280,000 Hawaii residents will be eligible for a new broadband benefit for low-income families.
• Funding will also help to build new broadband infrastructure, including undersea cables.
• At least $200.4 million for water infrastructure for water treatment, pipes, storage tanks and a revolving fund for municipal wastewater facilities and treatment systems.
• $21 million for electric vehicle charging infrastructure and state-led initiatives to accelerate the clean energy transition ($18 million for EV charging and $3 million for the clean energy transition).
• Hawaii will also have the opportunity to apply for part of $7.5 billion in funding for EV charging and other alternative vehicle fueling infrastructure.

Additionally, Hawaii will have access to:

• $16.6 billion available nationalwide for waterway and coastal infrastructure, inland waterway improvements, and port infrastructure.
• Billions of dollars available nationwide for climate change mitigation and resiliency efforts.
• $670 million in national funding for firefighting equipment, fire training and workshops, fire science, and fuels reduction.
• $1.06 billion in national funding for ecosystem restoration projects, invasive species removal, and planting of native plants.
• $1.15 billion in funding for watershed protection, groundwater storage, water recycling, and water efficiency projects.

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