Detroit Regional Chamber > Advocacy > What the $1.2 Trillion Senate Infrastructure Bill Means for Michigan

What the $1.2 Trillion Senate Infrastructure Bill Means for Michigan

August 11, 2021

The Senate approved a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill Tuesday, which would direct billions to modernize roads, bridges and transit systems while expanding high-speed internet systems and the nation’s network of electric vehicle charging stations.

Senators voted 69-30 to approve the package, and the bill goes to the House of Representatives.

The legislation calls for $550 billion in spending. The bill contains major investments in the bipartisan package are $110 billion for roads and bridges, $39 billion for public transit, and $66 billion for railways. It contains $55 billion for water and wastewater infrastructure and billions for airports, seaports, broadband internet, and electric vehicle charging stations.

Keep Provisions for Michigan Roads and Bridges

  • Based on state-by-state allocations, Michigan stands to receive $7.3 billion in federal highway aid, $563 million for bridge replacement and repairs, and could compete with other states for tens of billions more in other economically important bridge or road projects.
  • Buses, rail lines, and other means of public transportation in the state could see an extra $1 billion in federal investments.
  • The state would receive a minimum of $100 million to help extend broadband Internet coverage, including across rural swaths of Michigan that currently lack it. Some 2.5 million Michiganders living in low-income households may also be eligible for funds that will help them afford Internet access.
  • Added to the annual appropriation of between $200 million and $300 million a year to pay for environmental projects in and around the Great Lakes, the legislation would add $1 billion over five years, greatly enhancing the current funding stream.
  • And the state’s automakers, moving toward adopting more electric vehicles in the near future, could be helped greatly by a $7.5 billion commitment in the legislation for building charging stations across the U.S., with more money potentially coming in the budget reconciliation bill. A lack of charging stations is generally seen as one key reason Americans have been slow to adopt electric vehicles.

Chamber Perspective

From roads, to bridges, to broadband, and protecting our environment, this bill has key provisions that the Detroit Regional Chamber has long advocated for at the federal level. Michigan Senators Stabenow and Peters delivered key provisions that will protect our Great Lakes and help our signature automotive and mobility industry lead a global marketplace.

What Michigan Leaders are Saying

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said, “(It) will create millions of good-paying jobs; fix crumbling roads and bridges; help us build a clean, resilient energy grid; bolster public transportation; deliver clean drinking water to millions of families, and ensure every home has access to high-speed internet.”

“It’s an investment in creating good-paying jobs, helping local businesses grow and upgrading our aging and crumbling infrastructure,” Sen. Gary Peters. “This is a great step, and we must keep working to make sure this legislation is signed into law.”

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, “It’s going to create jobs and strengthen our Buy American laws to ensure that American tax dollars are spent on American products and services. Bottom line: this bill is a win for Michigan.”

Ford Motor Co. put out a statement saying it “applauds this bipartisan step to make long-overdue investments in our nation’s infrastructure and accelerate the transition to a zero emissions transportation future.”

What’s Next

The bill now goes to the House of Representatives. The Chamber will continue working with our partners to ensure this bill becomes law.