Governors Group Updates Online Infrastructure Funding Tracker
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The National Governors Association has updated its online tracker for federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds to help states and municipalities better navigate through 370 programs to access requirements and apply for grants.
Governors, counties, cities and metropolitan planning organizations have the lead in implementing the expenditure of IIJA funds.
The NGA’s revamped IIJA Program Tracker is to be a single resource for infrastructure coordinators and other advisers in various states to have real-time data to plan and coordinate federal opportunities to best achieve the goals of their governors.
As Governors continue to lead on #infrastructure, yesterday @LouisianaGov announced $270 Million in funding for the purpose of off-system bridge repair and replacement projects. Learn more: https://t.co/zlWvgE44Wb pic.twitter.com/9QXjDB6DSh — NGA (@NatlGovsAssoc) October 6, 2022
Because the $1.2 trillion IIJA is more application- rather than allocation-based, it features various funding sources that don’t necessarily fit neatly into traditional funding streams, according to NGA.
Half of the $1.2 trillion will be made available through the U.S. Department of Transportation, with governors, mayors and other local officials expected to spend 90% on transportation projects. Over the next five years, $350 billion will flow through the Federal Highway Administration.
The tracker provides information on formula and competitive grant programs in the IIJA such as transportation, broadband, energy and other relevant programs identified in the White House guidebook.
“Within this context, governors’ advisers have provided constructive input to ensure that the tracker is presented in a way that is clear and useful for their needs,” NGA stated.
NGA notes that the IIJA is “a complex piece of legislation” with 140 new programs that are new or in the process of being established by federal agencies.
Another factor complicating the ability of states and local governments to access IIJA funds is the variety of federal government agencies offering different slices of money, such as DOT, the U.S. departments of energy and commerce, the Environmental Protection Agency and others.
The new tracker (available here) enables searching by name of a federal agency, program category/asset class, name of program and funding allocated to each program from 2022 to 2026.
Another new feature lists if a program measure is new or existing, the type of grant program, recent/future milestones and if tribes are eligible.
Future NGA tracker improvements being planned include adding information about programs that have been designated as Justice40 programs (requiring 40% of overall benefits of federal funds to flow to disadvantaged communities).
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