Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
By now you have surely heard about the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that passed Congress and was signed into law by President Biden.
Its trickle-down impact is going to be significant for New Mexico. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham flew to Washington, D.C., for the Nov. 15 signing ceremony, as did about 800 other salivating state and local officials from around the country.
Biden is calling it a once-in-a-generation investment for America’s future, but New Mexico’s governor took it a step further. Right after the signing ceremony, she released the following statement:
“This bill delivers once-in-a-lifetime funding for New Mexico that will make transformational investments in broadband, roads, water, and climate resiliency, critical measures that will improve the lives of millions of New Mexicans and create a generation of good-paying union jobs and economic growth.
“The largest investment in our nation’s roads and bridges since the Eisenhower administration, this is no drop in the bucket — this is life-changing access to broadband for thousands of New Mexico families, a transformative development of the electric vehicle framework, high-quality and fast-tracked infrastructure improvements adapted to a changing climate, and more.
“The investments in this bill will go far to further the work my administration has done, and continues to do, to build better lives for New Mexico families. I’m proud to have been directly involved in advocating for this legislation, and I applaud President Biden for his leadership and dedication to making these historic investments a reality.”
Sure, there’s plenty of spin in that statement, and probably some hyperbole as well, but she’s right to make it out to be a big deal, because it is. Congress doesn’t go around passing $1.2 trillion bills very often, you know.
According to the White House, as advanced by our Governor’s Office, funding for New Mexico will include:
• $2.5 billion over five years for federal aid to highways.
• $225 million over five years for bridge work.
• At least $366 million over five years to improve public transportation across the state.
• At least $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state.
• 785,000 New Mexicans (about 38% of the state) will be eligible for the Affordability Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income families afford internet access.
• $355 million over five years to improve water infrastructure around the state.
• $38 million over five years to protect against wildfires.
• $13 million to protect against cyberattacks.
• $38 million over five years to support the expansion of electric vehicle charging stations around the state.
• Approximately $90 million over five years for airport infrastructure.
In reviewing the bullet points above, I can picture in my mind’s eye how this money could impact eastern New Mexico specifically. We have an interstate and multiple major highways running through this area, so road and bridge work will surely come our way.
We could benefit with bus routes from here to Albuquerque and/or Amarillo and Lubbock. We need more broadband and affordable internet access. And many communities badly need to update water systems.
Those are just a few of our local infrastructure needs that should become eligible for some of these funds.
Next up is another big-money bill attempting to make its way through Congress: A $1.9 trillion budget reconciliation measure that, if passed, will help a lot of New Mexico residents where they live. It’s big on expanding various social services as well as incentives to combat climate change.
If that bill passes, a lot of New Mexicans might just graduate from low-income to middle class, as a lot of quality-of-life issues will be subsidized with federal dollars raised with tax increases on billionaires and big corporations.
Tom McDonald is editor of the New Mexico Community News Exchange. Contact him at:
