This Week in Infrastructure: What is the State of Our Union, Really?
February 2nd, 2014 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
The Super Bowl (or the first mass-transit bowl as we like to call it) wasn’t the only required TV viewing this week . The State of the Union drew more than 33 million viewers listening to President Obama’s agenda for the country. Here at ASCE, we were pleased that President Obama laid out goals of “rebuilding our roads, upgrading our ports, unclogging our commutes” and hope that Congress responds by finalizing WRRDA and passing a transportation bill. ENR has an excellent overview of the response from the major players of infrastructure. Looking locally, the Detroit Free Press chimed in with ways that a focus on infrastructure could help Michigan. Prior to his speech, our friend Rep. Blumenauer authored his thoughts Monday on how “If we do not act now to maintain and repair our infrastructure, we will face much higher costs in the future, not just for the country, but for families on a daily basis,” echoing ASCE’s concerns from our Failure to Act studies. It seems infrastructure investment was on everyone’s lips this week. The call for investing in infrastructure is timely for many reasons: First:
Beyond that, the recent chemical contamination of West Virginia’s water has led to a larger conversation about water quality and the infrastructure that delivers it and disposes of it.
Also this week, there was also some talk of the power grid’s vulnerabilities (which received a D+ in the 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure). Even MetLife Stadium is taking precautions to ensure last year’s blackout is not repeated this Sunday.
Finally, we are going to keep praying for all of our friends in Atlanta. Certainly this was a horrific situation, and hopefully all of us can learn how to avoid such a thing in future.
So, what is the State of Our Union’s Infrastructure, really? I guess you could say we’re working on it.
Tags: congress, infrastructure, President Obama, Super Bowl, wastewater
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Bipartisan Governors Coalition Presses Congress to Act on Transportation Funding
January 31st, 2014 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
This week, 17 Governors signed a letter urging congressional members to act to find a long-term revenue solution for the Highway Trust Fund and avoid a potential nationwide transportation funding crisis. The Highway Trust Fund, the funding mechanism that drives our nation’s investment in transportation infrastructure, is facing its fifth revenue shortfall since 2008. Motor fuel and truck excises supporting the Highway Trust Fund have not been adjusted in 20 years. As a result, the trust fund will be insolvent by the end of the year. “If Congress does not act to address this shortfall, we expect Federal support of highway and transit projects led by state transportation departments will cease in October,” said North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory. “Without renewed federal funding, states are left in a very serious financial crisis that impacts public safety and local economies,” McCrory added. Added Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, “Investment in our transportation system is part of the backbone of a strong national economy. The Federal Government should do all it can to avoid the insolvency of the Federal Highway Trust fund. These dollars directly fund construction and maintenance projects, and provide needed construction jobs in states across the country.” On January 14, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin (R-OK), testified before Congress in her capacity as Chairman of the National Governor’s Association and urged Congress to take action. “States need federal funding stability and certainty to pursue long-term planning and project delivery,” said Governor Fallin. “All funding options must be on the table for evaluation because existing resources are no longer adequate,” she added. The following 17 governors signed the letter urging congress to act: Governor Mike Beebe (D-AR), Governor John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Governor Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Governor Patt Quinn (D-IL), Governor Martin O’Malley (D-MD), Governor Mark Dayton (DFL-MN), Governor Steve Bullock (D-MT), Governor Pat McCrory (R-NC), Governor Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Governor Jack Dalrymple (R-ND), Governor John Kitzhaber (D-OR), Governor Tom Corbett (R-PA), Governor Lincoln Chafee (D-RI), Governor Dennis Daugaard (R-SD), Governor Peter Shumlin (D-VT), Governor Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Governor Scott Walker (R-WI). ASCE is an active member of the National Transportation Coalition, a bipartisan group of governors and transportation advocates working together to push Congress to take immediate action on vital federal highway legislation.Tags: congress, Funding, governors, highway trust fund, leadership, transportation
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Statement on President Obama’s State of the Union from the American Society of Civil Engineers
January 28th, 2014 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
