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BREAKING: Senate Passes Historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal

**Shaheen was a Lead Negotiator of the Infrastructure Package, Steered Bipartisan Talks on Broadband & Water Infrastructure** 

**Shaheen Celebrates NH Priorities Secured, Including $10 Billion to Address PFAS contamination, Shaheen Bill to Invest in Water Infrastructure and Robust Investments in Broadband**

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) applauded the Senate’s bipartisan passage of the landmark infrastructure legislation that she helped steer key negotiations around. This package would provide a $550 billion investment in our nation’s core infrastructure priorities – including roads and bridges, rail, transit, ports, airports, the electric grid, water systems and broadband.

In June, Shaheen joined President Biden and a bipartisan group of senators to announce the framework of the package. Shaheen recently joined members of the bipartisan group on the Senate floor to unveil bill text of the legislation. Shaheen is a key negotiator and led provisions on broadband and water infrastructure, which she highlighted during her remarks on the Senate floor last week.

“Today marks a historic day in the Senate: We showed that we can bridge the partisan divide to invest in our nation’s future. This infrastructure package will create lasting change for families across New Hampshire, whose stories inspired me during around-the-clock negotiations over the last three months,” said Shaheen. “Parents who’ve spent years worrying about the quality of water running from their taps – and how that will affect their kids’ health – motivated my fight to successfully secure $55 billion to upgrade our aging water infrastructure, including $10 billion to address PFAS contamination. To help New Hampshire communities afford important water infrastructure investments and address our water problems where they start, I also secured a bipartisan fix to remedy an unfair fee imposed on our cities and towns by the 2017 tax bill. I’m also pleased to announce $65 billion in broadband investments, which will help families, businesses, health care providers and educators across the nation become connected. These wins are on top of the hundreds of billions secured to invest in our roads, rails, bridges and airports and update our power grid. This once-in-a-generation investment will help families across the nation, while bolstering our nation’s competitiveness and security. I’m proud to have helped lead negotiations in the Senate on this historic package, and I’ll do everything in my power to work with lawmakers in the House and the administration to ensure its swift passage.”

Among the numerous priorities secured in the bipartisan infrastructure package passed by the Senate, Shaheen fought to include and supported adding the following measures:

  • $110 Billion to Repair Roads, Bridges and Other Major Projects: Shaheen successfully helped secure additional funding for small and rural states like New Hampshire to replace and repair bridges through new, dedicated grant programs.
  • $65 Billion to Bolster Broadband in New Hampshire and Across the Nation: Shaheen led negotiations on broadband provisions with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), which will provide $65 billion in grants for states to support broadband deployment and other efforts to bridge the digital divide, which is especially critical in rural parts of New Hampshire. The infrastructure package also builds on the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program by investing $14.2 billion to continue assisting qualified households in accessing affordable high-speed internet.
  • $55 Billion to Upgrade Water Infrastructure, Including $10 Billion for PFAS Remediation and $15 Billion for Lead Service Line Replacement: Shaheen led negotiations on water infrastructure provisions with Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), which provide robust funding -- $10 billion – to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination. Shaheen has long led action in the Senate on PFAS response, remediation and research.
  • $65 Billion to Invest in U.S. Power & Grid: Shaheen supported adding $65 billion to fund grid reliability and resilience measures in the legislation. The infrastructure legislation also includes the bipartisan Energy Infrastructure Act, which funds these priorities and supports a Grid Development Authority. The legislation bolsters efforts to address energy efficiency through weatherization assistance and improvements to federal and other public buildings. It also supports clean energy technology and other sustainable energy solutions.
  • Shaheen’s Legislation to Stop Tax on Crucial Water and Sewer Infrastructure: Senator Shaheen spearheaded efforts to include key provisions from her bipartisan bill with Senator Murkowski (R-AK) to fix a measure in the 2017 tax bill that led to taxes on critical water infrastructure investments in New Hampshire and across the nation, resulting in at least $1.15 million in new federal taxes for water infrastructure projects in New Hampshire. Shaheen’s bill fixes this issue going forward to help encourage water and wastewater utilities, local governments and private developers to invest in water infrastructure projects.
  • Shaheen’s Legislation to Help NH Finance Transportation Infrastructure Projects: Senator Shaheen successfully included her legislation with Senator Booker (D-NJ) that would establish a program to help states increase resources for highway and transit projects. The bill directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a marketplace for the sale and purchase of toll credits, which are accrued when states use toll revenues to invest in transportation projects that benefit the interstate system. This bill would allow states like New Hampshire to sell their excess toll credits to other states on this marketplace to bring in new revenue. These funds could be used for other transportation needs in these states. Shaheen secured this in the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021, which cleared the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) in May. 
  • Support for a Clean Electric Grid: The bipartisan infrastructure bill also contains key components of Shaheen’s energy efficiency legislation with Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) – the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness (ESIC) Act – that will help improve energy efficiency and climate resilience of buildings and industrial facilities, as well as invest in clean jobs. Policy experts at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) found that when fully enacted, the ESIC Act through 2050 would save consumers more than $51 billion on their energy bills and reduce carbon emissions by 1.3 billion tons, which is the equivalent of taking nearly 280 million cars off the road for one year.  A previous study from ACEEE also estimated that their legislation would add more than 100,000 jobs to the economy.  The legislation also includes several other legislative priorities of Shaheen, including the Smart Manufacturing Leadership Act, the Heat Efficiency through Applied Technology (HEAT) Act and the Promoting American Energy Jobs Act. Together, these bills will promote innovation, energy efficiency and economic competitiveness of American manufacturers and support the energy workforce. Shaheen added these provisions when the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources voted to advance the Energy Infrastructure Act earlier this month.

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