The Treasury Dept. has begun to take applications from state and local governments for the $350 billion that the American Rescue Plan Act earmarks to help them recover from the coronavirus pandemic, the department宣布on May 10.
Among the many eligible uses for the funds are “water, sewer and broadband infrastructure,” according to the legislation, which Biden signed March 11. But it will be up to governors, mayors and state and local officials to determine how they will use the funds.
Construction and transportation officials say that road projects also qualify for the rescue act.
他们注意到财政部的临时最终规则implementing the state and local aid program says funding recipients have “broad latitude” to use the recovery dollars to provide government services.
The rule says those services can include maintenance or non-debt-funded “building” of infrastructure. Such infrastructure, it adds, includes “roads."
AASHTO, ARTBA Comments
美国国家公路和运输官员协会运输金融计划总监苏珊·霍华德（Susan Howard）在接受采访时说：“我相信这种语言为运输带来了合格的费用。”
Dean Franks, American Road & Transportation Builders Association senior vice president for government relations, said in a statement to ENR that ARTBA is “initially encouraged that states and localities will have broad eligibility to use their portion of the $350 billion enacted in the American Recovery Plan to restore lost revenue for transportation projects."
但是弗兰克斯补充说：“不应将其视为替代强大的，多年的地面运输重新授权和广泛的基础设施套餐，拜登和国会议员说，这对国家的经济复苏至关重要。”
3月28日，ARTBA，AASHTO和其他30多个交通和建筑团体已写信给财政部长Janet L. Yellen，要求该部门认为公路和其他交通基础设施项目是有资格获得救援法案资金的。18luck官网[查看3/29/2021 ENR新利luck故事here.]
Water Infrastructure
AWWA立法主任汤米·霍尔姆斯（Tommy Holmes）表示，美国水工厂协会很高兴看到水基础设施被指定为有资格获得美国救援计划援助的资格。
福尔摩斯通过电子邮件说：“鉴于需要更新和替换老化水基础设施并替换铅服务线并准备治疗PFAS化合物的范围，因此对任何额外的联邦援助表示感谢。”
But Holmes says there is a concern that municipal water utilities would have to go through their city governments to seek rescue funding. He notes, “We know there may be significant competing needs within many municipalities.”
Holmes adds it’s unclear how regional water authorities would apply for the assistance, saying, "They may be able to apply to state government agencies that are handling these funds.”
Kristina Surfus, National Association of Clean Water Agencies' managing director for government affairs, sees water infrastructure's eligibility for the rescue act funding as "quite significant" for two reasons. Surfus says it provides "a pot of funds open to water infrastructure" and also indicates that water, like broadband,"secured greater federal attention during the pandemic as critical infrastructure."
但是她补充说，单个供水机构是否实际上获得了一些救援行为“会有很大差异”。
Surfus通过电子邮件表示，某些公用事业是地方政府机构的机构，这些机构将根据法规获得特定的资金分配，“可以确定水投资是这些资金的最佳当地优先事项。”
她补充说：“在许多其他社区中，对这些资金的竞争需求 - 浮雕，救济，政府普遍损失的收入等等 - 可能超出了需求，以及管辖权问题可能会使问题进一步复杂化。水项目可能看18luck官网不到任何这些资金。”
Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said in a statement, "With this funding, communities hit hard by COVID-19 will be able to return to a semblance of normalcy; they’ll be able to rehire teachers, firefighters and other essential workers—and to help small businesses reopen safely."
Gene Sperling, President Joe Biden’s coordinator for implementing the rescue plan, told reporters in a May 10 briefing, “This is ensuring that those state and local governments are able to not just bounce back, not just build back, but as somebody I know says: 'Build back better and build back quickly.'"
Dividing the Funds
在这355亿美元的$ 3500亿美元中，哥伦比亚州和特区将获得1953亿美元。财政部将为大多数州提供两期分期付款的资金，50％在5月份可用，而另外50％在2022年50％。
Florida has the largest state allocation, with $1.42 billion, followed by Texas, with $1.39 billion, and California, with $1.22 billion.
Counties will get $65.1 billion and metropolitan cities will receive $45.6 billion.
Among cities, New York City's allotment is the largest, at $4.26 billion.
部落政府的份额为200亿美元，领土的分配为45亿美元。其他地方政府部门将获得195亿美元。
