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Dear Majority Leader Reid and Minority Leader McConnell:

As you finalize legislation to help create more jobs in America, we urge you to provide thesame level of funding for infrastructure (nearly $50 billion) as the House provided in its “Jobsfor Main Street Act of 2010.” This level of funding would ensure additional investments in ourcritically important transportation projects, drinking water and wastewater treatment systems,and upgrades to our electrical grid.

These infrastructure investments will have the dual benefit of creating thousands of jobswhile at the same time improving the efficiency and safety of the infrastructure that millions ofAmericans use every day.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, for every $1billion spent on transportation projects, some 27,000 to 34,000 jobs are created. Likewise, theAmerican Water Works Association estimates that spending $10 billion on repairs andimprovements to water mains, leaking pipes, water treatment plants, pumping stations, storagereservoirs, elevated tanks, security safeguards, and similar projects would create work for morethan 400,000 Americans, including almost 90,000 direct construction jobs.

We urge the Senate to invest in our nation’s infrastructure. Additionally, we hope theSenate will use the period between passage of a jobs bill and the remainder of the calendar yearto press ahead with a reformed, six-year transportation bill that has been stalled for too long.As Co-Chairs of Building America’s Future, representing governors, mayors, and otherstate and local elected officials from across the United States, we know firsthand about theoutstanding needs of our communities. People need jobs, and there is much infrastructure workto be done. We urge the Senate to make this link a priority now.

Sincerely,

Michael R. Bloomberg 

Edward G. Rendell 

Arnold Schwarzenegger