Clyburn: ‘We are going to get our fair share’; federal officials pledge help to state

Congressman James Clyburn pledged Friday that he’ll make sure Orangeburg and surrounding areas receive some of the money available through the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“We are going to get our fair share,” Clyburn said during a Friday press conference at the Orangeburg County Library.

The House majority whip stopped in the city with federal officials as part of a tour highlighting the Biden administration’s plans to rebuild infrastructure in rural communities.

“Our country has seen some significant challenges in recent years,” Clyburn said. “COVID-19 has exposed some fault lines in our system that need to be repaired, among them educational systems need to take into account that these kinds of experiences could very well not just be a part of our past but very well could be a part of our future as well.”

Clyburn said each issue needs to be looked at holistically from an economic and environmental perspective.

“We don’t want to destroy the history of this community, we want to enhance. We didn’t tear down the bowling alley. We are going to renovate it and enhance it and turn it into something positive. We want a museum as part of bringing the Railroad Corner back,” he said.

In addition to water, sewer and broadband improvements, Clyburn said he wants to see a community center within commuting distance of every individual.

“I am working very closely with all the federally qualified community centers in order to make that happen,” Clyburn said.

He also touted his leadership in bringing the Lake Marion Regional Water Agency to fruition despite critics who said it would be a waste of money.

“When South Carolina beat out Georgia for the Volvo plant, the difference was the Lake Marion Regional Water Agency. That is why we got the Volvo plant,” he said.

“I am working with rural communities to regionalize their approach, rather than everyone having their own water systems,” Clyburn said. “I was very pleased people are talking regionalism.”

Clyburn was joined Friday by U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan and Senior Advisor to the President and Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu during a tour of Orangeburg’s water treatment plant and Railroad Corner redevelopment project.

Raimondo said her job is to bring “high-speed, affordable broadband to every American, to every South Carolinian.”

She praised Clyburn for his leadership on the issue of rural broadband.

“The reality is in today’s day and age, if you don’t have broadband, you can’t go to school, you can’t go to the doctor, you can’t fill out applications online. It is time we close the digital divide. Close it for everyone and close it once and for all,” Raimondo said

She said about 20% of South Carolinians don’t have access to high-speed, affordable broadband.

The infrastructure law will invest $65 billion into bringing affordable broadband to every home, she said.

The administration is working to ensure carriers offer an affordable broadband plan.

“We are not going to give a dime to any carrier unless they show us, prove to us, certify that there will be certain offerings and an affordable plan,” Raimondo said.

She said there is a $30-a-month voucher for low-income Americans.

Raimondo said the state of South Carolina is developing a state broadband plan.

“Your state broadband office here in South Carolina is one of the best in the country,” she said. “They are on top of it. They know who has coverage and who does not have coverage.”

Raimondo said money will be put into job training and job creation for laying the fiber and connecting homes.

“The president tells us every day that everyone deserves an opportunity and everyone deserves a chance,” Raimondo said.

Regan said the EPA has more than $50 billion to focus on wastewater, stormwater and lead piping, $5 billion to electrify school buses and $5 billion for Superfund brownfield and economic development.

“We want to be sure that South Carolina gets its fair share,” Regan said.

Regan said he also wants to make sure HBCUs get a seat at the table.

Landrieu said ensuring people have clean water, clean air and access to high-speed internet will help keep individuals together in their own communities and with their own families.

“Not in America should a kid have to sit in the back of their car when a mom is parked in the McDonald’s parking lot so the kid can do their homework off of the high-speed internet that is actually in the fast food restaurant,” he said.

While in Orangeburg, the visitors held a roundtable discussion with local stakeholders to discuss water infrastructure needs and federal efforts to ensure residents have access to clean water.

They also toured the Orangeburg County Library’s community conference center and hosted a roundtable discussion to hear from local leaders on the importance of having accessible and affordable broadband in their communities.

The group also joined students at Claflin University to discuss the importance of strengthening the relationship between historically Black colleges and universities and federal agencies.

Biden’s cabinet secretaries are on the second week of a three-week tour of rural America.