White House, Wolf and Houlahan celebrate federal investments in Coatesville

From left; Mitch Landrien, White House Senior Advisor & Infrastructure Coordinator; U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan; Gov. Tom Wolf; and State Rep. Dan Williams talk together during a press conference to celebrate federal investments in Pennsylvania thanks to the Biden Infrastructure Law, at a construction site slated for a new Amtrak station in Coatesville on Wednesday, August 24, 2022. Infrastructure affects everything we do, from where we live and work, to how we visit our family and friends, to the food we eat and the water we drink, said Gov. Tom Wolf. An investment in infrastructure is an investment in our communities and the people who live there. The Biden Administration has made historic investments in infrastructure, including here in Pennsylvania, and we will continue to capitalize on this historic opportunity by working with local communities to identify needs and build solutions that work for our people.

COATESVILLE — Federal, state and local officials gathered Wednesday to celebrate funding for a series of infrastructure upgrades for the city — from the new train station to stormwater management upgrades in the wake of last year’s devastation in the wake of Hurricane Ida.

Representing the White House and President Joe Biden — who, along with Congressional leaders pushed through a massive infrastructure bill in November, 2021 — was Mitch Landrieu, White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator. Gov. Tom Wolf, U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan and various county, state legislative and city officials were on hand for the ceremony.

Landrieu, the former Mayor of New Orleans, praised many for the effort, but singled out Houlahan for her work in getting the much needed funding for the city. Speaking after the Congresswoman, Landrieu gave her credit for many of the local funding in the plan.

“To Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan, she was being modest,” Landrieu said. “The truth of the matter is something like this doesn’t happen like accident. It happens by purpose and by courage, and she along with some Democrats and courageous Republicans actually did something that everybody in this country agreed on.”

Landrieu offered hope for the long-gestating revitalization of the city, which finally seems to gaining real momentum.

“Before you know it, Coatesville is going to be a happening place. The next song that’s written is going to be the next train to Coatesville, not Clarksville. And somebody from here is going to write it.”

For his part, Wolf noted the importance of the infrastructure law for cities such as Coatesville.

“Infrastructure affects everything we do, from where we live and work, to how we visit our family and friends, to the food we eat and the water we drink,” Wolf said. “An investment in infrastructure is an investment in our communities and the people who live there. The Biden Administration has made historic investments in infrastructure, including here in Pennsylvania, and we will continue to capitalize on this historic opportunity by working with local communities to identify needs and build solutions that work for our people.”

Houlahan thanked officials at all levels for their work together to make these projects a reality.

“Just a few months after Hurricane Ida tore through Coatesville, Congress passed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” said Houlahan, following the event. “For a community needing to rebuild, these federal resources couldn’t have come soon enough. We are now seeing local projects supercharged and slated for construction because of these investments, and today we saw great progress on the Coatesville Train Station. I’m thankful for the coordination from all levels of government—from the White House to City Council—to rebuild our infrastructure and support Pennsylvania families and businesses.”

Even though many of the projects — including the train station — are just getting underway, local officials said that they are already making a positive change in the city. After decades of false starts, residents are seeing real change, shovels in the ground to rebuild, upgrade or renew parts of the city.

“This train station is transforming our community, even in the state that it’s in. We stand in position to offer wonderful, livable wage jobs to our residents, which will translate into our youth in school,” said Linda Lavender-Norris, City Council President of the City of Coatesville. “The project itself is truly amazing, and we’ve been working on it for quite a while. It won’t be long until you look down the 4th Avenue side of Fleetwood and see a beautiful new train station.”

The governor and Landrieu were joined Wednesday by Houlahan, PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian, Lavender-Norris, and stakeholder group For Our Future.

Some of the details of the infrastructure law’s impact both locally and nationally:

Regarding stormwater investment in the wake of Hurricane Ida’s historic flooding:

IIJA reauthorizes the existing sewer overflow and stormwater reuse municipal grants program with increased funding of $280 million each year for five years, including a 25% set aside for projects in rural or financially distressed communities
IIJA also authorizes $50 million (over five years) for a new competitive grant for stormwater control infrastructure projects incorporating new and emerging but proven stormwater control technologies.

Based on historic formula funding, the White House anticipates Pennsylvania receiving the following infrastructure improvements with federal funding:

Repair and rebuild roads and bridges with a focus on climate change mitigation, resilience, equity, and safety for all users, including cyclists and pedestrians. Based on formula funding, Pennsylvania would expect to receive $11.3 billion for federal-aid highway apportioned programs and $1.6 billion for bridge replacement and repairs.
Improve health, sustainable transportation options. Through formula funding, Pennsylvania expects to receive $2.8 billion over five years to improve public transportation options across the commonwealth.

Build a network of electronic vehicle (EV) chargers to facilitate long-distance travel and provide convenient charging options. Pennsylvania expects to receive $171 million over five years to support the expansion of an EV charging network across the commonwealth.

Help connect every Pennsylvanian to reliable high-speed internet. Pennsylvania will receive a minimum allocation of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the commonwealth, including providing access to the at least 394,000 Pennsylvanians who currently lack coverage. Additionally, 23 percent of Pennsylvanians will be eligible for the Affordability Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income families afford internet access.

Prepare more of our infrastructure for the impacts of climate change, cyber-attacks, and extreme weather events. Based on historical formula funding levels, Pennsylvanian will expect to receive $49 million over five years to protect against wildfires and $26 million to protect against cyber-attacks. Pennsylvanians will also benefit from the bill’s historic $3.5 billion national investment in weatherization which will reduce energy costs for families.

Deliver clean drinking water to Pennsylvanians. Based on the traditional state revolving fund formula, Pennsylvania will expect to receive $1.4 billion over five years to improve water infrastructure and ensure clean, safe drinking water throughout the commonwealth.