Washington, D.C. — The following is a statement from Randall S. Over, P.E., president of The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), regarding President Obama’s 5th State of the Union address this evening: “Tonight, President Obama reminded us all that ‘America does not stand still.’ Regrettably, for too long, the same cannot be said of America’s infrastructure. As the President spoke this evening on ways to boost our economy and create jobs, he urged Congress to move the Water Resources Reform and Development Act across the finish line and to pass a transportation bill this summer. We strongly agree that these pieces of legislation cannot wait. “For America’s roads and bridges, 2014 must become a ‘year of action.’ If we cannot find a solution for the impending insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund, state transportation departments will face huge cuts in capital funding by the end of this year and fall farther behind with a growing backlog of projects. “No one needs convincing that America’s infrastructure needs work. The American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure gave the nation’s infrastructure a “D+”. We found that unless new investments are made, the nation’s deteriorating surface transportation will cost the U.S. economy more than 876,000 jobs and suppress our GDP by $897 billion by 2020. Because, as the President said, ‘first-class jobs gravitate to first-class infrastructure.’ “Maintaining and modernizing our infrastructure is one of the essential roles of government. From Franklin Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan, building the networks that connect our families and businesses to one another has long been a bipartisan issue. Now more than ever is the year to commit to reliable, long-term funding source for our transportation system.”#####
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 145,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. For more information, visit www.asce.org.Tags: congress, highway trust fund, wrrda
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The Countdown Begins – Our Federal Funding for Transportation May Run Dry Next Year
December 18th, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
Transportation is a key issue in 2014 as the Highway Trust Fund will be insolvent by 2015 and MAP-21 is set to expire in September. In some states, transportation projects are already being put on hold because of the uncertainty of future federal funding. The UPDATE Act introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) is just one of several current proposals regarding infrastructure funding supported by ASCE. To date, the motor fuels user fee (gas tax) has proven to be an efficient, reliable, and fair method of funding our nation’s surface transportation programs. At present, the federal motor fuels tax generates revenues that are reserved for investment in highway and public transportation improvements through the Highway Trust Fund. However, the 18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax has not been adjusted since 1993 and has lost one-third of its purchasing power over the last 17 years. According to the Consumer Price Index, the costs of many household items have nearly doubled over the last 20 years. Some examples include:- A loaf of bread: 1993: $0.75, 2013: $1.41
- A pound of coffee: 1993: $2.50, 2013: $5.21
- A new car: 1993: $12,750, 2013: $31,252
Tags: bridges, congress, gas tax, highway trust fund, roads
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House Freight Panel Comes Out With New Report
October 30th, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
The Panel on 21st Century Freight Transportation, established by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in April to examine the current state of freight transportation in the United States and how improving freight transportation can strengthen the U.S. economy, released its final report and recommendations yesterday. The special panel, led by Chairman John Duncan Jr. (R-TN) and Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler ( D-NY), also examined ways to increase the efficiency, safety and overall condition and performance of the nation’s freight network; how technology assists in the movement of freight; and financing options for transportation projects. To examine these issues, the panel held six public hearings and three roundtable discussions; in addition to touring freight facilities in Southern California, the Memphis region, the New York City and Northern New Jersey region, and Norfolk, Virginia. The final report concluded that Congress should:- Establish a national freight transportation policy and designate a multimodal freight network;
- Ensure “robust” public investment in all modes of freight transportation and incentivize additional private investment;
- Promote the development of projects that improve the movement of goods;
- Authorize dedicated, sustainable funding for multimodal freight projects through a grant process;
- Identify and recommend sources of revenue to provide investment in the nation’s freight network;
- Develo p specific funding options for freight transportation projects prior to Congress’s consideration of the surface transportation reauthorization bill in 2014.
- Air received a grade of D and has an estimated investment need of $134 billion;
- Bridges received a grade of C+;
- Transit received a D;
- Roads received a grade of D, and combined with bridges, and transit, have an estimated investment need of $1.7 trillion; and
- Rail received a grade of C+ and has an estimated investment need of $100 billion.
