Tax Legislation Hurts Infrastructure, Engineers
November 28, 2017
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is concerned that Congress has missed a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address the nation’s infrastructure investment gap. Earlier this month, Congress began the process of crafting tax-cut legislation. The House Ways and Means Committee drafted H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which passed out of committee and......
Congressman Larson Introduces the “America Wins Act”
November 14, 2017
Earlier this month, Congressman John Larson (D-CT) introduced H.R.4209, the America Wins Act – a bill which would invest $1 trillion, through taxing harmful pollution, in our infrastructure over a decade. Under this legislation, $400 billion will be invested in existing federal highway programs and eliminate the $138 billion Highway Trust Fund (HTF) shortfall; $100......
10 Years After the I-35 Bridge Collapse: What’s Changed With the Nation’s Bridges?
August 01, 2017
It’s been 10 years since the I-35 bridge going west over the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring 145 more. The eight-lane bridge was Minnesota’s third busiest, carrying 140,000 people a day. Its failure opened many people’s eyes to the danger of taking our infrastructure for granted and led leaders......
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......
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......
President Trump Announces “Massive Permit Reform” Push
June 09, 2017
Capping off his Administration’s ‘Infrastructure Week,’ President Trump held an event this morning on permitting reform at the U.S. Department of Transportation. President Trump, joined by Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao and Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke, met with heads of state departments of transportation and then addressed a group of transportation officials and stakeholders.......
Sens. Hoeven and Wyden Reintroduce Move America Act
June 05, 2017
Sens. John Hoeven (R-ND) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) recently re-introduced their Move America Act to expand the availability of tax-exempt bonds and create a new tax credit, bringing more private capital into infrastructure and giving states more flexibility to pursue infrastructure projects. The legislation creates Move America Bonds, expanding private activity bonds, which encourage private......
Legislation to Create National Infrastructure Bank Reintroduced
June 02, 2017
Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), along with seven other bipartisan cosponsors, recently introduced S. 1168 – BRIDGE Act to establish a national infrastructure bank to give state and local governments another tool in the toolbox for financing infrastructure projects. The bank would help state and local governments better leverage private funds to......
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......
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......