Support for InfrastructureUSA.org
has been provided by these organizations and individuals:

John Hennessy III,
P.E.

Archive for the ‘Policy’ Category

What Lies Ahead for Transportation in the 112th Congress?

Monday, January 24th, 2011

Congressional action on transportation this year, including the shape of the next surface transportation bill, will be inevitably influenced by the changed political geography of the 112th Congress. Not only will the level of funding for transportation be dictated by new, fiscally conservative House majority , but the program priorities will be influenced by a newly elected GOP representation that largely hails from small-town and suburban America.

View this complete post...

Feb. 8-10: High Speed Rail Summit, Washington DC

Thursday, January 20th, 2011
High Speed Rail Summit - Washington DC

From the US High Speed Rail Association:
Be part of this important high speed rail summit! Hear from the new incoming Congress and the Obama Administration about plans to step up the national high speed rail program. Hear about the many challenges with launching a major new infrastructure project of this scale. Listen to senior elected officials discuss the importance of maintaining the ‘political sustainability’ needed to get it built. Hear from political and business leaders where this program is going, how money will be rolled out, and where the money will continue to come from to pay for these new systems.

View this complete post...

Guest on The Infra Blog: Ethan Pollack, Policy Analyst, Economic Policy Institute

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011
pollack-ethan

Ethan Pollack joined the Economic Policy Institute in July 2008. Prior to joining EPI, he worked at the Office of Management and Budget and the George Washington Institute of Public Policy. His areas of interest include public investment, fiscal policy, transportation, and budget and tax policy. His work has been used in numerous publications, and he has appeared as a guest on CNN, Fox News, BBC World News, Canada TV, Russia Today, and WNYC.

View this complete post...

Public Support for Street-Scale Urban Design Practices and Policies to Increase Physical Activity

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
Table 3 Willingness to Take Civic Actions in Support of Local Policy Aimed at Improving Neighborhood Features by Select Characteristics, HealthStyles 2006a

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
Street-scale urban design policies are recommended to increase physical activity in communities…Two-thirds of adults were willing to take civic action to support local street-scale urban design policy.

View this complete post...

The Tampa to Orlando High-Speed Rail Project: Florida Taxpayer Risk Assessment

Friday, January 14th, 2011
Table 1: Comparison of Cost Elements: Florida High-Speed Rail and California High- Speed Rail (Initial Segment)

REASON FOUNDATION
Governor Rick Scott is evaluating whether to proceed with construction of the proposed Tampa to Orlando high-speed rail project. The potential cost to Florida taxpayers is a principal factor in this evaluation. Capital cost escalation, revenue shortfalls and higher than projected operating costs are common in high-speed rail projects. Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Governor-elect John Kasich of Ohio have cancelled projects funded by the Obama administration’s high-speed rail program and foregone the federal funding because of cost concerns such as these.

View this complete post...

Skepticism About High-Speed Rail Is Growing

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

“Spend first, answer questions later.” So concludes a critical editorial in the January 12 edition of the Washington Post, commenting on California’s proposed $43 billion High-Speed Rail program. The Post editorial, along with a January 11 article in the New York Times (both of which we reprint below), are emblematic of the increasingly skeptical press and public opinion concerning the fiscal and economic soundness of the Obama Administration’s high-speed rail initiative.

View this complete post...

High-Speed Rail in America

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011
Scoring of Rail Corridors

AMERICA 2050
…There is a steep learning curve for states and regions in developing high-speed and even “classic” intercity passenger corridors. This report aims to educate the public and decision makers about the elements of success for high-speed rail as measured by factors that contribute to ridership demand for these services, particularly as they apply to the unique spatial attributes and travel patterns of America.

View this complete post...

AASHTO Presents Top 10 Transportation Issues for the New Year

Monday, January 10th, 2011

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF STATE HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has compiled a list of the top 10 distinct and pressing transportation issues that loom at the local, state, and federal levels as 2011 begins. Congressional enactment of a long-term surface transportation reauthorization measure tops the list.

View this complete post...

DEEP WATER: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling

Monday, January 10th, 2011
Mecando Well Schematic

NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE BP DEEPWATER HORIZON OILSPILL AND OFFSHORE DRILLING
The oil and gas industry needs now to regain that trust, but doing so will require it to take bold action to make clear that business will no longer be conducted as usual in the Gulf. Industry must seize the opportunity to demonstrate that it is fully committed to subjecting its own internal operations to fundamental change and not merely because it is being forced to do so.

View this complete post...

Do Roads Pay for Themselves? Setting the Record Straight on Transportation Funding

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011
Gas tax map

U.S. PIRG
Highways do not—and, except for brief periods in our nation’s history—never have paid for themselves through the taxes that highway advocates label “user fees.” Yet highway advocates continue to suggest they do in an attempt to secure preferential access to scarce public resources and to shape how those resources are spent.

View this complete 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