Legislation Advocates for Resilient Re-Building
December 13, 2017
The Safe Building Codes Act, which has been introduced in various of forms in the past several Congresses, has become particularly relevant because of the hazard events of 2017. The goal of the legislation is to amend the Stafford Act to enhance existing mitigation programs by encouraging states to voluntarily adopt and enforce nationally-recognized model......
The Atlantic: Summit on Infrastructure + Transportation
December 08, 2017
This week The Atlantic’s Summit on Infrastructure and Transportation explored the state of America’s infrastructure and where it’s heading in the future. The summit included a series of panels with guests discussing technology and the future of infrastructure, natural disasters and resiliency, and infrastructure projects taking place across the nation. The panel, “Infrastructure in Critical Condition,” was a......
Congress Misses Opportunity to Fix Infrastructure, While States Do Their Part
December 01, 2017
The Senate and House tax bills proved to be missed opportunities for fixing the federal Highway Trust Fund, but states are doing their part and investing in infrastructure. The federal Highway Trust Fund, an account used to pay for the federal share of roads, bridges, and transit, has not been raised in 24 years.......
A Record-Breaking Thanksgiving
November 21, 2017
Thanksgiving week marks the official start of the holiday season, and therefore the official start of the infamous winter travel season. According to AAA, Thanksgiving weekend in 2017 will be the country’s busiest travel season since 2005. With an estimated 50.9 million people traveling 50 miles or more this weekend, you will likely see overcrowded......
Infrastructure Wins on Election Night 2017
November 08, 2017
On November 7, voters across the country approved infrastructure investment ballot measures. In Maine, a resounding 72% of residents across the state voted yes on Question 3, allowing the issuance of $105 million in bonds for transportation projects around the state. $80 million will be provided to state highways and bridges, $20 million for multimodal......
Kelly Barnes Dam Failure: Dam Safety Then and Now
November 06, 2017
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Kelly Barnes Dam failure: an event that acted as a catalyst for improvement in dam safety. On November 6, 1977, Toccoa Falls Bible College was nearly swept away as high water erupted through the defects in the Kelly Barnes Dam, sending 25-foot waves through the campus. This tragedy......
GAO Examines Economic Impact of Extreme Weather Events
October 25, 2017
This week the US Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) released CLIMATE CHANGE: Information on Potential Economic Effects Could Help Guide Federal Efforts to Reduce Fiscal Exposure, a report detailing the cost to the federal government of climate-related impacts that have already occurred, and how that cost is expected to rise. Over the last decade, extreme weather......
Bipartisan Legislation Introduced in the House and Senate to Enhance Infrastructure Investment
October 24, 2017
The Move America Act, bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the House and Senate introduced (H.R. 3912 and S. 1229) to enhance America’s infrastructure by strengthening public-private partnerships. ASCE supports the legislation and has been working to advance it in both the House and Senate. The House bill was introduced this October by Congresswoman Jackie......
Outdated Gas Tax Rate Still Propping Up America’s Transportation Infrastructure
October 23, 2017
This month marks the 24th anniversary of the federal gas tax’s outdated 18.4-cent rate enacted on October 1st, 1993. First established in 1932, the gas tax goes toward the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) – the federal fund that pays for bridges, roads, and transit. The federal gas tax rate has been raised numerous times since......
September 27, 2017
Within the past month, major hurricanes hit Florida, Texas, and Puerto Rico, two earthquakes only days apart, led to the loss of over 100 lives and the destruction of massive amounts of infrastructure in Mexico, and hundreds of thousands of acres of land have burned in the Pacific Northwest from wildfires. These events coincided with......