Local leaders embrace White House rural infrastructure plan

From Transport Topics.

Rural communities across the country are participating through the National League of Cities in a White House virtual initiative to learn more about gaining access to federal infrastructure funds.

The Biden administration also is visiting rural communities nationwide to learn more about their infrastructure needs.

The White House unveiled its “Rural Playbook” on April 11 at the website www.build.gov/rural. The site features information about funding details for small towns and rural areas “so no community needs to hire a lobbyist to access their government,” the administration said.

The White House noted that the idea for the playbook came after a series of roundtable discussions and listening sessions officials held in rural communities. One takeaway from the sessions was a need for the federal government to release more information about cost-sharing waivers and other flexibilities regarding federal fund-matching requirements. This, participants stressed, would help leaders in these areas gain greater clarity on the amount of money a community must contribute to receive federal funding.

Mitch Landrieu, White House senior adviser and infrastructure implementation coordinator, noted in a statement about the administration’s release of the playbook that the virtual visits and an accompanying in-person tour of rural communities planned under the initiative are a “critical part of our extensive outreach to state, local, tribal and territorial governments to ensure the people of America can benefit from this once-in-a-generation investment.” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as part of the rural tour on April 13 visited a small Indiana river port. There he discussed the importance of rural infrastructure investments and explained how a federal $1.6 million grant for the port would add a pier to improve barge-to-truck capacity.

See the complete article online at Transport Topics.