Advocating on the Hill for Funding of Critical Dam Programs
July 31, 2017
In an effort to raise the Dams grade, which received a “D” in the 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, ASCE and the Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) spent two days on Capitol Hill last week advocating for funding the High Hazard Potential Dam Rehabilitation Program and the National Dam Safety Program (NDSP) – programs......
Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Transportation Spending Bill
July 28, 2017
The Senate Committee on Appropriations passed a bill yesterday to fund the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development for fiscal year 2018 (which according to the federal calendar begins October 1). The bill funds the Department of Transportation (DOT) at $79.6 billion for FY18 (a $1.5 billion increase from FY17). That total is $1.1......
Federal Infrastructure & Science Programs Receive House Appropriations
July 21, 2017
The House Appropriations Committee had a busy week, passing the remaining five (out of 12) appropriations bills this week, part of the process Congress goes through to create the federal budget. Here are the highlights of the bills affecting infrastructure and engineering. Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies National Science Foundation is funded at $7.3......
FAA Reauthorization Bills Released
June 23, 2017
With just over three months to go before the Federal Aviation Administration’s authorization expires, and a “D” grade for aviation in the 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, the House and Senate committees released their bills yesterday to reauthorize the agency. The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee’s bill, H.R. 2997, will be the more controversial of the......
Majority of House Signs Letter Asking to Fix the Highway Trust Fund
June 13, 2017
Yesterday 253 congressmen sent a letter to the leadership of the House Ways & Means Committee asking that a long-term fix for Highway Trust Fund be included in their tax reform efforts. “As the Committee on Ways and Means continues to work toward a much-needed update of the U.S. tax code, you have an opportunity......
Infrastructure Week: Time to Build
May 15, 2017
The fifth annual Infrastructure Week is underway. More than 100 events are being held around the country this week, with the goal of elevating infrastructure as a critical issue impacting all Americans. Things kicked off Monday morning with an event at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, featuring Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Los Angeles Mayor Eric......
A Chance to Fix the Highway Trust Fund
May 01, 2017
President Donald Trump gave the idea of raising the federal gas tax a boost today, saying in an interview with Bloomberg News that raising the tax to fund infrastructure is “something that I would certainly consider.” So far this Congress, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR-3) has introduced legislation to raise the federal gas tax, while fellow......
Transportation Committee Focuses on Brownfields
March 31, 2017
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee continues its series of hearing on “Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America” this week, focusing on brownfields this time. The panel’s Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment’s March 28th hearing was entitled Revitalizing American Communities through the Brownfields Program. In fiscal year 2016, the EPA provided a total......
White House Sends Congress Budget Request for the Rest of FY17
March 30, 2017
Following on the heels of the FY18 “skinny budget” it released two weeks ago, last Friday the White House sent the House and Senate appropriations committees its budget request for the remaining five months of FY17. As detailed in a previous post, the Trump Administration’s FY18 budget request would dramatically increase defense spending and make......
How the White House Budget Would Affect Infrastructure and Engineering
March 23, 2017
The White House released its budget blueprint for FY 2018 last week, signaling its priorities to Congress as it ramps up the annual appropriations process. The White House’s budget would increase defense spending by $54 billion and offset that increase with broad cuts elsewhere in discretionary spending. It will be up to House and Senate......