Act Locally: How to Activate Bold Infrastructure Ideas
Demystifying State Infrastructure Opportunities
Highlights:
- A wave of federal investments and programs has created a once-in-a-generation moment for modernizing U.S. infrastructure while also acting on climate, equity and economic priorities.
- Much of this money is being passed through to states as formula funds, which can potentially be used to fund local projects in collaboration with communities that are building the infrastructure they want and need.
- To focus on local, community-driven priorities, states will need to hear strongly from their localities.
- Act Locally: An Equitable Investment Resource Guide for Advocates & Local Governments provides local advocates and public officials with details for maximizing the climate and equity benefits of the bipartisan infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act.
A wave of federal investments and programs worth $3 trillion has created a once-in-a-generation moment for modernizing U.S. infrastructure. These funds and programs encompass enormous potential to act on climate goals, secure environmental justice and spur economic development.
The magnitude of these federal investments, however, represents both a threat and an opportunity. Unprecedented funding is no guarantee that there will be better outcomes. When presented with new funding streams, states and local governments often opt for the path of least resistance by funding projects that will lock us into an unsafe, unsustainable and inequitable mobility system.
It is crucial to understand that the wisdom on local priorities for building a better future lies with community advocates working hand-in-hand with local officials.
Act Locally: An Equitable Investment Resource Guide for Advocates & Local Governments is designed to help local governments and community-based organizations understand what funding is available and how it can be leveraged to achieve their equity and climate goals.
The guide is a roadmap, identifying pathways for local actors to creatively and effectively impact state policy and the structure of funding programs, as well as new methods for using funding, such as “flexing” highway funds into workforce development programs.
For all 50 states, Act Locally provides:
- Specifics on five-year funding for 46 programs supporting transportation, energy and buildings
- Past spending trends on transportation repairs vs. expansion
- Data on flexing funds, on traffic deaths, on building energy codes, and much more, so you can craft your most compelling case
- Description of legal/political/equity structures to leverage
Additionally, the guide examines five “deep-dive” states: Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Download the report and the accompanying slide deck here.
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Header image: Matt' Johnson/Flickr