WASINGTON, D.C. — The National Wildlife Federation thanked President Joe Biden and congressional leaders for their work passing the newly signed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and urged them to build on the investments in the bipartisan law. 

“This historic investment in clean water, habitat restoration, reclamation, resilience, and connectivity, and clean energy innovation underscores what’s possible when our leaders come together,” said Collin O'Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “Thank you to President Biden and the bipartisan group of senators, representatives, and other leaders who crafted and passed this historic restoration and resilience bill. Congress must build upon this strong foundation by passing the Build Back Better Act and finding common ground on solutions for the immense and interconnected crises we still face.”

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes a range of critical provisions for people and wildlife and investments in critical programs and priorities, including:

• $55 billion to upgrade and maintain our nation’s drinking water and clean water infrastructure, including $23.4 billion for drinking and clean water state revolving loan funds, $15 billion to replace lead service lines and $10 billion to address PFAS contamination
• More than $3 billion investments in coastal restoration and regional watershed restoration efforts 
• $8 billion for wildfire risk reduction and management
• $5 billion for FEMA hazard mitigation programs to build resilience in communities
• $21 billion to remediate and reclaim abandoned coal mines, orphaned oil and gas wells, and Superfund sites
• $3.3 billion to improve forest conditions, lessen the impacts of wildland fire, and better protect communities
• $2.1 billion for ecosystem restoration on public and private land.
• Investing in responsible carbon capture, use, and storage and direct air capture and the infrastructure needed to move CO₂ from where it is captured to where it will be stored or used in products like concrete
• $1.4 billion toward a new PROTECT grant program, which will make U.S. surface transportation more resilient to extreme weather, including through natural infrastructure
• $350 million and other support for wildlife crossings to improve habitat connectivity and reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions, including expanded eligibility within existing highway programs to include wildlife crossing and natural infrastructure projects
• Upgrading the electrical grid and transmission system to prepare for new wind and solar as well as smart metering and electric vehicles