Heinrich Addresses New Mexico Mayors During Infrastructure Summit

WASHINGTON (Jan. 14, 2022) – Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) highlighted how the historic Infrastructure Law is delivering major investments to infrastructure projects and priorities across New Mexico during a virtual Summit on City Infrastructure hosted by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.

“This infrastructure law will deliver far more than we’ve had to work with in our state since the construction of the federal highway system in the 1950s or the New Deal in the 1930s,” said Heinrich during his remarks. “There’s over $3.7 billion—with a ‘B’—in just the formula funding coming directly to New Mexico over the next five years.”

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in November 2021, is increasing access to affordable high-speed internet, reliable public transit, and clean drinking water. 

As a former city councilman, Senator Heinrich expressed his trust in local and state officials to pick up the mantle and work to distribute the funding in a forward-looking, equitable manner, “It’s up to you—and I have great trust and admiration for all the mayors on this call—to make sure that these infrastructure projects build us a bridge to our future, and not a statue to our past.”

Senator Heinrich is confident that smart investments from the Infrastructure Law “will rewrite the economic landscape in [New Mexico]” as new jobs are created and local economic activity is boosted throughout the state.

Senator Heinrich’s remarks as prepared for delivery are below.

Good morning, everyone.

Thank you, Governor, for inviting the federal delegation to join today’s summit.

And thank you to all of the mayors and local officials for taking on the work ahead.

For many months last year, we negotiated the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in Congress.

Most people – and definitely the news - doubted that we could get it done.

And I’ll be honest, it was hard.

We disagreed on a lot and took on more than we usually do in a single bill.

But with equal parts vision and compromise, we got it done in the end.

And now I’m excited to pass that baton on to you.

It’s now your leadership and collaboration that will turn all the words – and dollars - of this law into a brighter future for our great state.

I know that’s a tall order.

As a former city councilor, I remember the disagreements over what to invest in and how.

But I also know what a difference new infrastructure projects make in people’s lives.

They can make roads, sidewalks, and water safer.

There is about $2.5 billion alone in the bill coming to New Mexico just for roads and bridges.

That’s a pretty incredible investment.

Infrastructure can create spaces for communities to come together.

It can connect people to jobs with expanded and improved transit systems.

And these projects can literally create jobs.

In this case, we have enough funding to do all of that, and more.

This infrastructure law will deliver far more than we’ve had to work with in our state since the construction of the federal highway system in the 1950s or the New Deal in the 1930s.

There’s over $3.7 billion—with a “B”—in just the formula funding coming directly to New Mexico over the next five years.

This will give us what we need to fix a lot of what’s broken and also deliver on what’s possible.

I’ve certainly heard from so many of you about how much you could do if you just had the resources to modernize and expand your local airports.

Well, now you will have over $90 million to do just that.

Many of you are also leading the way on electrifying city buildings, installing solar power, and converting transportation fleets to electric vehicles.

Now you’ll have the resources to more-than-double those efforts.

And here’s something else to be really excited about: Our days without consistent, high-speed internet access, especially in rural areas in New Mexico, are numbered.

We have $100 million coming to our state to help us get New Mexicans online and build out a diversified economy.

I think there’s going to be a real temptation to use these funds to cement the status quo, the way things have always been.

It’s up to you—and I have great trust and admiration for all the mayors on this call—to make sure that these infrastructure projects build us a bridge to our future, and not a statue to our past. 

This is our shot to make transformational investments in our energy grid and energy infrastructure.

These investments will help us create a solid electric vehicle charging network and help us build more of the high-voltage transmission that allows us to bring in billions in private investments to rural communities in our state. 

And if we really seize this opportunity, then we have much more coming to us than just that formula funding.

The infrastructure bill also includes an enormous amount of competitive funding opportunities.

That means we can do even more on things like EV charging, high-speed internet, water infrastructure, which I’ve heard over and over again on this call, and public transportation in the years to come. 

I want to help you put forward competitive applications for projects in every corner of our state.

Because when New Mexico competes, we do win.

And if you call on my office—and I know that many of our smaller communities don’t have an economic development team—I have an entire team ready to make sure that the $3.7 billion I mentioned before is the beginning, not the end of the funding coming to New Mexico.

I know that each community has its own unique needs.

This really is our opportunity to tailor make those solutions.

And when we do, we will rewrite the economic landscape in our state, do right by our children, and we are literally going to have an impact that is felt in decades.

Let’s get to work! 

And I look forward to being a partner with all of you.

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