NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Big news from the White House. A former New Orleans Mayor is getting a new title and will soon be in charge of President Joe Biden’s $1 Trillion Infrastructure Plan.
President Biden is giving former Mayor Mitch Landrieu this new leading role. We are expecting the President to sign the Infrastructure Bill into law today.
Former New Orleans Mayor, Mitch Landrieu will coordinate across federal agencies to work on roads, ports, bridges, and airports. This is huge for Louisiana since Landrieu knows firsthand what devastation can do to a state and what is needed immediately on the home front.
You probably recall the 61-year-old former mayor was in office in 2010. That is when the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico polluted the state’s coastline, as the city was still recovering after Hurricane Katrina. He secured billions in federal funding for roads, schools, parks, and infrastructure, and turned New Orleans into what the President calls “One of America’s great comeback stories.”
In a statement, Governor John Bel Edwards says, “As a former Louisiana Lieutenant Governor and Mayor of New Orleans, Mitch Landrieu has a unique firsthand experience with the challenges aging infrastructure presents to our communities and also with how infrastructure improvements and projects can revitalize cities and towns….”
A few items Senator Bill Cassidy was able to get included in this bill benefit Louisiana directly.
- $2.13 Billion for ecosystem restoration and resiliency funding to restore the ecological health of federal lands and waters and private lands.
- $65 billion for broadband: this funding will expand internet access to Louisiana’s rural and low-income communities.
- $500 million for the storm act: this provides grants to establish a revolving fund for mitigation assistance to reduce risks from disasters and natural hazards.
Plus there are about a dozen more. CLICK HERE for the full list.
Once the bill is officially signed into action, we will have more details on when work will begin on these projects.