Implementing Infrastructure Investments at the County Level: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (P.L. 117-58)
Upcoming Events
Related News
On November 15, 2021, President Biden enacted the five-year, $973 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), formally known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58). Following the end of the federal legislature’s responsibilities to develop and pass the legislation comes the role of covered federal agencies to implement the law at the federal, state and local levels.
The BIL provides $973 billion over five years from Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 through FY 2026, including $550 billion in new investments for all modes of transportation, water, power and energy, environmental remediation, public lands, broadband and resilience.
Implementation of BIL at the county level
The BIL is a major victory for counties, who worked closely with our partners in Congress throughout the legislative process to ensure county priorities were included. Currently, the BIL is being implemented through agencies and departments across the federal government. As Congress works to implement BIL, counties will be able to access transportation funds in the following ways:
1. MEETING CERTAIN ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR FORMULA FUNDS TO PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEMS AND AIRPORTS
Example: The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) transit formula grants apportion funds directly to qualifying public transit systems based on population and other factors.
The Airport Improvement Program is another example of a program that distributes funding based on formulas to airport sponsors based on enplanement numbers.
2. RECEIVING SUBALLOCATIONS FROM STATE GOVERNMENTS
Example: The Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) Program apportions funds to state departments of transportation, who are subsequently required to suballocate 55 percent of funds through planning organizations to the local level based on population.
3. APPLYING DIRECTLY TO A FEDERAL OR STATE AGENCY FOR COMPETITIVE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
The BIL provides just over $100 billion in direct, competitive grant opportunities through USDOT to state and local governments over the life of the bill. Other federal agencies also have considerable discretionary funds to distribute as a result of the BIL. Several of these funding opportunities are open now.
4. FEDERAL FINANCING THROUGH LOANS AND LOAN GAURANTEES
Federal financing programs, such as the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program and the newly established Carbon Dioxide Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (CIFIA) program, support counties in constructing infrastructure through federal financing options and low-interest loans.
Download Funding Book
Download the printable funding booklet.
Resource
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Examining Investments in County Infrastructure
NACo submits comments on proposed CDBG-DR formula change
NACo submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on its notice proposing changes to the CDBG-DR formula, the methodology HUD uses to calculate disaster recovery allocations to states and localities
U.S. House begins reauthorization process for Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program
On August 27, leaders on the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce announced the beginning of the reauthorization process for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) by circulating a discussion draft of the Safe Drinking Water Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2026. The discussion draft would reauthorize the DWSRF through fiscal year (FY) 2031 and authorize $1.126 billion annually for the program.
Counties Call on Congress to Advance Federal Disaster Reform During National Preparedness Month
To mark National Preparedness Month, counties are urging Congress to advance a set of federal disaster reforms so counties can better respond to and recover from disasters.
Counties eligible for $787 million in DOT PROTECT grants to build disaster-resilient surface transportation
Counties are eligible for federal PROTECT grants that fund projects engaged in building surface transportation systems that are resilient to weather events natural disasters.
2026 NACo Energy Symposium
Join county leaders from across the country in the Texas Panhandle to engage with the most pressing energy issues shaping rural America today. Hear from experts, exchange ideas with peers and gain practical insights into the policies, projects and partnerships driving rural energy development.
Cyber Forecast 2027: AI, Risk, and What County Leaders Need to Know
AI is here, and cybersecurity needs to be part of the plan. It's a budget, workforce, and public trust conversation, and 2027 is set to raise the stakes further.
Join CAI and other county leaders for a forward-looking briefing on the threats and technologies set to define the year ahead: AI-powered social engineering and deepfakes that are getting cheaper and more convincing, and the emergence of "agentic AI" as both a new attack surface and a defensive tool. The early warning signs of quantum-era encryption risk, and the ease of entry for threat actors due to AI is pushing more counties toward automation, cloud adoption, and managed services.
This session translates high-level industry forecasts into a plain-language outlook built specifically for county leaders, so your organization can budget, staff, and plan with confidence heading into 2027.