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Shaheen Joins Bipartisan Group of Senate Negotiators at White House for Bill Signing of Historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation

**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) -- Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) joined fellow members of the bipartisan group of Senate negotiators at the White House, where President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. Shaheen was a lead negotiator on provisions of the historic bill that address water infrastructure and broadband. This legislation provides 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 joined members of the bipartisan group on the Senate floor to unveil bill text of the legislation in August.    

"The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is officially the law of the land and soon our communities will begin to feel its impact, from road and bridge repairs to water infrastructure investments and high-speed internet reaching every corner of the state. New Hampshire and the American people are going to see the differences this legislation will make in their lives. This is officially a promise kept by President Biden and all of us who worked around the clock to make good on the long-standing bipartisan determination to deliver on infrastructure,” said Shaheen. “The provisions I helped negotiate and supported in this legislation will be felt in New Hampshire for decades to come, including a fix to the 2017 tax bill that unfairly taxed water infrastructure projects in the Granite State, sustainable energy efficiency solutions to save our nation money while simultaneously becoming better stewards of our environment, robust federal investments to remediate PFAS contamination that has for too long threatened the safety of our drinking water, and so much more. That is just a drop in the bucket of what this historic legislation is going to mean for New Hampshire families and millions more across the United States. I’m proud that our late night, early morning bipartisan talks resulted in this moment: a bipartisan group of lawmakers standing together with the administration, showing the American people what is possible when we leave politics at the door and get things done. This should be the rule, not the exception. I look forward to the Biden administration implementing this bill as swiftly as possible and seeing these federal resources be put to good use in New Hampshire.” 

Among the numerous priorities secured in the bipartisan infrastructure package signed into law, 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 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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