The Infra Blog

New York City: Enough already—fund the MTA capital plan

Monday, August 24th, 2015

Recently the New York state legislative session ended without the funding of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s desperately needed capital plan. What a shame…The upkeep, integrity, safety and functionality of the MTA affect all New Yorkers. Without the MTA, our economy, upstate and downstate, would simply not be solvent. A large percentage of state revenue can be attributed to the profits, jobs and taxes generated by the transit system. That revenue translates into critical funding and services that benefit every New Yorker.

View this complete Infra Blog post...

Guest on The Infra Blog: Graham Richard, CEO, Advanced Energy Economy (AEE)

Wednesday, August 19th, 2015
Graham Richard, CEO, Advanced Energy Economy (AEE)

Graham Richard is CEO of Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), a fast growing national association of businesses working toward a prosperous future based on secure, clean, affordable energy, and CEO of the Advanced Energy Economy Institute, AEE’s charitable and educational affiliate.

“We’re seeing consumer power has been growing, meaning the clout that consumers have in many different dimensions of our economy. And I see that happening now in energy. In that same opportunity where consumers want to know where that power’s coming from, they want to know what the cost is—but they’re also willing, when you have an opportunity to explain what the technology could do, to improve that aging infrastructure.”

View this complete Infra Blog post...

The Highway Bill: A Realistic Appraisal of its Year-End Prospects

Tuesday, August 4th, 2015

Innovation Newsbriefs
Vol. 26, No. 7
Congress has approved and the President has signed a three-month extension of the federal highway program through October 29 —but with enough funding ($8 billion) to keep the Highway Trust Fund solvent through December. When the lawmakers reconvene in September, attention will shift to the bigger struggle over how to craft and pay for a long term highway bill.

View this complete Infra Blog post...

Guest on The Infra Blog: Terry O’Sullivan, General President, Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA)

Thursday, July 30th, 2015
Terry O

Terry O’Sullivan became the tenth General President of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) on January 1, 2000, and is dedicated to growing his union’s membership and market share.

“I think the American public is willing, ready, and able to have that conversation. It’s been too many in Washington DC that have been licking their fingers and seeing which way the winds are blowing, that have been afraid to have that conversation.”

View this complete Infra Blog post...

Guest on The Infra Blog: Geoffrey Anderson, President and CEO, Smart Growth America

Wednesday, July 29th, 2015
Geoffrey Anderson - Photo by Aimee Custis, www.aimeecustis.com

Geoffrey Anderson is the President and CEO of Smart Growth America. Named by Partners for Livable Communities as “One of the 100 Most Influential Leaders in Sustainable Community Planning and Development,” Geoff came to his current position after eight years heading the Smart Growth Program at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“It is amazing to see what local governments and states have done, and how much they have responded. Some of that is amazing in terms of their pro-activeness, and then some is less amazing because it’s become so desperate that they really had to do something, and unlike Congress, they didn’t have the luxury of kicking the issue off another two years without thinking about the longer term.”

View this complete Infra Blog post...

A Lasting Solution to the Transportation Funding Crisis

Monday, July 13th, 2015

Innovation Newsbriefs
Vol. 26, No. 6
Trust Fund spending could be curtailed by progressively shifting funding responsibilities for local transportation to the States and localities and limiting Trust Fund expenditures to projects and programs that represent core federal responsibilities or are of truly strategic or national significance.

View this complete Infra Blog post...

Guest on The Infra Blog: Phineas Baxandall, Senior Policy Analyst, U.S. PIRG

Thursday, July 2nd, 2015
Phineas Baxandall on The Infra Blog

Phineas Baxandall is a Senior Policy Analyst at U.S. PIRG and directs program on tax and budget issues as well as transportation. He often presents at conferences and has given invited testimony and public comment to state legislatures, Congress, and the U.S. Department of Transportation. His blogs appear on the National Journal Transportation Expert blog, Huffington Post and StreetsBlog. At U.S. PIRG, he has authored or co-authored dozens of reports, including a series examining the end of America’s driving boom, a series on infrastructure privatization, and a series on state government spending transparency.

View this complete Infra Blog post...

A Conservative Vision for the Future of the Highway Trust Fund

Thursday, June 18th, 2015

Innovation NewsbriefsVol. 26, No. 5 Submitted to the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance in response to their invitation for written comments in connection with the hearings on Long-Term Financing of the Highway Trust Fund, June 17, and June 18, 2015 respectively. Many states, facing repeated short-term program extensions and anticipating uncertain prospects for increased […]

View this complete Infra Blog post...

Guest on The Infra Blog: Tom Kimbis, Vice President of Executive Affairs, Solar Energy Industries Association

Wednesday, June 17th, 2015
Tom Kimbis, SEIA

Tom has been working in renewable energy since 2000, when he began supporting research, analysis, legislative, and planning efforts across all energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

“I’ve seen efficiencies for solar increase over time, and for many years efficiency was talked about as the Holy Grail…what we need right now is not for panels to double their efficiency; what we really need is to have access to cheaper capital, and to eliminate some of the barriers that exist in states and jurisdictions across the country that make it difficult for people to choose solar.”

View this complete Infra Blog post...

Guest on The Infra Blog: Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Professor at Harvard Business School & Author of “MOVE: Putting America’s Infrastructure Back in the Lead”

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2015
Rosabeth Moss Kanter, author of "MOVE"

Rosabeth Moss Kanter holds the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professorship at Harvard Business School, where she specializes in strategy, innovation, and leadership for change. Professor Kanter recently published MOVE: Putting America’s Infrastructure Back in the Lead. In Move, Kanter visits cities and states across the country to tackle our challenges―and reveal solutions―on the roads and rails, and in our cities, skies, and the halls of Washington, D.C.

“I devoted nearly two years to in-depth investigation from the point of view of users of our systems, and America’s position in the world, and concluded that if we don’t get moving we’re going to fall farther behind the rest of the world, and if we’re not strong at home we can’t be strong as world leaders.”

View this complete Infra Blog post...

Follow InfraUSA on Twitter Facebook YouTube Flickr

CATEGORIES


Show us your infra! Show us your infra!

Video, stills and tales. Share images of the Infra in your community that demands attention. Post your ideas about national Infra issues. Go ahead. Show Us Your Infra!  Upload and instantly share your message.

Polls Polls

Is the administration moving fast enough on Infra issues? Are Americans prepared to pay more taxes for repairs? Should job creation be the guiding determination? Vote now!

Views

What do the experts think? This is where the nation's public policy organizations, trade associations and think tanks weigh in with analysis on Infra issues. Tell them what you think.  Ask questions.  Share a different view.

Blog

The Infra Blog offers cutting edge perspective on a broad spectrum of Infra topics. Frequent updates and provocative posts highlight hot button topics -- essential ingredients of a national Infra dialogue.


Dear Friends,

 

It is encouraging to finally see clear signs of federal action to support a comprehensive US infrastructure investment plan.

 

Now more than ever, our advocacy is needed to keep stakeholders informed and connected, and to hold politicians to their promises to finally fix our nation’s ailing infrastructure.

 

We have already engaged nearly 280,000 users, and hoping to add many more as interest continues to grow.

 

We require your support in order to rise to this occasion, to make the most of this opportunity. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to InfrastructureUSA.org.

 

Steve Anderson

Managing Director

 

SteveAnderson@InfrastructureUSA.org

917-940-7125

InfrastructureUSA: Citizen Dialogue About Civil Infrastructure