2015 Media Relations Year in Review
January 8th, 2016 | By: Olivia Wolfertz
Last year, ASCE was mentioned in the media more than 12,900 times in all 50 states and in more than 30 countries around the world, including 27 major print and broadcast media outlets and wire services. ASCE members and staff interviewed on everything from the state of the nation’s infrastructure to fixing the Highway Trust Fund to Game Changers to the impact of natural disasters on infrastructure. Here are some of the major highlights from 2015: HBO’s Last W
eek Tonight with John Oliver (3/2/15) highlighting the state of the nation’s infrastructure
- Episode has been viewed more than 5.9 million times on YouTube
Op-ed in The Hill (7/27/15) authored by Bob Stevens touting ASCE’s Game Changers report.
CNBC Closing Bell interview (5/13/15) with Brian Pallasch following the Philadelphia Amtrak derailment
Fix the Trust Fund national radio tour led by Andy Herrmann
- Total listenership: 11.9 million
- Total number of airings: 2,064
- Number of stations airing: 1,814
New Highway Bill Proposed; Nation’s Patience Wearing Thin
October 23rd, 2015 | By: Olivia Wolfertz
With just six days left until MAP-21’s expiration, all eyes are looking to the U.S. House to pass a long-term surface transportation bill. Yet, even if they do so by next week, another extension of MAP-21 will be necessary in order to iron out differences between the House and Senate-passed bills. Earlier this week, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee passed the bipartisan Surface Transportation Re-authorization and Reform Act. According to The Hill, the bill would authorize spending $261 billion on highways, $55 billion on transit and approximately $9 billion on safety programs over the course of six years. However, the House has not yet identified the source of the additional billions of dollars necessary to support this level of investment. It is critical that the House pass this bill now in order to reach an agreement with the Senate on a final, compromise legislative package. While ASCE supports continued funding for highway and transit programs included in the bill, increased long-term investment would, “provide states with greater certainty that the federal government is a trusted partner in transportation.” Many citizens have responded to the latest bill with disappointment. Op-eds in Engineering News-Record, Bloomberg, Baltimore Sun, Herald Independent and The Southern share common frustrations with the bill’s failure to significantly increase investment and Congress’ inability to make headway towards finding a funding solution. States will be forced to react to potential insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund in November. Michigan’s House proposed a transportation funding package that would devote an extra $1.2 billion for roads from a dividend of sources including registration fees, increased gas taxes and tax relief through a Homestead Property Tax Credit. And states like Georgia are considering postponing transportation projects altogether for the upcoming winter months. Congress’ decision on this bill will have ripple effects on our nation’s transportation network and ultimately our economy. ASCE needs you to contact your House member and urge support of the House bill so funding can be addressed in conference with the Senate. Tell your Representative to support a six-year transportation bill with increased investment.Congress returns, infrastructure needs pile on
September 11th, 2015 | By: Olivia Wolfertz
Congress is back in session and has a lot of approaching deadlines, including both the surface transportation reauthorization and federal aviation administration reauthorization about to expire. With Labor Day and summer traffic behind us it is critical for Congress to invest in our surface transportation needs so that our nation’s roads don’t fall into even further disrepair during another harsh winter. Anthony Foxx addressed the need for Congress to remember the original vision of the Highway Trust Fund in his remarks at the National Press Club. “I firmly believe that on a bipartisan basis we are in a moment where Congress can achieve a bipartisan bill that helps us carry the work forward,” he told them. In response to dwindling federal funds, more states are taking measures into their own hands to ensure they have the funding needed to improve their transportation networks. Tennessee is currently facing a multi-billion dollar backlog of highway projects across the state, so the Governor has started discussing his plan to raise the gas tax. “We know that we can’t depend on the federal government to be the funding partner that it once was,” Gov. Haslam said. In order to prepare for increasing population needs, the state needs to prioritize projects to address the most pressing projects, and is considering a gas tax increase as a potential solution. Indiana is another state that needs more money for infrastructure projects. In response to the growing list of projects that the DOT classifies as critical for the state, legislators are considering a mileage-based tax as well as a gas tax as options for generating funds. In addition to highways, freight and passenger rail are in need of modernization. To move goods efficiently, it takes a “transportation village” and investing in better safety technology will improve our overall freight movement system. While Congress has a lot on their plate, hopefully they will prioritize infrastructure and help strengthen the economy. As we await the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee’s mark-up of its multiyear surface transportation bill, write your members of Congress and urge them to pass a long-term transportation bill by the October 29 deadline.Summer days driftin’ away, infrastructure needs remain
