By a vote of 228-206, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 on November 5, sending it to President Biden to sign into law. We had posted a summary of key provisions when the Senate passed the bill this summer. In addition to the points below, you can dive into the actual legislative text here.
KEY Provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation
Grid Infrastructure Resiliency and Reliability
SEC. 40101. Preventing outages and enhancing the resilience of the electricity industry:
Establishes a grant program to support activities that harden the electric grid, reduce the risk of power lines causing wildfires, and decrease the likelihood and consequences of disruptive events. Eligible recipients include electric grid operators, electricity storage operators, electricity generators, transmission owners or operators, distribution providers, fuel suppliers and other relevant entities. program provides $5 billion for the period of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
SEC. 40103. Electric grid reliability and resilience research, development, and demonstration:
Establishes a competitive federal financial assistance program to support innovative approaches to transmission, storage and distribution infrastructure hardening and new approaches to regional grid resilience. Eligible recipients include states, a partnership of two or more states, tribes, local governments, and public utility commissions. Cost-sharing requirements shall apply to assistance provided through this program. Provides $5 billion for the program for the period of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
SEC. 40103. Utility Demand Response
Amends Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to include language instructing utilities to promote the use of demand response programs.
SEC. 40107. Deployment of Technologies to Enhance Grid Flexibility
Authorizes $3 billion for the Smart Grid Investment Matching Grant Program, also expands eligibility to include technologies that provide flexibility and help quickly rebalance the electrical system, facilitate aggregation, and provide voltage support.
SEC. 40207. Battery Processing and Manufacturing Grant Programs
Creates two new grant programs at DOE to incentive battery manufacturing capabilities in the United States. A $3 billion grant program for battery component manufacturing facilities, and a $3 billion grant program for battery manufacturing facilities. Each provides a minimum award of $100 million and prioritizes US-based companies and technologies.
SEC. 40209. Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program
Establishes a grant program for small and medium sized manufacturers to enable them to build new or retrofit existing facilities to produce or recycle advanced energy products in communities where coal mines or coal power plans have closed. Provides $750 million over 5 years.
SEC. 41001. Energy Storage Demonstration Projects
Authorizes $350 million over five years to fund energy storage projects as described in the Energy Act of 2020. Also provides $150 million in additional funding for Long Duration Storage demonstrations jointly administered by DOD and DOE.
SEC. 71101. Clean School Bus Program
Authorizes $5 billion over 5 years to provide grants to states and local governments to replace their existing fleet of school buses. Half of the funding is reserved for electric vehicles, the other half is set aside for low-emission vehicles (gas, hydrogen, propane, biofuel). Can cover 100 percent of the cost of the replacement.
PFAS Remediation
Provides $4 billion over 5 years to funds to address emerging contaminants in drinking water with a focus on perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Legislation makes clear that the funding under this section shall be considered fully funded grants, or 100 percent forgiven loans.
