President Biden launches task force to implement infrastructure investment, names Landrieu as infrastructure coordinator

President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order Nov. 15, 2021, ahead of the signing of the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal into law, that outlines the administration’s implementation priorities for the bill and establishes the Infrastructure Implementation Task Force to coordinate the law’s implementation.

Mitch Landrieu, the former mayor of New Orleans and former lieutenant governor of Louisiana, was named as senior advisor and infrastructure coordinator in charge of coordinating the law’s implementation.

According to the White House, Landrieu will oversee and coordinate the investments included in the legislation. He will also co-chair the Infrastructure Implementation Task Force with National Economic Council Director Brian Deese. The task force will include the following representatives from the administration:

• Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
• Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland
• Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm
• Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo
• Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan
• Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack
• Department of Labor Secretary Martin Walsh
• Office of Personnel Management Director Kiran Ahuja
• Representative from the Office of Management and Budget
• Representative from the Domestic Policy Council
• Representative from the Climate Police Office in the White House

The task force will focus their work on the six priorities of infrastructure implementation that were included in the Executive Order. The priorities as outlined by the White House are:

Invest public dollars efficiently, avoid waste and focus on measurable outcomes for the American people;

• Buy American and increase the competitiveness of the U.S. economy, including through implementing the Act’s Made-in-America requirements and bolstering domestic manufacturing and manufacturing supply chains;
• Create good-paying job opportunities for millions of Americans by focusing on high labor standards for these jobs, including prevailing wages and the free and fair chance to join a union;
• Invest public dollars equitably, including through the Justice40 Initiative, which is a government-wide effort toward a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits from federal investments in climate and clean energy flow to disadvantaged communities;
• Build resilient infrastructure that can withstand the impacts of climate change and that helps combat the climate crisis; and
• Effectively coordinate with state, local, tribal and territorial governments in implementing these critical investments.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal represents a historic investment in transit and passenger rail. Departments within the administration have been preparing for the significant increase in funds. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has an implementation plan that includes a robust industry outreach effort. For more information on how FTA is preparing to implement the bill and what transit agencies can expect, read Mass Transit’s interview with FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez.