Fresno leaders celebrate Biden spending plan. Here’s what stands to benefit locally

Fresno-area leaders celebrated on Tuesday the $1 trillion infrastructure plan that President Joe Biden signed into law last week, saying The Fresno-Yosemite International Airport is in a prime spot to benefit.

The plan promises to reach almost every corner of the country with money for roads, bridges, ports, rail transit, safe water, the power grid, broadband internet and more. It’s a historic investment the president has compared to the building of the transcontinental railroad and Interstate Highway System.

The White House has projected the investments will add about 2 million jobs per year over the coming decade.

Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, said the sweeping infrastructure will put many people to work while buoying the country’s infrastructure.

“Some of you may have heard me say for years that we are living on the investments of our parents and grandparents made a generation ago and it’s time we do our part,” he said. “Well, we’ve begun that process.”

The bill got bipartisan support in both House and Senate. The bill cleared the House on a 228-206 vote Nov. 5, and the Senate passed the legislation on a 69-30 vote in August. Liberal Democrats in the House had pushed for more social spending before negotiations came to an end.

Central San Joaquin Valley Republicans Rep. Devin Nunes and Rep. David Valadao both voted the bill down.

Fresno officials said the city has the potential to benefit with an assist on fixing aging roads, spreading broadband internet access and buttressing water sources, among others.

Fresno-Yosemite International has plans for a new terminal, according to Kevin Meikle, aviation director for the city of Fresno. The city has prepped the plans so the airport is in prime position for the funding.

“Our projection is we’re going to continue to grow at record pace,” Meikle said. “The timing is just huge. ... We are ready.”

The bill has $25 billion for airports nationwide, as well as another $25 billion for highways like 99 and 41.

Fresno has expanded air service in the past year with the addition of aha! and Southwest Airlines. The airport is the fastest-growing in the western U.S., according to officials.

Pre-pandemic the airport saw about 2 million passengers in a year, and now is up to about 2.6 million, according to Mayor Jerry Dyer.

The spending could also go to the state’s high-speed rail plan.

“We’re ground zero for high-speed rail,” Dyer said. “This infrastructure bill, I believe, is going to put us over the top in terms of allowing high-speed rail to be complete in the state of California.”

He also pointed to the potential benefits to local air quality, those living in poverty and the local power grid.

While providing jobs, the spending could be good for apprenticeships, according to Chuck Riojas, the executive director for the local Building Trades Council. Those training relationships are important for stocking the region’s skilled workers.

Inflation

Detractors of the spending bill argue it could lead to inflation, a fact that economists disagree over. Americans have already begun to feel the pain at the pump and in the grocery store, they argue.

Biden on Tuesday ordered a record 50 million barrels of oil released from America’s strategic reserve, aiming to bring down gasoline prices and other costs, in coordination with other major energy-consuming nations including India, the United Kingdom and China.

Costa on Tuesday brushed off the idea that inflation is an inevitable factor, adding infrastructure improvements have been put off for too long. He pointed to the findings of 29 economists.

“This is in fact going to be an opportunity to hedge against inflationary trends, because the fact that it’s paid for and the fact it’s going to put people to work,” he said. “It’s going to be dealing with pent-up demand that is creating the inflationary pressures.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.