July 20th, 2016 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
This Tuesday, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted a day-long event in Washington, D.C., for representatives from the public and private sectors to discuss emerging finance methods for addressing deficient community water infrastructure.
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy opened the day stressing the need to “start thinking about these [water resources projects] as investments, not expenses.” She went on the recognize the success of the EPA’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which has provided over $111 billion to communities since 1987 for water resources projects.
Tuesday’s event included a mixture of expert panel presentations and follow-up discussions designed to address water infrastructure financing issues from a variety of federal, state, and local perspectives. The first panel of the day included municipal leaders from Jackson, Mississippi, and Atlanta, Georgia. The panelists emphasized the importance of seeking out new regional community partnerships and emerging public-private partnerships, like Atlanta’s Care and Conserve program, as ways to fund water-related projects.
The second panel discussion included leaders from several federal agencies and departments and addressed the critical need for greater integration of federal programs supporting water infrastructure investment in economically disadvantaged communities. Harriet Tregoning, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), lamented that while a person’s zip code shouldn’t have an impact on their basic quality of life water quality disparity is a tragic example of the social inequity that exists between communities.
In ASCE’s
2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, the
drinking water and
wastewater categories both received “D” grades reflecting some of the challenges these leaders are trying to address. This week’s EPA conference shows agencies, departments, and service providers from across the country are trying to make changes, coming together to share the information, and make water infrastructure financing a greater reality for American communities nationwide, but there is still so much more to do.
Find out what we can do to raise these grades.
Written by James Kirk, ASCE’s Government Relations intern.
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January 8th, 2014 | By: Infrastructure Report Card
The
2014 Report Card for Georgia’s Infrastructure will be released next Monday, January 13th, in the South Wing of the State Capitol on the very first day day of Georgia’s legislative session. Highlighting the infrastructure needs across the state, the Report Card will provide a new GPA for Georgia’s infrastructure as well as new grades for specific areas — Aviation, Bridges, Dams, Drinking Water, Energy, Parks and Recreation, Ports (new), Rail (new), Roads, School Facilities, Solid Waste, Stormwater, Transit, and Wastewater.
Check back
here on the 13th to find out what grades Georgia earned in the
2014 Report Card for Georgia’s Infrastructure! If you’re a supporter of Georgia’s infrastructure and in the Atlanta area, we invite you to join us for the Report Card release event:
WHAT: News conference for the release of the
2014 Report Card for Georgia’s Infrastructure
WHO: American Society of Civil Engineers, Georgia Section
Speakers: Georgia State Representative Ed Setzler
Kat Gurd, President of the Georgia Section of ASCE
Daniel Agramonte, Co-Chair of Report Card Committee
WHEN: Monday, January 13, 2014, 11:30 AM
WHERE: State Capitol South Wing
Georgia State Capitol Building
206 Washington St SW
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
WHY: Infrastructure has a direct impact on our lives every day—from the water we drink, to the schools our children attend and to the roads and rails we travel. Infrastructure is vital to our economy, security, recreation and safety. Will Georgia’s infrastructure systems make the grade?
Tags: aviation, dams, Georgia, infrastructure, ports, roads, state, state report card, transit, water
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