Federal funds are coming our way to help the island invest in infrastructure and sustainability efforts.
This follows the Department of Interior Assistant Secretary’s visit to Guam – where she announced that the island will receive funds from the Inflation Reduction act and Bipartisan Infrastructure law as well.
Here’s a breakdown of how the funds could benefit Guam
Assistant Secretary Cantor announces that this year, Guam alone will receive $30M from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding.
DOI announces that the $30M will go to needed infrastructure such as investments in roads, bridges, public transit, ports, and airport.
The Assistant Secretary also announced that $15M will be allocated to the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the CNMI, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, to combat climate change.
The funding source will be the Inflation Reduction Act.
The Governor, during an interview on NewsTalk K57 with Patti Arroyo, gave details on how the funds will be distributed once received.
Governor said, “So it comes to us then it goes allocated to the various places and they use those monies to construct their projects.”
On top of the $30M allocated to Guam’s infrastructure, the Assistant Secretary also announced that $26M will go to clean water.
“What we do when we get is, for example, the clean water safe drinking fund, that’s going to go to the Guam Water Authority, and they already have a strategic plan to invest in those monies to upgrade sewage systems, they’re looking at underserved areas that do not have sewage systems. So they’re putting those monies for that.”
Cantor made her announcements during her weekend visit to Guam, where she met with Governor Lou Leon Guerrero and Lt. Governor Josh Tenorio.
It was also announced that through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the University of Guam will receive over $160K to fund UOG’s Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Pesticide Tree Injection Program.
Reporting for the Pacific News Center
I’m Don Sulat.
