- 11.15.2021
KULR8: Senator Tester's Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill is signed into law
Billions of dollars are heading to Montana as part of a bipartisan infrastructure plan signed into law by President Joe Biden on Monday.
While the bill is bipartisan, the only Montana lawmaker who voted for it was Senator Jon Tester.
It includes money for our country’s interstates, electric grids, railways and high speed internet.
On a conference call with Sen. Tester on Monday, he talked specifically about our outdated water systems, bridges needing repair and a serious lack of high-speed internet.
Sen. Tester called the money crucial to bringing Montana’s infrastructure into the 21st century economy.
He said $3 billion will be used specifically for construction on roads, bridges and highways.
Billions more will be targeted at bringing high-speed internet to rural areas, which Sen. Tester said is vital for improving telehealth resources.
And hundreds of millions of dollars will go toward water projects, which he says will help our producers grow food.
To get all the new projects up and running, we’re told new jobs are expected to be created.
We asked the senator: With the current employee shortage, will the state have any problem filling those positions?
“I do think the jobs we’re talking about here are construction jobs which are pretty high paying jobs, and I think there will be people that are going to be willing to go to work and make more than a livable wage to get these projects done,” Sen. Tester said.
Approximately $144 million will also go toward the state’s airports to make air travel faster and safer.