U.S. Ag Groups Support Passing of Infrastructure Bill

U.S. agricultural organizations are praising the passing of the Infrastructure and Jobs Act by the House of Representatives on November 5.

About to be signed into law, the bill includes funds to modernize the country’s transportation systems, including the locks and dams critical to its waterways that transport the bulk of the country’s grain exports.

The legislation would increase spending on infrastructure by $550 billion over five years, including $110 billion for U.S. roads and bridges, $65 billion for broadband, and $17 billion for ports and waterways - of which $2.5 billion is earmarked specifically for inland waterway construction projects.

The bill also supports U.S. railways with $845 million per year for highway-rail grade crossing safety and elimination projects, $5.55 billion per year for discretionary infrastructure grant programs, and $1 billion per year for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) grant program.

Agriculture will also benefit from $10 billion in grants to upgrade and strengthen the electric grid, an apprenticeship program addressing the shortage in truck drivers, and authorization for further investments in cybersecurity.

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