GridWise Alliance Applauds Congress For Passing Historic Infrastructure Legislation

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Late Friday, the House of Representatives passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the bipartisan infrastructure package that includes major investments in modernizing the nation's electric grid.

"The bipartisan infrastructure package includes a historic level of grid investments that will strengthen resilience and reliability, accelerate decarbonization of the electricity, building and transportation sectors, and enhance security," said Karen Wayland, CEO of the GridWise Alliance. "The bill will transform the building and transportation sector by accelerating the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, converting transit and school bus fleets to zero emission electric vehicles, and retrofitting millions of structures to make them more energy efficient."

There are provisions within the Act focused on many infrastructure investments, with key provisions related to the GridWise Alliance Policy Framework for Grid Investments including:

• $5 billion for grants to enhance resilience and prevent outages, split between federal and state programs;
• $6 billion for research, development and demonstration projects for innovative approaches to resilience, with $1 billion set aside for rural and remote areas;
• $2.5 billion for a new loan program to facilitate transmission construction and upgrades;
• $3 billion to enhance grid flexibility through the Smart Grid Investment Grant program;
• $500 million to the State Energy Program for transmission and distribution system planning;
• $10 billion in increased borrowing authority for Bonneville Power Administration;
• $42 billion to expand access to broadband;
• $1 billion for utility investments in middle mile broadband infrastructure; and
• $250 million for cybersecurity grants to rural and municipal utilities.

The infrastructure package also includes billions of dollars for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, electrification of transit and school bus fleets, port electrification, battery manufacturing and recycling, and energy efficiency retrofits through the Weatherization Assistance Program.

The bill requires the US Department of Energy and US Department of Transportation to establish a joint working group to coordinate technical assistance for charging infrastructure deployment and the use of transportation rights-of-way for electricity infrastructure. 

We commend President Biden, and the House and Senate Leadership for getting this historic legislation to the finish line," continued Wayland. "These investments will leverage billions and billions of private dollars to modernize the nation's grid to serve as a secure, reliable platform for decarbonization."

The GridWise Alliance leads a diverse membership of electricity industry stakeholders focused on accelerating innovation that delivers a more secure, reliable, resilient, and affordable grid to support decarbonization of the US economy. For more information about the GridWise Alliance, visit: www.gridwise.org.

Media Contact:
Richard O'Neill
Executive Director
GridWise Alliance
[email protected] 
(202) 530-9740 

SOURCE GridWise Alliance