August 28th, 2015 | By: Olivia Wolfertz
This weekend’s 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is an enduring reminder of the importance of infrastructure, and the need for increased investment to properly maintain it. As the anniversary neared, many media outlets recounted the damages of Katrina in light of the need for a sound flood protection plan in many coastal cities. ASCE’s Managing Flood Risk Report reveals that there is still no cohesive vision of how the nation should organize or coordinate to reduce flood risk. Another example of the need for increased investment is Texas A&M’s Transportation Institute 2015 Mobility Scorecard, revealing that congestion rates reached a new record high. The mobility scorecard report unveils this year’s traffic congestion by region, showing the tremendous need for improvement. According to the report, travel delays due to traffic congestion in 2014 were the worst in three decades, with Washington, D.C. topping the list. The report says that nationwide, congestion kept travelers stuck in their cars for nearly 7 billion extra hours last year, or 42 hours per rush-hour commuter. This time stuck in traffic is costing us money, an estimated $160 billion in lost time, wasted fuel, and additional vehicle repairs, an average of $960 per commuter. While traffic is still an issue, our travel woes do not compare with those before the interstate highway system was created. Interestingly enough, the story behind Eisenhower’s inspiration for an interstate highway system came about as a result of a 62-day cross-country trip he took in 1919 with a military convoy, where crossing mountains, plains and deserts made the trip quite a frustrating and even dangerous undertaking. By the end of the trip, the official observer reported later, “the officers of the Convoy were thoroughly convinced that all transcontinental highways should be construed and maintained by the Federal Government.” Eisenhower’s experience with the convoy’s helped persuade legislators to pass the Townsend Highway Bill, which created the first Federal Highway Commission. With such a rich history, and strong correlation between our highways, economy and welfare of the people, it is crucial that Congress #FixTheTrustFund by the Oct. 29 deadline—two months from now. You can write your representative a letter or call their office and share the message to #FixTheTrustFund by the Oct 29 deadline.The House hits snooze for long-term bill until October
July 31st, 2015 | By: Olivia Wolfertz
With July wrapping up, the House throwing in the towel and settling for another three-month extension as the Senate passing the DRIVE Act, hopes for a long-term highway funding solution are pushed back again. Before heading home for August recess the House and Senate passed another short-term patch that will provide $8 billion of funding to keep the Highway Trust Fund afloat a bit long, with program authorization set to expire on October 29th. Meanwhile, the Senate approved the DRIVE Act, a six-year surface transportation bill. It is the first long-term bill in a long time, which gives the transportation community something to celebrate. However, the DRIVE Act does not fully meet the investment needs of our nation’s aging infrastructure. With a bill now passed by the upper chamber, it’s up to the House to make this most recent short-term extension the last, and there are plenty of reasons to get it done. Among them, we are losing time and money because of the poor condition of our transportation network and it’s a drag on the economy. Years of cutbacks in federal funding and the uncertainty of long-term funding because of the frequency of short-term patches are hindering states ability to make transportation improvements. States including Iowa, Ohio and others are struggling to fund much-needed construction projects because of the lack of certainty for a federal program. Several states have taken measures to provide for their own transportation funding needs, including Washington, which just increased its gas tax by seven cents, South Dakota, Oregon, North Carolina and West Virginia, but the states cannot go it alone. Federal funding for the Highway Trust Fund would not only serve to improve much-needed infrastructure investments, but would pave the way for more innovative infrastructure, as featured in ASCE’s #GameChangers report. Therefore it is essential that Congress work diligently in the next three months to find a long-term funding solution. “In the next three months, ASCE urges the House and Senate to work through their policy differences and continue the legacy of the Highway Trust Fund,” said Tom Smith, ASCE’s executive director. “This short-term extension needs to be the last and we believe it can be, so long as Congress moves the nation forward by working together in a bipartisan way to finish their work on improving America’s surface transportation infrastructure.” You can write your representative a letter or call their office and share the message to #FixTheTrustFund by the Oct 29 deadline. And say thank you to the 65 Senators who voted yes.Another packed week in Washington
