A10
OREGON
East Oregonian
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Oregon to receive $1.6 billion from federal infrastructure bill
By JIM REDDEN
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Oregon can expect
to receive more than $1.6 billion
in additional federal dollars for
infrastructure investments under
the $1.2 trillion public works bill
approved by Congress late Friday,
Nov. 5.
Members of Oregon’s congres-
sional delegation released the state’s
expected share of the bipartisan
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs
Act after it was approved by the
U.S. House.
The bill passed 228 to 206 on
Nov. 5. Nine Democrats voted no
and 13 Republicans voted yes. It
had previously been approved by the
U.S. Senate and now goes to Presi-
dent Joe Biden for his signature.
“The need for action in Oregon
Gubernatorial
candidate
Nick Kristof
reveals torrid
fundraising
contributions
By DIRK VANDERHART
Oregon Public Broadcasting
SALEM — It pays to have
friends in high places. Just ask
Nick Kristof’s campaign trea-
surer.
After nearly a month
of keeping his fundrais-
ing activity private — an
option allowed under state
law — the former New York
Times columnist and Demo-
cratic candidate for governor
revealed a massive flood of
contributions Monday, Nov.
8. Kristof has raised more
than $1 million in less than
a month, a torrid fundraising
pace that is more than twice
what his main Democratic
rivals have raised to date.
The list of contributions his
campaign filed with the Secre-
tary of State includes donors
from around the country, with
more than half of 408 individ-
ual entries listing contributors
from outside of Oregon.
K r ist of ’s ca mpa ig n
suggested that number
belied the number of small
donors who have given less
than $100 to the campaign.
Such contributions are
reported in lump sums,
rather than individually.
According to the campaign,
2,522 Oregonians in every
county except Sherman
County have contributed to
the effort so far.
“The number of Orego-
nians giving money says as
much about the strength of
the campaign as the overall
number of dollars,” said Carol
Butler, a campaign consultant
working with Kristof. “It is
extraordinarily fast.”
For many, the more
head-turning contributions
disclosed by Kristof might be
the five-figure checks from
supporters who tend to live out
of state, including a $50,000
contribution from philanthro-
pist Melinda French Gates
and $10,000 from the Ange-
lina Jolie Family Trust. Kris-
tof also received a $5,000 vote
of support from former U.S.
Treasury Secretary Larry
Summers.
In total, Kristof reported
$1,010,999 raised since Oct.
15. That’s far more than
has been raised by his two
most-prominent rivals for
the Democratic nomination.
As of the afternoon of Nov.
8, House Speaker Tina Kotek,
who announced her campaign
Sept. 1, had reported rais-
ing $414,103 since January.
State Treasurer Tobias Read,
who began his campaign in
late September, has raised
$485,886 this year.
Kristof is also outraising
people vying for the Republi-
can nomination. Only Salem
oncologist Bud Pierce, who
has contributed more than
$300,000 of his own money
to his campaign, is anywhere
close. Pierce has reported
nearly $750,000 in contribu-
tions this year. Sandy Mayor
Stan Pulliam has reported
more than half a million in
contributions.
State Sen. Betsy Johnson,
a Democrat who is leaving
the party to run for governor
as an independent next year,
has said she will not begin
campaigning in earnest until
early 2022.
is clear and recently released
state-level data demonstrates
that the Infrastructure Invest-
ment and Jobs Act will deliver for
Oregon. For decades, infrastruc-
ture in Oregon has suffered from
a systemic lack of investment.
In fact, the American Society of
Civil Engineers gave Oregon a C-
grade on its infrastructure report
card. The historic Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act will
make life better for millions of
Oregon residents, create a gener-
ation of good-paying union jobs
and economic growth, and posi-
tion the United States to win the
21st century,” the White House
said after the bill’s passage.
Accord i ng t o t he pre ss
releases, Oregon is expected to
receive the following amounts in
these categories:
• $747 million in public transit
investments.
• $529 million to improve access
to safe drinking water.
• $268 million for bridge replace-
ment and repairs.
• $211 million for airport invest-
ments.
• $100 million for internet broad-
band expansion.
• $52 million to expand electric
vehicle charging station network.
• $39 million to help protect
against wildfires.
• $15 million to protect against
cyber attacks.
The bill also reauthorizes the
existing federal Highway Trust
Fund, which is expected to generate
$3.4 billion for road projects over
five years.
The releases did not identify
specific agencies or projects that
would be funded. In a Sept. 29,
story, the New York Times said the
bill includes funding for TriMet’s
Southwest Corridor Light Rail Line
and the Interstate 5 Bridge Replace-
ment projects. The story did not say
how much funding was included,
however.
Additional information is
expected to be available in coming
weeks.
“We are proving that Amer-
ica can afford what our families
need. This is an unprecedented
investment, and I’m proud that I
authored several key provisions
included in this legislation to help
Oregon improve our public tran-
sit systems, enhance the safety of
our streets, get lead pipes out of
our schools, protect us from wild-
fires, and expand access to broad-
band — all while making polluters
pay to clean up their toxic legacies.
We have more work ahead of us to
complement this legislation with a
seismic investment in human infra-
structure, but we’ve shown today
that America can afford what it
needs, and that we can get it done,”
said U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer,
D-Oregon.
“I am proud of the significant
role my Problem Solvers Caucus
played in reaching this milestone.
When talks between the White
House and the Senate were break-
ing down earlier this year, my bipar-
tisan group emerged as a leader in
the tough negotiations and paved
the way forward by assembling an
ambitious framework that showed it
was possible to make smart, signif-
icant investments in our nation’s
infrastructure systems,” said U.S.
Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Oregon.
Chamber of
Commerce
PO Box 1 • 101 Olson Rd. • Boardman, OR 97818 • 541-481-3014
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