TEXAS — The Biden White House on Monday provided state-by-state breakdowns in order to bolster its push for a $2.3 trillion infrastructure package.


What You Need To Know

  • The White House on Monday released state-by-state breakdowns of proposed infrastructure projects

  • Biden administration is pushing its $2.3 trillion "American Jobs Plan" infrastructure package 

  • Texas report identifies 12 key infrastructure areas earmarked for upgrades 

RELATED: White House issuing reports on states' infrastructure needs

Those breakdowns, culled from public and private data, detail crumbling roadways and bridges, outdated power grids, housing shortages and other infrastructure issues that paint a bleak picture following years of repair and replacement delays and deferrals.

The Texas breakdown includes 12 infrastructure areas the Biden administration has identified as substandard and in need of upgrade via the proposed package.

The report states that Texas’s infrastructure received a C grade on its Infrastructure Report Card and that for years has “suffered from a systemic lack of investment.”

The 12 Texas areas in need of upgrade identified by the White House are as follows:

Roads and Bridges

The White House states that in Texas there are 818 bridges and more than 19,400 miles of highway in poor condition. Further, the report says, commute times in Texas have increased by 11.4% since 2011 and that drivers pay an average of $709 per year in costs due to having to drive on substandard roadways. The American Jobs Plan, the report states, would devote more than $600 billion to transportation infrastructure, including $115 billion for repairs to roads and bridges.

Public Transportation

According to the report, Texans who take public transportation spend an extra 80.8% of their time commuting and non-white households are 2.7 times more likely to commute via public transportation. The report says 12% of trains and other transit vehicles in Texas are past useful life and that the proposed package would devote $85 billion to upgrading public transit in the U.S.

Resilient Infrastructure

This category is of particular interest following the February storms that devastated much of Texas. The report states that between 2010 and 2020 Texas has experienced 67 extreme weather events, costing the state upwards of $200 billion in damages. The Biden administration says the package would provide $50 billion to improve the resiliency of infrastructure and support communities’ recovery from disaster

Drinking Water

The safety of America’s drinking water has been an issue for a long time. Highlighted by the crisis in Flint, Michigan, lead has also been discovered in Texas drinking water. The report says Biden intends to earmark $111 billion to improve drinking water infrastructure.

Housing

The report states that due to a lack of available or affordable housing, more than 1.7 million renters in Texas are burdened with having to spend more than 30% of their income on rent. The package would devote $200 billion to increase the housing supply and address affordable housing.

Broadband

The availability of broadband in rural Texas areas has been a big topic of discussion during the current legislative session. The report states that more than 12% of Texans live in areas where, by one definition, there is no broadband infrastructure that provides minimally acceptable speeds. The report further states that 43.3% of Texans live in areas where there is only one such provider. The American Jobs Plan, the report says, would provide $100 billion for universal, reliable, high-speed and affordable broadband for every American household.

Caregiving

While the report doesn’t provide statistics specific to Texas, it states that across the country hundreds of thousands of older adults and people with disabilities are in need of home- and community-based services. The package would provide $400 billion to help more people access care and “improve the quality of caregiving jobs.”

Child Care

The report states that in Texas 48% of residents live in areas identified as child-care deserts. Dollar totals aren’t provided but the White House says the package would modernize U.S. schools and early learning facilities and finance the construction of new ones in Texas and elsewhere.

Manufacturing

The report says that manufacturing accounts for 13% of Texas’s total output, employing 7% of the state’s workforce. The plan involves a $300 billion investment to “retool and revitalize American manufacturers” including incentives to “invest in innovative energy projects in coal communities.”

Home Energy

The report states that in Texas low-income families devote up to 10% of their income to paying electricity bills. The package, the report states, would upgrade low-income homes to be more energy efficient via an investment in the Weatherization Assistance Program, a new Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator to finance building improvements and expanded tax credits to support home energy upgrades.

Clean Energy Jobs

The report says that as of 2019, 241,289 Texans worked in clean energy and that the package would provide a further investment via a reformed Section 45Q tax credit and an extension of renewable energy tax credits.

Veterans’ Health

The report states that Texas is home to roughly 1.5 million veterans, 11.2% of whom are women and 39.6% of whom are over the age of 65. The package would devote $18 billion to upgrading the infrastructure of VA health care facilities.   

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

-

Facebook Twitter