Follow the Money

A Union of Concerned Scientists analysis of non-transportation BIL awards in California from fiscal years 2022 and 2023 indicates that local investments are likely falling short of Justice40 goals. Depending on the screening tool used, only 9.4% to 18.2% of analyzed local funding is flowing to designated disadvantaged communities. The report highlights significant data gaps, particularly regarding statewide formula funding, and recommends a transparent, unified tracking system and a clear definition of 'benefits' to ensure equitable infrastructure spending.

• Local, non-transportation Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) investments in California are likely failing to meet Justice40 goals. Based on a spatial analysis of 241 local awards totaling $779.29 million, only 18.2% of funding flowed to communities designated as disadvantaged by the federal Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST), and only 9.4% flowed to those designated by California's SB 535.
• A significant portion of BIL funding in California is allocated as statewide awards, which limits the ability to track whether funds reach priority communities. Of the 401 analyzed awards totaling $2.17 billion, 63% ($1.36 billion) had a statewide scope, with California state agencies controlling over 96% of this funding.
• Federally recognized Tribal recipients are a primary driver of equitable funding, accounting for more than one-third (37%) of all analyzed funding flowing to underserved and overburdened communities in California. Forty Tribal recipients received $71.01 million, with the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program providing nearly half of that amount ($30.88 million).
• The California State Water Resources Control Board received the vast majority of statewide BIL funding, totaling $1.19 billion (87% of the statewide total) for Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRF). While these programs prioritize disadvantaged communities in their Intended Use Plans, the report notes that non-disadvantaged communities may receive awards sooner because they often have 'shovel-ready' projects.
• Current federal spending data on USASpending.gov is insufficient for comprehensive Justice40 assessments. The report identifies issues such as the lack of a 'place of performance' option for Tribal areas and the absence of Disaster Emergency Fund (DEF) codes for Inflation Reduction Act investments.

APA

Fencl, A., Rempel, J., Klein, G., Kyn, M., Mitchell, R., & Yao, A. (2024). Follow the Money. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/2024-06/Follow-the-Money-Report-v2.pdf

Chicago

Fencl, Amanda, Jenny Rempel, Georgia Klein, Mo Kyn, Ryder Mitchell, and Allyson Yao. Follow the Money. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2024. https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/2024-06/Follow-the-Money-Report-v2.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{fencl2024follow, author = {Fencl, Amanda and Rempel, Jenny and Klein, Georgia and Kyn, Mo and Mitchell, Ryder and Yao, Allyson}, title = {{Follow the Money}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2024}, month = jun, url = {https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/2024-06/Follow-the-Money-Report-v2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }