An editorial on why small infrastructure investments do more good and matter so much to more people than you think.

As the five-year rollout of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passes its halfway mark, funds continue to flow to nonfederal agencies, including the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s late May announcement of two sets of grants, totaling $529.7 million, from IIJA-created programs.

Gov. Gavin Newsom May 19 executive order creates an “infrastructure strike team” to identify and expedite key projects, and his plan for a legislative package would further reduce time to move them from planning to construction.

Nearly $2 billion out of the total $3.5 billion allotted to Superfund cleanup in the IIJA has been announced to date. 

White House infrastructure implementation coordinator Mitch Landrieu says IIJA has $14.6 billion in "rural-specific programs."

Legislation puts more than $1 billion toward water projects including lead service line replacement and PFAS removal.

In his first State of the Union speech, Biden predicts an "Infrastructure Decade."

EPA plans to spend $1 billion from IIJA to speed cleanups, allowing most key projects in region to be completed by 2030. 

As the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act moves into its third month on the books, the Biden administration is stepping up project spending.

Funds, set for 11 states, are for first year of five-year, $1.25-billion program.