April 24th, 2015 | By: Olivia Wolfertz
As the clock ticks, post-winter pothole damage accumulates and families and businesses are increasingly affected by the outdated infrastructure conditions, lawmakers and members of Congress are raising their voices to find sustainable funding solutions. With just 37 days until our current transportation funding extension expires, several states and industries are making their case for investment. In Michigan, harsh winters and lack of repairs have left only 17 percent of the roads in good condition, costing vehicle owners an additional $132 in damage costs each year. Since Michigan’s “largest economic sectors-manufacturing, agriculture and tourism-are highly reliant on an efficient and well-maintained transportation system,” addressing transportation needs is critical to the state’s economic well being. In response to the great investment need, Proposal 1, an amendment that would raise the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent, would help pay for road repair among other things. Infrastructure impacts every sector of our economy —including our nation’s agriculture. A recent article in National Journal explored the challenges farmers and ranchers face in getting their products to markets both here and overseas through waterways, rails, roads and ports. In order to support our nation’s agriculture, locks and dams need to be rebuilt, roads need to be resurfaced, trains need new tracks and ports need modernization and stable labor relations. This week the U.S. Senate held two hearings on the federal transit program. During the hearings, the Banking Committee heard from transit stakeholders and Acting Federal Transit Administration Chief Therese McMillan on the need to provide additional funding for capital grants to match the growth in transit projects seeking funding. The Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee also held a hearing on the Obama administration’s fiscal year 2016 (FY16) budget request, which includes the surface transportation re-authorization GROW America proposal. During the hearing, Foxx addressed questions about GROW America’s ability to ensure long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. In response to criticisms that the act would not ensure long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund, Foxx pointed to the hope that visible infrastructure improvements might motivate lawmakers to secure a long-term federal funding solution. These state and federal propositions are steps in the right direction for restoring our nation’s infrastructure. Given the Highway Trust Fund’s impending insolvency, it is more critical than ever that Congress work together to pass legislation to provide a sustainable, long-term funding solution to #FixTheTrustFund.Tags: #HighwayTrustFund, congress, infrastructure
1 Comment »
Nevada Report Card Reveals a $15B Infrastructure Problem
December 16th, 2014 | By: Infrastructure Report Card
During the past twenty years Nevada experienced one of the largest growth surges in the country and then one of the worst downturns from late 2008 through 2013. This roller coaster economy decreased funding levels and preventive maintenance suffered leaving many infrastructure systems underfunded. Hardest hit may be school facilities in both rural communities and cities. Nevada’s funding for maintaining schools stagnated and left a funding shortfall of over $5 billion during the next 5 to 10 years.
The 2014 Report Card for Nevada’s Infrastructure, released today by the Nevada Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), gave the state’s infrastructure a grade of “C-.” The Report Card identifies more than 15 billion in needs across Nevada’s critical infrastructure sectors over 20 years, including:
Dams and Flood Control:
- With the majority of funding for flood management coming from local gas and sales tax initiatives, there continues to be projected funding shortfalls upwards of $400 million.
- The state has 158 high hazard dams, which could lead to loss-of-life or significant property damage if dam failure occurs.
- The state budget for high hazard dams is nearly half the national average.
- In 2005, $500,000 of investments were made in aviation through the Nevada Aviation Trust Fund, resulting in an economic impact of over $20 million. However, since that time no state funding has been allocated into the Trust Fund to leverage federal funding.
- The Nevada Department of Transportation maintains 5,300 miles of state highways, which include many rural roadways within Nevada.
- Current funding levels provide only 60 to 70 percent of the required funding to maintain state highways.
- In Clark and Washoe Counties, 45 percent of schools are more than 30 years old.
- In other counties throughout the state, there are schools with campuses over 100 years old.
- Every dollar held back from school operation and maintenance budgets escalates emergency repair budgets 400 percent.
Tags: #HighwayTrustFund, dams, flood control, Nevada, report card, roads, schools
No Comments »
