Eric Lotke, Campaign for America’s Future director, said that investments made in public transportation would yield an impressive amount of jobs as well as other economic benefits (0:33).
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure discussed how funding for transportation and infrastructure might stimulate the economy.
Infrastructure investments create benefits that radiate throughout the economy, said Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.). The committee pointed out that transportation and infrastructure projects create thousands of jobs domestically and also immediate benefit small businesses, local and state governments.
We have several public transit projects that are “ready-to-go,” said Congressman John Mica (R-Fla.). The discussion centered on creating a stimulus package to fund transportation projects around the country that would begin construction in 90 to 120 days.
John Irons, research and policy director of the Economic Policy Institute, testified that “the investments would go…beyond the construction industry, they would impact a wide range of industries across the country and across industries.”
Panelists discussed America’s aging water infrastructure at a forum hosted by the United States Chamber of Commerce. David Havern, executive vice president and chief operating officer of USCC, said the United States has over one million miles of water mains and that the entire system continues to fall into disrepair due to neglect and age. He said the American Society of Civil Engineers gave America’s water infrastructure a D- grade. Janine Benner, an aide of Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) said the United States should be investing between $3 and $23 billion more to maintain its drinking and waste water systems.
General Manager of the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority Jerry Johnson said piping in Washington, D.C. dates to the early part of the twentieth century. He noted that little federal funding is given to the development of more efficient water systems. Dan Coody, mayor of Fayetteville, Ark. said cities and states often find it difficult to improve pipelines since the need for a balanced budget could jeopardize funds for education and health. Coody said local governments currently fund 95 percent of drinking water infrastructure and 98 percent of waste water infrastructure.
Panelists encouraged increasing federal allocations for water infrastructure in light of America’s aging system and the need to address problems caused by rising sea levels due to global warming. Panelists also discouraged the privatization of water facilities, stating that corporate boards could increase prices, which are already on the rise, to levels that are out of reach for many Americans to guarantee profit. Benner and Benjamin Grumbles of the Environmental Protection Agency suggested increasing water rates so that customers would pay the full cost of water treatment. According to Benner, current rates only meet 90 percent of production costs.
White House Correspondent Lovisa Frost will cover the press gaggle this morning.
The Washington Bureau will cover remarks from political analyst Cokie Roberts on how healthy America’s health care debate is on the campaign trail and in the halls of Congress. The Bureau will also be covering a discussion on the role of state and local governments in combatting poverty, as well as a briefing on Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown, Botswana’s ascent and what it means for the rest of Africa. As new worries regarding America’s aging infrastructure emerge, the Bureau will attend a forum on our nation’s water system and ways it can be improved.
Later in the day, TRNS will cover an event discussing the congressional energy outlook with Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), as well as a discussion with the Israel Project on challenges facing Israel today.
Petra Todorovich, director of the America 2050 National Infrastructure Plan, spoke about “Smart Growth: Planning for America’s Future Infrastructure, Economic Development, and Environmental Challenges” in a speech in a series of talks at the National Building Museum. (more…)
The American Meteorological Society (AMS) held a discussion on the effects of climate change on Gulf Coast transportation and the New York City water supply. Michael Savonis, the air quality team leader of the Federal Highway Administration, said that those working in transportation are frequently conservative because of the billions of dollars involved, so considerations of investing in climate change preparation are tentative. But, as transportation infrastructure ages, climate change must be considered in building new roads, bridges, railways, and ports. The effects of climate change in the Gulf Coast area include a rise in average temperature between two and four degrees and a 50 percent increase in days with temperatures over 90 degrees. He said that as a result more than 2400 miles of roadways in the Gulf Coast area are at risk of permanent flooding as well as 75 percent of freight and non-freight port facilities. Because of the increase in heat, asphalt wears faster, train rails buckle more, and aircraft performance decreases. (more…)
Mark Goldstein, director of physical infrastructure issues at the Government Accountability Office, describes his agency’s findings after their visits to seven regions of the Federal Protective Service, the group responsible for protecting Washington D.C. (1: 23)
Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, says that “things have got to start changing in Washington” in order for the U.S. to remain “the world’s economic superpower” at a Senate hearing on the condition of the nation’s infrastructure. (0:43)
The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee held a full committee hearing on the condition of the nation’s infrastructure with four mayors from around the country. The chairman of the Committee, Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), said that a local perspective is necessary to determine how to invest in infrastructure. Dodd said that the current methods of investment are as obsolete as the investments themselves. (more…)
At the CWA conference, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) says America must focus on rebuilding its own infrastructure and proposes a national infrastructure reconstruction bank that will invest $60 billion over ten years for that purpose. He says if America can spend $400 million per day in Iraq and $10 billion a month rebuilding a foreign nation, it can spend $10 billion domestically to put citizens back to work and restructure the economy. (1:00)
