During a visit to Augusta Municipal Airport near Augusta, Kan., FAA Deputy Administrator Bradley Mims highlighted funding coming the airport’s way as part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) that provides a once-in-a-generation investment in rural and smaller communities. The Biden-Harris Administration is investing in the infrastructure that benefits Americans in smaller towns to create good-paying jobs, generate new economic opportunities and build community wealth.
“These communities may be small in size, but they have a big impact on keeping our National Airspace System operating safely and efficiently. With this new funding, Augusta Municipal and airports across the country will get to work on projects that have waited for years,” FAA Deputy Administrator A. Bradley Mims said while visiting the airport.
Augusta Municipal Airport is set to receive $159,000 in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for Fiscal Year 2022. This program allows investments in runways, taxiways, safety and sustainability projects, as well as terminal, airport-transit connections and roadway projects. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $20 billion in the nation’s airports.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is sending historic investments to revitalize and rebuild small and municipal communities across the country. Supporting Americans living in these areas remains a top priority for the Biden Administration, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law delivers on the President’s promises to provide affordable high-speed Internet, safe roads and bridges, clean drinking water, modern wastewater systems, reliable and affordable electricity, and good-paying jobs in every community.
As part of this effort, the Biden Administration is also committed to working with communities to help them access federal resources and improving transparency. In small towns across the country, like Augusta, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law delivers historic funding, flexibilities, and benefits:
Providing high-speed internet to every home: More than 35 percent of rural Americans and Tribal communities lack wired access to broadband at acceptable speeds. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $65 billion to make high-speed internet available to all Americans, bring down high-speed internet prices across the board, and provide technical assistance to rural communities seeking to expand broadband.
Creating good-paying jobs cleaning up legacy pollution in rural communities: The President committed to (1) creating good-paying jobs in rural communities across the country and (2) ensuring those communities are safe, high-quality places to live. Legacy pollution from industries that extracted natural resources from rural areas left behind huge quantities of environmental degradation has held back the economic growth and success of rural communities.
Delivering a historic investment in rural mobility: Limited access to transportation options in rural and remote areas injure make it difficult for rural Americans to access to jobs, basic services, and their broader communities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests billions of dollars to make sure rural families can get where they need to go.
Providing high-quality, safe roads and bridges for rural communities: While Americans living in rural areas account for just 20% of the population, they comprise nearly half of all roadway fatalities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will deliver safer roads, bridges, railway crossings, and other critical improvements to the quality and safety of our roadways.
Ensuring clean drinking water and basic sanitation in every home: Across the country, including in rural and Tribal communities, pipes and treatment plants are aging and polluted drinking water endanger public health. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s transformative investment in our water and wastewater infrastructure will fundamentally change quality of life for millions of Americans by eliminating lead pipes, providing critical access to sanitation, and more.
Building communities resilient to natural disasters and the threat of climate change: Last year, the United States faced 22 extreme weather and climate-related disaster events with losses over $1 billion – a cumulative price tag of nearly $100 billion. These included damaging floods, fires, and wind storms across rural America. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will improve the resilience of rural communities.
For more information on infrastructure investments specific to America’s rural communities, visit the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Rural Playbook at build.gov/rural.
