We’re all benefiting from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — especially Republicans

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Each dot represents where funding has been announced or awarded resulting from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Information is also available about funding awards on separate maps for Alaska, Hawai'i, Mariana Islands and Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.Each dot represents where funding has been announced or awarded resulting from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Information is also available about funding awards on separate maps for Alaska, Hawai'i, Mariana Islands and Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (Source: BIL Maps Dashboard)

Posted By: George Thomas Jr. 26 August 2023

One year after its passage, also known as the Inflation Reduction Act, Republican congressional districts have received nearly $74 billion for infrastructure projects, with less than $10 billion for Democratic districts.

The spending data is from a new report by the nonpartisan group E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), which analyzed publicly available information from 178 of the 210 awards announced to date.

The White House, however, claims more than $280 billion has been targeted for “states, Tribes, territories and local governments with thousands of specific recipients and projects identified for funding,” according to its BIL Maps of Progress, last updated in July.

The E2 report found publicly available data for projects in 39 states that would create 74,000 jobs — 15,000 of them for clean energy investments in three Republican districts in North Carolina, Georgia, and Nevada.

Other key findings from E2’s analysis:

  • Electric vehicle and battery manufacturing accounted for half of all new projects.
  • Renewable energy companies announced 44 solar panel and equipment factories and major solar projects, and at least 18 wind turbine factories or major wind products.
  • Seven states are home to 10 or more projects, including Georgia, South Carolina, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and New York.

Congressional support barely bipartisan

The Clean Energy Announcements Map tracks new clean economy projects, expansions, and production announced since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

The Clean Energy Announcements Map tracks new clean economy projects, expansions, and production announced since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. (Image: https://e2.org/announcements/)

While to date red states dominate the funding, the “bipartisan” infrastructure bill barely passed the House of Representatives, 228-206, but received wider support in the Senate, 69-30. Still, for projects yet to come to fruition, the BIL Maps Dashboard shows projects targeted for nearly every Congressional district.

Related: All climate change is local

E2’s spending estimates are self-described as “very conservative,” but it is regularly tracking all clean energy job announcements.

The $1.2 trillion infrastructure law started as the $2.25 trillion American Jobs Plan, but, despite a C-minus score for the nation’s infrastructure by the American Society of Civil Engineers, political opposition to “big government” threatened the law’s passage. The ASCE estimates $2.6 trillion is needed by 2030 to fix the crumbling or neglected infrastructure wherever you live.

While the “Green New Deal” verbiage has faded from public discourse, the infrastructure law was intended in part to support projects to reduce America’s greenhouse gas emissions. And a June research study, “Emissions and energy impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act,” concluded emissions could drop as much as 48 percent compared to 2005 levels with “accelerated clean-energy deployment.”

Related: Global scorching ahead of schedule. Well done, humanity

 

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