Infrastructure & Science Funding Bills Move Through House Committees
May 24, 2019
The House Appropriations Committee was hard at work addressing infrastructure and science education this week, which is perfect timing after last week’s nation-wide Infrastructure Week push. The committee passed bills to set aside funding for a number of infrastructure categories including water, energy, and national parks, while the House Appropriations Transportation, Housing and Urban Development......
Congress Returns: ASCE’s Lame-Duck To-Do List
November 16, 2018
When Congress returns on Tuesday, November 21, they face a post-election “lame-duck” session, facing a funding deadline to prevent a partial government shutdown and other lingering issues. Additionally, both parties are conducting leadership elections this week, parts of which will linger into weeks ahead. Party leadership, new Committee Chairs, and Ranking Members will all need......
ASCE Supports Reauthorization and Full Funding of the Land & Water Conservation Fund
October 05, 2018
An earlier blog post this week featured ASCE’s support for legislation to invest in our nation’s public parks by addressing our National Park Service’s deferred maintenance backlog. The Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is a critically important program that helps fund public parks infrastructure. Unfortunately, its authorization expired on September 30, and congressional action is......
ASCE Supports National Park Service Deferred Maintenance Backlog Legislation
October 03, 2018
Our nation’s public parks are incredible economic drivers and therefore critical infrastructure systems. They create thousands of American jobs, generate billions of dollars in revenue, and sustain communities across the country. In fact, the National Park Service’s (NPS) 2016 centennial anniversary brought in a record-breaking 331 million visitors who spent an estimated $18.4 billion in......
Senate Democrats Release New Infrastructure Plan
March 07, 2018
This week, the Senate Democratic Caucus unveiled their own new jobs and infrastructure plan in response to President Trump’s Infrastructure Principles released in early February. Under the Senate Democrats jobs and infrastructure plan, there would be a $1 trillion federal investment to modernize our deteriorating infrastructure. ASCE President Kristina Swallow released a statement, highlighting that......
February 21, 2018
This week is National Engineers Week, which celebrate how engineers make a difference in our world. This is a guest post by David Engelstad, P.E, who works for the National Park Service. In the 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, parks received a grade of ‘D+.’ What better construction project can you be assigned to than one that connects......
ASCE Supports Legislation to Reduce Deferred Maintenance Backlog at National Parks
September 14, 2017
ASCE’s 2017 Infrastructure Report Card gave our nation’s public parks a grade of “D+.” Despite the growing popularity of public parks and lands, chronic underfunding of our parks infrastructure continues to plague the system. The National Park Service’s (NPS) 2016 centennial anniversary generated a new wave of excitement for our nation’s public parks. In fact,......
Pokémon Can Be Caught on Transit, at National Parks Across the Country
July 20, 2016
In recent weeks, Pokémon Go has gone viral across the United States, with millions of users of all ages joining in on the interactive game. Due to the huge commercial and cultural success of the game, transit agencies are getting in on the action. In the game, players use their phones to locate and......
Infrastructure in the News: National Parks, Aviation and Innovation
April 22, 2016
It’s National Park Week, the Senate passed its version of the FAA Reauthorization Bill, and more suggestions for improving infrastructure through technological innovation have been floating around the week’s news headlines. This year marks the 100th anniversary of our National Park Service. According to National Geographic, the National Park maintenance backlog has reached nearly $12......