House Appropriators Postpone Action on EPA Sending Bill to September
August 01, 2013
After starting to write a spending bill for the Environmental Protection Agency for fiscal year 2014 this week, the House Appropriations Committee decided to delay final action on the controversial bill for more than a month. Committee members voted on several amendments this week and then recessed until September. “With the number of amendments pending,......
I-35 W: Six Years After the Bridge Fell
August 01, 2013
On August 1, 2007, the I-35 W span over the Mississippi River collapsed, killing 13 people, injuring 145, and severing a vital lifeline for many towns. Only 382 days later, the bridge had been replaced and was open to traffic once again. Six years after this tragedy, the question remains whether we have done enough......
Obama Proposes Plan for Infrastructure Funding
July 30, 2013
President Obama today gave another in his series of economic speeches at an Amazon distribution center in Tennessee to propose a cut in corporate tax rates in return for a commitment from Republicans to invest more in programs spurring middle-class jobs. As stewards of our nation’s infrastructure, the ASCE is encouraged by President Obama’s proposal to direct......
Chairman Boxer Holds Press Conference on Highway Trust Fund
July 26, 2013
Thursday morning, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer held a press conference (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZoGpdW2jlo#t=15m27s) with members of the transportation and infrastructure community to highlight the impending insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). Rob Victor, Chairman of ASCE’s Committee for America’s Infrastructure, spoke along with Senator Boxer and other industry representatives about the......
Can-Do States Who Tackle Infrastructure Are Just What the U.S. Economy Needs
July 24, 2013
Sometimes you just have to do it yourself. That’s the message some states seem to be sending as federal infrastructure bills like the Water Resources Development Act keep getting sidelined by Congress or only seeing short-term efforts like the MAP-21 Transportation Reauthorization. The Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings has called these states that have decidedly......
Highway Trust Fund: Running on Empty
July 23, 2013
…..Tuesday morning, the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit met to discuss the status of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) and the effects its impending insolvency would have on transportation projects nationwide. As it stands, the HTF receives almost 90% of its revenue from taxes on motor fuels. As CAFE standards increase the number of......
Mexico Ramps Up Infrastructure Investment Over the Next 5 Years
July 18, 2013
This week Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announced an initiative to fund $300 billion dollars (4 trillion pesos) worth of infrastructure projects through 2018. The money will be used to extend highways, revitalize and extend both passenger and freight rail, and upgrade ports in Mexico to increase capacity and efficiency of handling. “Nobody can doubt......
Mr. Civil Engineer Goes to Washington
July 17, 2013
Happy 4th of July, America! Baseball’s All-Star break is this week. These and more serve as reminders that we have reached the “mid-point” of the summer. Are your summer advocacy plans in place? If you are an ASCE member, you should start your advocacy plan by signing up for the next Key Contact Briefing Conference......
House Approves Bill to Fund Corps of Engineers in FY 2014
July 15, 2013
The House approved a bill late last Wednesday that would fund the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works programs for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill, (H.R. 2609), calls for spending a total of $4.899 billion for Civil Works for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2013. It includes $1.573 billion for construction, $23 million......
July 12, 2013
It’s been a rough couple weeks in state capitols for infrastructure advocates as four states – Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington – are struggling to enact major transportation funding proposals. Particularly disappointing is that in each state seems so close to the finish line. In Texas, the high profile filibuster over abortion legislation during a......
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