Representative Steven Horsford (NV-04) attends the Clean Energy Jobs & Justice Forum at North Las Vegas City Hall Thursday, June 10, 2021.
Friday, Nov. 5, 2021 | 10:20 p.m.
The House approved a $1 trillion package of road and other infrastructure projects late Friday after Democrats resolved a months-long standoff between progressives and moderates, notching a victory that President Joe Biden and his party had become increasingly anxious to claim.
The House passed the measure 228-206, prompting prolonged cheers from the relieved Democratic side of the chamber. Thirteen Republicans, mostly moderates, supported the legislation while six of Democrats’ farthest left members — including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri — opposed it.
The bipartisan measure goes to Biden's desk for his signature.
Nevada Democrats Steven Horsford, Susie Lee and Dina Titus each supported the bill. Mark Amodei, the lone Republican in the Nevada delegation, opposed it.
“Since the start of the new Congress, I have been focused on rebuilding Nevada’s economy with the good-paying jobs our families deserve. Today, I was proud to vote for a historic infrastructure package that will invest billions in Nevada to create good union jobs, grow our small businesses, and protect our communities from climate change,” Horsford said in a statement. “Together with the Build Back Better Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will create a more equitable and just future for all families. Today’s deal to move both packages forward means that transformational change for the American people is on the way.”
The vote came after a long delay Friday that happened when Democrats were negotiating over the Build Back Better Act, which is a separate budget spending bill that was not voted on Friday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wanted both bills to be voted on Friday, but those plans fell through when centrist Democrats asked that a nonpartisan entity do a cost estimate for the bill, which addresses social policy and climate change, according to Reuters.
The infrastructure bill, which first passed in August in the Senate, is a “jobs bill” that will kickstart Nevada’s economic recovery and create jobs across the state, Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto said.
It includes about $4.04 billion for Nevada’s highways, bridges, transit systems, airports, electric vehicle charging, broadband, wildfire, cybersecurity, water and wildfires, she said.
“Thanks to provisions I secured, it will also help combat some of the Silver State’s biggest environmental challenges,” Cortez Masto said, “including increasingly destructive wildfires in the North and drought in Southern Nevada.”
Added Rep. Lee, “I am so happy that, after years of stalemate, Congress finally passed this once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure, including at least $2.5 billion for Nevada’s roads alone.”
Nevada Democratic Rep. Dina Titus said the federal government must invest in both physical and human infrastructure to meet the challenges facing Southern Nevadans. The infrastructure is the first step — but not the last, Titus stressed.
“As I’ve said before, this bill must be paired with the Build Back Better Act that takes bold action on climate change, addresses immigration, expands Medicare coverage, and invests in child care, universal pre-K, and affordable housing,” she said in a statement.
Here are a few elements of the infrastructure bill that pertain to Nevadans, according to Cortez Masto’s office.
Drought mitigation
Cortez Masto introduced legislation to combat drought and protect Nevada’s water supply, including Lake Mead, and that is included in the bill. It sets aside $450 million for a competitive grant program for large-scale water recycling projects across the western U.S., according to Cortez Masto’s office. A total of $8.3 billion was also put toward western water infrastructure and drought resilience, according to Cortez Masto’s office.
It could help fund a regional water recycling project that could produce enough water to serve more than 500,000 households in Nevada and Southern California.
The bill also includes $300 million for the implementation of the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan, which will help conserve Lake Mead’s water supply.
Wildfire management and mitigation funding
The infrastructure plan also includes provisions that Cortez Masto authored to provide $3.4 billion for wildfire prevention activities as well as $10 million for wildfire detection equipment, according to Cortez Masto’s office.
Mineral supply chain
The bill also helps Nevada’s domestic supply chain by promoting the state’s mining and battery industries through the creation of a mineral supply chain, according to Cortez Masto’s office, which did not exist in the U.S. before. Minerals mined in Nevada, including cobalt and lithium, are mostly shipped overseas for processing and manufacturing purposes. The measure in the infrastructure bill will create more jobs in the processing and recycling sectors and will promote battery manufacturing and recycling projects in Nevada, according to Cortez Masto’s office.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
