September 10, 2013
Congress returned from its August recess yesterday to a mountain of unfinished business. With 22 days remaining in the fiscal year, Congress plans to go all in and be in session for nine of them. Nine days to: Avoid a government shut down by passing a FY 2014 budget; Address the federal debt limit or......
This Week’s Top 5 Infrastructure Stories
September 06, 2013
ASCE Report Card Chair Writes for PBS on Infrastructure’s Present and Future Expanding cities, global businesses, and an interconnected world mean that people need to travel to more places than ever before. Cities cannot prosper in isolation, and businesses cannot thrive if they cannot move goods effectively. As our nation continues to grow, so too......
ASCE President: Our nation’s infrastructure depends on public and private investment to thrive
August 13, 2013
On August 5, 2013, the Wall Street Journal ran an op-ed that argued against the merits of public investment in infrastructure. The following is a response from ASCE President Greg DiLoreto: Our nation’s infrastructure depends on public and private investment to thrive Larry Schweikart and Burton Folsom’s editorial (Obama’s False History of Public Investment, Aug.......
Shuster and Gibbs Announce Plans for House to Consider WRRDA
August 05, 2013
On Friday, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA), along with Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Chairman Bob Gibbs (R-OH), revealed that the Committee will review and consider WRRDA (no, that is not a typo – see below) when Congress returns from recess in September. According to Reps. Shuster and Gibbs, the......
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......
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......
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......
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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