As anticipated, the Biden Administration released today an initial set of documents related to its much-discussed “infrastructure plan” earlier today.
The proposal released today addresses both physical infrastructure and as well as “human” infrastructure issues, such as workforce development. A second set of proposals, designed to target needs in the areas of education and healthcare, is expected to the released later this spring.
Examples of areas of interest to UW and higher education include the following:
- $180 billion in new R&D spending
- $50 billion for new NSF Technology directorate for work in new fields like:
- semiconductors and advanced computing; advanced energy, biotech
- $50 billion for semiconductor research and manufacturing
- $30 billion for R&D/ innovation opportunities in rural communities
- $40 billion for research infrastructure, including “brick-and-mortar” facilities and computing capabilities and networks
- To be funded through agencies across the government
- 50% would be reserved for MSI, and would create a new Climate Lab at an HBCU
- $12 billion for community college facilities and technology, to be funded through states
- $100 billion for broadband
- $35 billion in clean technology and clean energy research / innovations, including:
- Creating ARPA-C
- $15 billion for R&D in climate priority demonstration projects, in fields like:
- Utility-scale energy storage, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, advanced nuclear, rare earth element separations, floating offshore wind, biofuel/bioproducts, quantum computing, and electric vehicles
- $10 billion in R&D investments for MSIs
- $15 billion to create up to 200 centers of excellence at MSIs to serve as research incubators for grad fellowships and other opportunities
- $20 billion regional innovation hubs to create at least 10 hubs to, further among other goals, link urban and rural communities
- $14 billion for NIST to connect government, academia, and industry to address future competitiveness needs
Examples of other elements of the proposal include:
- $621 billion in transportation infrastructure projects, such as:
- $115 billion for bridges, highways, roads, and main streets
- $85 billion for public transit
- $80 billion for passenger and freight rail
- $174 billion for the electric vehicle market and infrastructure
- $25 billion for airports
- $25 billion for regional projects that are too big to be financed by a single entity
- $17 billion for waterways, ports, ferries
- $20 billion to connect communities physically cut off from economic opportunities
Pay-fors
- The plan proposes to change a number of tax provisions and seeks to raise $2 trillion over 15 years.
The White House fact sheet on the proposal is available here.
The release of the proposal is just the first step in the process of trying to push through and fund a set of infrastructure plans. How Congress chooses to engage with and respond to the the Biden requests remain to the be seen. Office of Federal Relations will continue to provide additional details about the proposal as they become available.