A new report from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has outlined the potential impacts and trade benefits of the provisions included in the Biden Administration’s recently passed Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, that is set to be signed into law in the coming days.

The $369 billion bill includes many grants and other types of funding for a host of green GSA-owned properties, Federal Highway Administration projects, and affordable housing developments. Over on the ASLA’s The Dirt blog, Roxanne Blackwell and Caleb Raspler broke down what it might entail for the landscape architecture community in separate practice and client areas. 

Among the relevant provisions included in the overall package are:

• More than $4.5 billion to be directed toward water infrastructure (dams, water treatment facilities, etc.). This includes the $4 billion in drought relief funds, another $15 million to "provide technical assistance for climate change planning, mitigation, adaptation, and resilience" in risk-averse U.S. territories such as Guam, and a total of $550 million in construction funding for infrastructure projects affecting communities which have been underserved historically.
• $1.25 billion in funding for the National Parks System and Bureau of Land Management. That includes $200 million for delayed NPS maintenance projects, $250 million for "conservation, ecosystem, and habitat restoration projects" on BLM and NPS-operated lands, $250 million more for resiliency and protection projects at both agencies, and another $250 million for the National Wildlife Refuge System. 
• $1.7 billion for various forestry projects.
• $19.4 billion for the Department of Agriculture to invest in "climate-smart agriculture practices and land interests that promote soil carbon improvements and carbon sequestration." 
• $2.6 billion worth of grants and technical assistance for NOAA to help coastal communities to mitigate the effects of erosion, flooding, and extreme storms. 

This money could help further propel a new green building revolution in the industry. As the AIA pointed out during the passage of the $1.2 trillion Federal Infrastructure Act last year, many of the projects will leverage new generations of technologies, building materials, and sustainable construction techniques in their delivery and implementation.