U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who co-wrote the recently enacted Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), on Aug. 24 met with leaders in the construction industry and related trades on the opportunities for Louisiana provided by the new law.
“The bipartisan infrastructure bill will not only position our state for the modern economy but also create jobs directly and indirectly,” Sen. Cassidy said. “Those direct jobs are related to construction and manufacturing.
“Today, I was privileged to speak to those companies that are doing that work and creating those jobs,” he added.
In January, Sen. Cassidy announced that under the IIJA, his home state would receive roughly $1 billion over five years, including $202.6 million in the current fiscal year, to repair bridges and infrastructure, according to information provided by his staff.
The senator said in April that Louisiana also would receive an additional $82 million over five years under the IIJA and this month announced that $135 million will be allocated to Louisiana over five years to protect roads, bridges and infrastructure from natural disasters, the information says.
Also under the IIJA, Louisiana has been allocated money to build flood projects throughout the southern portion of the state. For instance, more than $378 million was allocated from the IIJA to the Morganza-to-the-Gulf Hurricane Protection System.
“Senator Cassidy played a key role in the successful passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill,” said Erich Ponti, executive director of the Louisiana Asphalt Pavement Association, who joined the lawmaker on Wednesday.
“The IIJA is beginning to fund needed improvements to Louisiana’s roads and bridges. Our members appreciated learning more about the opportunities this bill provides to our membership and the State of Louisiana,” Ponti said. “We will continue to work with the senator to strengthen Louisiana’s transportation network.”
Sen. Cassidy on Wednesday also visited ADVANO, which develops technologies to extend the life of batteries used for electric vehicles and phones.
“We appreciate that Senator Cassidy visited us at ADVANO today,” said Shiva Adireddy, CEO and co-founder of ADVANO, which he noted “is developing a robust battery supply chain in the Gulf South, leveraging Louisiana’s expertise in specialty chemicals manufacturing and transportation and logistics to manufacture the next generation of battery materials.”
Adireddy thinks the company will be able to create over 500 new, high-quality jobs in Louisiana over the next 10 years, and he said that Sen. Cassidy’s work to advance energy security, particularly through the IIJA, “has unlocked significant support for the commercialization of next-generation battery materials like ADVANO’s REALSi silicon anode technology.”
“This technology is coming to New Orleans and being brought to scale to create manufacturing jobs here in Louisiana,” Sen. Cassidy said. “It’s a huge accomplishment.”