EPA and USACE Release Final Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) Rule
January 23, 2020
This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) released a finalized Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule named the Navigable Waters Protection Rule to define “Waters of the United States.” This final rule comes after the agencies released a proposed rule in December 2018 to redefine the......
Infrastructure Investment Wins Big at the Ballot Box
November 08, 2019
Americans in 19 different states lined up at poll centers on November 5th with an array of decisions to make on their ballots. Despite being an off-year election, infrastructure took center stage. Of the collective 305 ballot measures supporting transportation infrastructure investment, 270 – roughly 90% – were approved. From Maine to Texas, these 270......
States Could Face Surface Transportation Performance Goal Penalties
November 05, 2019
As we move into reauthorizing the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, recently reported data shows Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia will need to spend a collective $1.8 billion prior to September 30, 2020—the FAST Act expiration— on improvements to National Highway......
Congressional Briefing on Resilience in Puerto Rico Highlights ASCE 7
September 26, 2019
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) held a Capitol Hill briefing on Tuesday to examine resiliency in Puerto Rico two years after Hurricane Maria. In his opening remarks, ASCE’s Executive Director Tom Smith, ENV.SP., CAE, F.ASCE stressed that building resilient infrastructure was in the best interest of the American taxpayer, as every dollar spent......
Update on the Fiscal Year 2020 Appropriations Process
September 20, 2019
This week, the House passed a stopgap spending measure, or continuing resolution (CR), to fund the government through November 21, 2019. The current fiscal year expires on September 30, and without a stopgap measure, a government shutdown will occur. While the House passed 10 of its 12 Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 appropriations bills before the......
ASCE at NCSL 2019: Resiliency In Focus at the 50-State Legislative Conference
August 09, 2019
More than 5,500 state lawmakers and legislative staff from the U.S. and beyond attended the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) annual Legislative Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. The meeting provides a platform for lawmakers, staff, and other public policy professionals to learn from experts, as well as each other, about solutions to the country’s most......
BulidStrong Forum Focuses on Resiliency and Mitigation
July 26, 2019
The Build Strong Coalition convened the first of three forums on disaster mitigation and resiliency, this one focused on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. At the forum, ASCE’s Executive Director Tom Smith, ENV.SP., CAE, F.ASCE spoke on a panel about the need to achieve resilience in public......
House Tees Up Second FY20 Minibus
June 21, 2019
This week, the House began voting on its second FY20 “minibus,” or spending package. H.R. 3055 includes the following appropriations bills: Transportation, Housing & Urban Development; Interior & Environment; Commerce, Justice, and Science; Military Construction & Veterans Affairs; and Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food & Drug Administration. Of particular interest to ASCE are programs that......
Oregon’s Infrastructure Earns a Mediocre Grade of “C-”
May 16, 2019
Oregon’s infrastructure sits in mediocre condition, earning an overall grade of a “C-” in the most recent Report Card for Oregon’s Infrastructure, which was released by the American Society of Civil Engineers on Wednesday. The Report Card graded 10 categories of infrastructure including energy, drinking water, roads, bridges and more. The Report Card offered analysis......
Iowa Infrastructure GPA Improves to a C
May 03, 2019
The Iowa Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers released the 2019 Report Card for Iowa’s Infrastructure yesterday. Twelve categories, including aviation, bridges, dams, drinking water, energy, inland waterways, levees, parks, rail, roads, solid waste and wastewater were included in this iteration. The last Report Card for Iowa’s Infrastructure was released in 2015, and......