Opinion: The infrastructure bill can mean a better Greater Des Moines
The Greater Des Moines Partnership thanks the U.S. Senate for taking the first step and implores the U.S. House and the White House to take the bill through the finish line with a bipartisan approach. [DMR, 8/19/21]
“The Greater Des Moines Partnership commends the U.S. Senate for the passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The legislation serves as a major step toward fulfilling a long-overdue commitment to repair and expand an aging infrastructure system. Infrastructure investment has consistently been a top priority of the Partnership’s federal advocacy efforts, focusing on key economic development components from transportation, water, broadband and beyond.
The transportation system is vital to the DSM economy. Businesses and residents depend on a multi-modal network that connects people to jobs, educational opportunities, businesses and services needed to live healthy, productive lives. This holds true for both physical infrastructure and digital infrastructure.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act supports several priorities outlined in the Partnership’s 2021 Federal Policy Agenda. This includes funding for airports, which would support the expansion of the Des Moines International Airport Terminal Project; a commitment to broadband infrastructure that will positively impact the Central Iowa Broadband Initiative; water infrastructure projects throughout the region; and road projects such as the completion of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway from downtown Des Moines to U.S. Highway 65.
Focusing on key elements of infrastructure investment is a great start. The act is fiscally responsible and reforms the permitting process to streamline the implementation of projects, and while this is a momentous step, there remains a large hurdle in the process as the legislation heads to the House for consideration.
The Partnership thanks the U.S. Senate for taking the first step and implores the U.S. House and the White House to take the bill through the finish line with a bipartisan approach that builds on the success of the Senate negotiations.
Matt Ahmann is assistant vice president for state government relations at Principal Financial Group and chair of the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Government Policy Council. Andrea Woodard is senior vice president of public policy and government relations at the Greater Des Moines Partnership.”
*Taken from Op-Ed posted to Des Moines Register by the Des Moines Partnership’s Matt Ahmann and Andrea Woodard. More here.
