President Joe Biden laid out his long-anticipated infrastructure plan Wednesday. Here are some of the key spending provisions that could impact defense communities, based on information in a White House fact sheet:

• $621 billion investment in more resilient infrastructure “to prevent, reduce and withstand the impacts of the climate crisis.”
• $10 billion to monitor and remediate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water.
• $5 billion for the remediation and redevelopment of Brownfield and Superfund sites.
• $18 billion to upgrade aging VA medical facilities. The administration noted that the average age of a VA facility is 58 years, compared to the 11-year median age of private sector hospitals.
• $600 billion to revitalize manufacturing and small businesses, which the administration said is necessary because “we have let our industrial heartland be hollowed out, with quality jobs moving abroad or to regions with lower wages and fewer protections for workers.”
• $20 billion for regional innovation hubs and a Community Revitalization Fund to “leverage private investment to fuel technology development.”
• $5 billion for a Rural Partnership Program to support economic growth in more impoverished communities.

It also includes plans to upgrade roads, highways, bridges and airports. It attempts to expand and strengthen broadband services, especially in rural and tribal communities. It beefs up public-sector research and development in labs and facilities across the country.

Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol