Infrastructure

In November 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). This pivotal piece of legislation that passed both the House and the Senate provided necessary funding for a variety of projects around the country. 

But…Representative John Joyce voted against it.

These projects create rural broadband networks and improve existing roadways, water mains (including LEAD REMOVAL), airports, and other basic systems necessary to keep American society not simply functioning, but thriving. Many of the water infrastructure projects in Pennsylvania receive the funding from PENNVEST, which in turn receives funding from IIJA. “The funding for these projects originates from a combination of state funds approved by voters, Growing Greener, Marcellus Legacy funds, the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, federal grants to PENNVEST from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and recycled loan repayments from previous PENNVEST funding awards.  Funds for these projects are disbursed after expenses for work are paid and receipts are submitted to PENNVEST for review.” ¹

Several projects are noted in and around Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District. 

In other words, Representative John Joyce voted against the basic needs of his constituents, including neighboring children in his own county whose water may have been contaminated with LEAD.

Some examples are:

Adams County – 

• Rural broadband access ²
• Gettysburg Airport – $110k³

Bedford County – 

• Rural broadband access
• Bedford Airport – $159k

Blair County – 

• Bellwood Borough Authority – received a $3,437,176 grant and a $2,410,569 loan for Phase III of a project to replace the existing cast iron water distribution main containing leaded joints with approximately 19,610 feet of 3” to 8” ductile iron water distribution main lines and associated valves, 21 fire hydrants, service connections and appurtenances. All phases of this project will decrease potential lead contamination in the system and reduce water loss due to pipe leakage.⁴
• Bellwood Borough Authority – received a $211,101 grant and a $280,019 loan to replace approximately 40 existing lead or galvanized service connections with copper piping. The project will eliminate the risk of lead contamination in the community’s water supply.
• Altoona Airport – $295k 

Cambria County – 

• Cresson Township Municipal Authority – received a $525,024 loan and a $1,324,976 grant to extend water service to 45 residential households and a restaurant.  The project will address contaminated wells from failing on lot sewage systems as well as compliance issues at the restaurant.
• Forest Hills Municipal Authority – received a $6,911,923 grant and a $1,738,077 loan to construct a new aerobic digestion system, storage basins, nitrification/denitrification basins, a biofilter, an equipment building with pumps, blowers and a thickener, and a new ultraviolet channel for redundant disinfection.  The project will improve the quality and quantity of dewatered sludge and address emerging contaminants by producing Class A biosolids.
• Ebensburg Airport – $110k
• John Murtha Johnstown Airport – $295k

Franklin County – 

• $10 million – “The Franklin County Commissioners have approved a bridge replacement and maintenance plan that ensures the future safety of county bridges through at least 2029 without the need for a property tax increase or a vehicle registration fee. The commissioners approved the funding during the board’s Oct. 5 public meeting.”⁵
• Franklin County Regional Airport – $110k
• “The passage of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in 2021 added an additional $14.59 million to the county’s four-year program, although inflation is eroding buying power. The MPO updated its Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) in April 2023. The plan serves as the blueprint for transportation decision-making as well as the transportation element of the comprehensive plan.”⁶

Fulton County – 

• Rural broadband access

Huntingdon County – 

• “In Huntingdon County, issues with getting online led to the founding of the Rural Broadband Cooperative, a small nonprofit that built a radio tower on a nearby mountain to provide wireless internet service to the central Pennsylvania region.”⁷

Juniata County – 

• Rural broadband access
• “The Village of McAlisterville in Juniata County will receive $1,000,000 to drill and construct new wells and a water storage tank. Currently, the village is using a water system that gets a significant portion of its potable water from two springs fed by a nearby water source and the distribution lines from those springs were hand-laid in the early 1900s. The new storage tank will hold an estimated 150,000 gallons of water, giving McAlisterville and the system’s 501 users an adequate, emergency water supply. The completed additions to the water system will be located on the ridge above Dunn Valley Road.” (SEDA-COG MPO derived from IIJA)⁸

Mifflin County – 

• Rural broadband access

Perry County 

• Rural broadband access
• “The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Office recently announced it was accepting grant and loan applications for nearly $1.2 billion it has under IIJA to help rural communities expand high-speed internet. The office has funded other Perry County infrastructure projects in the past, including Bloomfield’s recently completed water facilities and Newport’s wastewater plant.”⁹

Please vote for Beth Farnham for Congress because the people of Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District deserve to have their basic needs met and to thrive.

Sources:

1. Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) ↩︎
2. Casey: Pennsylvania to Receive $20 Million to Expand Broadband in Rural Communities ↩︎
3. Casey Announces $70 Million for PA Airports ↩︎
4. The Shapiro Administration Announces $213.1 Million Investment in Water Infrastructure Projects in 15 Counties ↩︎
5. Franklin County Commissioners Approve Bridge Replacement, Maintenance Plan ↩︎
6. Franklin County Long Range Transportation Plan ↩︎
7. Infrastructure Bills Broadband Funds to Support Rural Pennsylvanians ↩︎
8. SEDA-COG Community Development Aids Communities ↩︎
9. County hits pause on broadband project – pennlive.com ↩︎