New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s decision to cancel the proposed commuter trans-Hudson rail tunnel (ARC) offers another example of a resolve by the new wave of fiscally conservative governors to rein in spending on public works that, in their judgment, present an unacceptable level of risk and cost. While Christie’s decision was widely condemned as shortsighted by members of the infrastructure lobby, it was supported as fiscally prudent by a majority of New Jersey voters. (By a margin of 51 to 39 percent according to a Rutgers University poll).
View this complete post...Archive for the ‘Innovation Newsbriefs’ Category
Update: The Federal High-Speed Rail Program: A Post-Election Reality Check
Wednesday, November 10th, 2010High-Speed Rail Debate Refuses to Quiet Down
Monday, November 1st, 2010In a November 1 column in the Washington Post reproduced below, the respected economist Robert J. Samuelson attacks the Administration’s high-speed rail program as “wasteful spending masquerading as a respectable social cause.”…Samuelson’s blunt assessment appears in stark contrast to the Administration’s confident prediction, in the words of top federal transportation officials, of “a world class network of high-speed corridors” that would connect “80 percent of America in the next 25 years at a cost of $500 billion.” How can professional judgments be so diametricaly opposed and whose judgment will prevail?
View this complete post...The Miller Center Proposes a New Transportation Agenda
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010In the relentless 24/7 news cycle of the news media, the release of another policy report by a group of experts causes hardly a ripple. At best it earns a perfunctory mention by the news services and in a few trade publications, only to be buried and forgotten in the next day’s avalanche of fresh news. The report “Well Within Reach: America’s New Transportation Agenda,” published by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia on October 5, deserves a more considerate treatment. The report not only stands out because it is the product of a distinguished bipartisan group of national thought leaders in transportation but also because it shows a keen grasp of the issues surrounding contemporary transportation policy.
View this complete post...Transportation Funding in a Changing Political Environment
Monday, October 4th, 2010A series of events toward the end of September addressed the challenge of inadequate transportation funding, a quandary that has long bedeviled transportation advocates. Collectively, these events paint a picture of a transportation community that is eager to increase investment in infrastructure but struggles in vain to find the means to pay for it — and probably can expect little help from the next, more fiscally conservative Congress, bent on reducing spending.
View this complete post...Looking Past the November Midterm Elections
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010In a guest commentary, Richard G. Little, Director of the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy at the University of Southern California, offers his own reflections on how the reality of constrained resources and greater spending discipline in the next Congress might affect our future transportation policy.
View this complete post...Congratulations to FRA on a Sensible Decision
Thursday, August 26th, 2010Two months ago we reported on the railroad industry’s reaction to the FRA’s directive setting forth the terms of the so-called “Stakeholder Agreements.” Those are the agreements between state authorities and Class I railroads that will govern the shared-use freight-passenger rail service in rail corridors receiving federal aid under the Administration’s high-speed rail (HSR) program. The FRA directive stunned and angered railroad executives by what they regarded as unreasonable demands, and burdensome requirements…We are happy to report that reason and good sense have prevailed. In a press conference on August 20, FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo announced that the agency has withdrawn the controversial directive.
View this complete post...    |
Follow InfrastructureUSA
CATEGORIES
- Accountability (219)
- Aging Infrastructure (747)
- Aviation (130)
- Biking (323)
- Bipartisan (271)
- Bridges (491)
- Broadband (57)
- Buses (160)
- Carbon Tax (22)
- Clean Air (182)
- Climate Change (199)
- Competitiveness (229)
- Congestion (327)
- Dams (77)
- Democrat (123)
- Drinking Water (191)
- Economic Stimulus (275)
- Employment (207)
- Energy (584)
- Environment (615)
- Equity (239)
- Funding (879)
- Global (205)
- Great American Infrastructure (33)
- Green (293)
- Guests on The Infra Blog (263)
- Hazardous Waste (27)
- High Speed Rail (224)
- Highway (783)
- Inland Waterways (204)
- Jobs (251)
- Land Use (97)
- LEED (28)
- Levees (42)
- Local (1,909)
- National (1,523)
- Policy (1,121)
- Pollution (215)
- Private Investment (213)
- Public Opinion (189)
- Public Parks & Recreation (194)
- Public Transportation (1,025)
- Racism (6)
- Rail (501)
- Recession (65)
- Recovery (218)
- Republican (109)
- Roads (1,118)
- Schools (79)
- Seaports (66)
- Smart Grid (98)
- Smart Growth (442)
- Solid Waste (26)
- Sustainability (763)
- Tax (112)
- Technology (395)
- Telecommunications (46)
- Transit (1,330)
- Urban Planning (977)
- Wastewater (180)
- Water Treatment (165)
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
Home |
Show Us Your Infra! |
Infra Views |
The Infra Blog |
Infra Polls |
About |
Resources |
Contact |
RSS Feed
RSS Feed
© InfrastructureUSA | Terms of Use | Site developed by Andigo New Media
InfrastructureUSA.org is a nonprofit project fiscally sponsored by FJC, a Foundation of Philanthropic Funds.