While the bipartisan report does not necessarily break any significant new ground, or specifically recommend new revenue sources for the ailing Highway Trust Fund, it does provide a strong foundation for MAP-21 reauthorization next year. Criticisms of the report for punting the funding solution to the Obama Administration are not unwarranted; however, the report does discuss a number of possible revenue sources, including public-private partnerships and a several freight-specific options, such as customs duties and a freight waybill tax. This bipartisan nature of the discussion on these topics does break new ground in a Congress where new revenue options have been shunned in the past. By laying out the problems with the freight system, as well as the growing concern for a lack of future revenue with a year to go until MAP-21 reauthorization, the report allows the critical conversation to commence. Additionally, it can prove as a critical education tool for new member of Congress who might not be as familiar with the impending insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund in the run up toward next September.
Tags: congress, infrastructure, transportation
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Back to Work
October 17th, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
We have a deal! Finally, after 16 days, the federal government shutdown is over and things can get back to normal: Americans can once again visit all our National Parks, government workers can be assured of receiving paychecks, etc. However, it will likely take some time for everything to get back to normal, including lawmakers’ offices dealing with constituent communications. Were you one of the millions of Americans who registered your thoughts on the shutdown with your Representative and/or Senators in the past 2-3 weeks? Or perhaps you actually cared more about a different issue? Honestly, don’t look for a response any time soon. Many lawmakers’ offices have been reduced to just a few senior aides over the past 16 days, and email inboxes and voicemail boxes are still overflowing. Just a few things to keep in mind regarding communicating with your elected officials in Washington, DC:- Congressional offices can barely keep up with the average level of in-bound constituent communications when they are fully staffed (Congressional Management Foundation). The backlog most offices are currently experiencing means that you likely will not see a response to your message soon, if ever. This is less than ideal, but nonetheless is the situation we are in now. Call it an unavoidable consequence of the shutdown.
- As always, your message is most likely to be read, and you are more likely to get a quality response, if you write in your own words, instead of copying a form letter someone else has written for you.
- If you already know a staffer in a Congressional office, perhaps by meeting with them either in Washington or in a district office or event, email that person directly on an issue, rather than sending your message to the lawmaker’s general inbox through an online system (such as ASCE’s Click & Connect with Congress).
Tags: congress, grassroots, uncategorized
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How Has the Shutdown Affected You?
October 11th, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
Due to the inability of Congress to pass a budget by October 1st, the federal government has been shutdown for 11 days and counting. With negotiations inching forward slowly we need your help! In order to resolve the impasse in Congress ASCE is looking for real life stories about how the shutdown has affected civil engineers. Has a project you are working on been delayed? Have friends, family, or coworkers been furloughed? Is our infrastructure at a greater risk due to the shutdown? Please share your stories with us so that we can take them to Members of Congress and get the government to open its doors again. Send all stories, examples, or harrowing tales to ASCE government relations at govwash@asce.org or contact Caroline Sevier, Senior Manager of Federal Government Relations, at 202-789-7852. Don’t forget to include:- Your name,
- Where you live,
- Where you work, and
- What you do (in 20 words or less).
Tags: congress
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Infrastructure This Week
October 11th, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
The government shutdown continues to loom over our nation’s infrastructure, causing uncertainty, hurting key services, and further showing the costs of Congressional intransigence.
Much like the government itself, our infrastructure has to get out of the short-term mindset, and start planning for long-term growth. Only then will we find success.
The good news is businesses and local leaders are starting to feel the costs of under-investment, and are contemplating ways to plan for future growth.
Talk to you next week!
