•Press Release Inequality United States
Washington, DC — The Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA), signed into law in November, makes a $1.2 trillion investment in infrastructure and puts in place multiple racial equity provisions. A new article, released today by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), gives examples of some of the racial inequities in our current infrastructure and how the IIJA could address them.
Crumbing, flood-prone roads, unsafe drinking water, lack of public transit and internet, life-shortening air pollution — this is what infrastructure failure looks like. Low- and moderate-income households are disproportionately households of color, and they are among the most at risk of experiencing infrastructure failures.
The Historic Opportunities for Racial Equity in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, by CEPR researchers Anaïs Goubert and Algernon Austin, illustrates various racial disparities found in infrastructure investments and how specific IIJA funds address historical infrastructure equities.
Some states are chafing against the racial equity provisions in IIJA designed to address historical inequities in infrastructure investment. “The potential of IIJA to reverse historical racial inequities in infrastructure investment may depend on state and local activists for strong implementation in some states,” said co-author Austin.
