Last week, Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled the details for his Restore Pennsylvania infrastructure plan that aims to rebuild the state’s crumbling infrastructure, expand access to broadband, and help communities fight blight, writes Sarah Anne Hughes for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.

Restore Pennsylvania would fund projects across the commonwealth to address 11 issue areas:

• high-speed Internet access
• flood control infrastructure
• disaster response
• green infrastructure
• blight demolition and redevelopment
• stormwater infrastructure
• brownfield clean-up
• contaminant remediation
• business development and site selection
• energy efficiency
• transportation infrastructure

A newly created board would be in charge of deciding how to distribute the funds across these 11 areas. Three board members would be appointed by the governor, while the Senate president pro tempore and the House Speaker would each appoint one. The final two members would be appointed by each chamber’s minority leaders.

The final decisions would require six of the seven members to agree, ensuring some bipartisan support.

The plan would be funded by borrowing $4.5 billion, which would be repaid with a severance tax on natural gas. This would be spent over the next four years, with the repayment period spread over 20 years.

Read more about Restore Pennsylvania in the Pennsylvania Capital-Star here.

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