Tags: career development, congress, economics, infrastructure
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Shutdown Showdown Continues…
October 9th, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
We are on day 9 of the federal government shutdown with no end in sight, and our nation’s critical infrastructure is starting to feel the impact. At a press conference yesterday Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman, Barbara Boxer (D-CA), joined transportation stakeholders to stress the effects the shutdown is having on the nation’s critical infrastructure. At this time the shutdown is stalling almost 130 highway and bridge projects in 35 states due to the furlough of more than 90 percent of Environmental Protection Agency employees who are responsible for the expedited review of hundreds of road projects. The expedited review process was a hallmark of last summer’s surface transportation authorization, MAP-21, but the current shutdown is defeating one of the legislation’s primary purposes: streamlining project delivery. Faring better are the nation’s critical lock and dam systems, although that might be debatable to unpaid employees. While hundreds of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers personnel have been furloughed and operations like some of the recreational parks the organization runs are closed, the roughly 240 employees who operate the locks have been deemed essential, meaning they have stayed on the job. Keeping the nation’s lock and dam operators on the job once again illustrates the fact that our nation’s waterways are vital to our economy and overall quality of life. Unfortunately, while the locks remain open, the debate on the government shutdown has delayed any further progress on the Water Resources and Reform Development Act moving through the House. At this point the critical legislation is on the back burner until the shutdown is over and the debt ceiling is raised, meaning we do not expect to see WRRDA pass out of the House before late October or early November at the earliest. ASCE will continue to keep you updated on the impacts of the shutdown as the federal government remains shuttered!Tags: congress
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ASCE Testifies Before Senate EPW
September 26th, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
ASCE President Greg DiLoreto, P.E., P.L.S, D.WRE, F.ASCE, testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee yesterday about the state of the nation’s surface transportation infrastructure. The hearing entitled “The Need to Invest in America’s Infrastructure and Preserve Federal Transportation Funding” brought together infrastructure heavyweights to discuss revenue solutions for the Highway Trust Fund.
During his remarks Mr. DiLoreto emphasized the need for Congress to identify a long-term funding solution for the nation’s surface transportation programs in order to guarantee increased revenues for the 2014 reauthorization bill. DiLoreto also outlined the current state of the nation’s infrastructure by referencing the 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure and explained to the panel the economic consequences of inaction.
At the opening of the hearing Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) raised the idea of replacing the gas tax with a “percentage fee that is paid for at the refinery level” and went on further to state that she is leaning toward doing away with the gas tax and replacing in with a sales tax. The suggestion was received with a grain of salt from panelists, who continued to urge that an increase in the gas tax is the fastest way to bring revenues back into the Highway Trust Fund. ASCE and others on the panel believe that all funding options must be considered for the long term viability of the Highway Trust Fund, however if revenue is not raised by 2015 transportation programs across the country will experience a 92% cut.
Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman and Finance Committee Chairman, Max Baucus (D-MT) spent his time during the hearing to share with the panel that he would like to mark up a tax reform bill this year that would include a fix for the Highway Trust Fund. Baucus also acknowledged that tax reform will likely not happen this year and therefore stated that another temporary transfer from the General Fund might be required. Baucus also made it clear that he thought fixing the Highway Trust Fund “could be an engine that pulls a train here” — in other words, moving as a stand-alone — “because people do want to solve this, and they know it has to be solved.”
At the opening of the hearing Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) raised the idea of replacing the gas tax with a “percentage fee that is paid for at the refinery level” and went on further to state that she is leaning toward doing away with the gas tax and replacing in with a sales tax. The suggestion was received with a grain of salt from panelists, who continued to urge that an increase in the gas tax is the fastest way to bring revenues back into the Highway Trust Fund. ASCE and others on the panel believe that all funding options must be considered for the long term viability of the Highway Trust Fund, however if revenue is not raised by 2015 transportation programs across the country will experience a 92% cut.
Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman and Finance Committee Chairman, Max Baucus (D-MT) spent his time during the hearing to share with the panel that he would like to mark up a tax reform bill this year that would include a fix for the Highway Trust Fund. Baucus also acknowledged that tax reform will likely not happen this year and therefore stated that another temporary transfer from the General Fund might be required. Baucus also made it clear that he thought fixing the Highway Trust Fund “could be an engine that pulls a train here” — in other words, moving as a stand-alone — “because people do want to solve this, and they know it has to be solved.”
