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Vulnerability of the North Alaska Highway to Permafrost Thaw

Monday, August 15th, 2016

In the context of current and anticipated climate change, permafrost temperature has warmed significantly in northern territories and is expected to continue to rise (SNAP 2014). The stability of northern transportation infrastructure may be compromised by changes in permafrost, particularly in areas where the soil contains large amounts of ice. This may lead to negative impacts on economic development, including increasing the complexity and cost of road maintenance and the price of shipping goods in the North.

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Tags: AK, Alaska, Northern Climate ExChange, Permafrost, Yukon College
Posted in Climate Change, Highway, Infra Views, Local, Roads

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Opportunities to Increase Corporate Access to Clean Energy

Friday, August 12th, 2016

Table 1 – States ranked among the top 5 states for one or more of the identified policies, based on potential to increase corporate access to advanced energy

Advanced energy sources that use little or no fuel, such as wind, solar, hydropower, fuel cells, and energy storage create opportunities for corporations to capture savings and hedge against energy price volatility. The price of advanced energy sources has decreased dramatically during the past decade, and companies are increasingly seeking to purchase power from these resources in order to increase competitiveness and achieve corporate responsibility targets. A growing number of corporations have set formal goals for purchasing renewable energy, which they are integrating into their operations and decision making.

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Tags: Advanced Energy Economy, AEE, Clean Energy, Coporations, Renewable Energy, Renewables
Posted in Energy, Environment, Infra Views, National, Policy, Private Investment, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Technology

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AEM: National Infrastructure Poll

Thursday, August 11th, 2016

FIGURE 1: SECTORS OF INFRASTRUCTURE THAT ARE TOP-OF-MIND WITH VOTERS

The poll found that a majority of Americans recognize the declining state of the nation’s infrastructure as an issue that should be addressed, and nearly half (46 percent) of respondents said that U.S. infrastructure has gotten worse in the last five years. Roads and bridges top the list of sectors of the nation’s infrastructure in extreme need of repair, but registered voters also believe that repairs should be made to railways, dams and water pipelines.

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Tags: AEM, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Election 2016, Infrastructure, Poll
Posted in Aging Infrastructure, Infra Views, National, Policy

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Investor Insights about Infrastructure Growth

Monday, August 8th, 2016

This factsheet outlines key insights that will help policy and market makers understand how to meet investor expectations and expand the infrastructure market.

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Tags: G20, Global Infrastructure Hub, OECD
Posted in Competitiveness, Funding, Global, Infra Views, Policy, Private Investment

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Natural Gas and Global Warming: A Review of Evidence Finds that Methane Leaks Undercut the Climate Benefits of Natural Gas

Friday, August 5th, 2016

Figure 1. Avoiding Climate Tipping Points Requires Immediate Reductions in Methane Emissions

In recent years, a number of studies have challenged that assumption, finding that natural gas production, transportation and storage results in major leaks of methane to the atmosphere that erode or nullify the climate benefits of shifting to natural gas. These findings should lead policymakers to reject natural gas as a “bridge fuel” and instead lead them to redouble America’s efforts to repower with truly clean energy from the sun, the wind and other renewable sources of energy.

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Tags: Carbon, Emissions, Environment America, Frontier Group, Global Warming, Natural Gas, Renewables, Toxics Action Center
Posted in Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Infra Views, National, Policy

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Successful Strategies for Broadband Public-Private Partnerships

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

Spectrum of Cooperation for Local Networks

…most Americans continue to only have one option for high-speed Internet access, according to the Federal Communications Commission, often a cable network with limited upload speeds. Smart cities are realizing they need to act or risk being left behind. However, many do not want to embrace the purely municipal model, where the city would engage in direct competition with existing providers…One way for those communities to move forward is with a public-private partnership (PPP). But for all the excitement around this model, there are few concrete examples from which to draw lessons.

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Tags: Christopher Mitchell, ILSR, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Internet, Patrick Lucey, PPP, PPPs, Public-Private Partnerships
Posted in Funding, Infra Views, Local, Private Investment

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New Mexico: Water Project Dollars Slow to Spend

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016

Local ICIP Requests—Five Years (2017-2022)

Water, along with adequate roads and a skilled workforce, set the bar for economic growth. A deficiency in any of these three key factors lowers the state’s ability to attract, retain, and grow businesses and jobs for advancing citizen welfare. By itself, investment in water infrastructure would add 36 thousand jobs each year for 20 years in New Mexico, according to the National Association of Water Companies. But funding is in decline to support such an aggressive investment plan.

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Tags: LFC, New Mexico, New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee, NM, NMED
Posted in Drinking Water, Funding, Infra Views, Local, Policy, Wastewater, Water Treatment

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Why Goods Movement Matters: Strategies for Moving Goods in Metropolitan Areas

Monday, August 1st, 2016

The efficient delivery of products is critical to the satisfaction of the customer, the success of individual businesses and the urban and global economies. Yet in order to reach the final destination, goods distributors face significant challenges across urban and metropolitan environments: congested city streets, regional highways and rail networks, and bottlenecked ports and airports. The distribution of goods also contributes to this congestion, increasing emissions and noise on the streets. In the U.S., trucks account of 18% of the cost of congestion although they only represent 7% of urban travel.

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Tags: Freight, Regional Plan Association, RPA, Shipping
Posted in Infra Views, Technology, Urban Planning

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The Lessons of Long-Term Privatization: Why Chicago Got it Wrong and Indiana Got it Right

Friday, July 29th, 2016

Today, cash-strapped U.S. cities and states are selling or leasing government assets, particularly transportation infrastructure. The sale or lease of such assets can be beneficial to the public; but the long-term nature of these deals makes them potentially far more risky than contracts to run bus service or repair city-owned vehicles.

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Tags: Aaron M. Renn, Chicago, IL, Illinois, IN, Indiana, Manhattan Institute, Parking, PPPs, Privatization, Public-Private Partnerships, Toll Roads
Posted in Funding, Infra Views, Local, Policy, Private Investment

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Connecting Cook County, IL: 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan

Thursday, July 28th, 2016

FIGURE 1.1 PURPOSE OF TRIPS TAKEN BY COUNTY RESIDENTS

Cook County’s transportation system is one of its greatest assets, having a central—even dominant—role in the national and international movement of people and goods. As this plan Connecting Cook County will outline, this competitive advantage is being threatened by the actions other regions are taking, as well as the Chicago region’s own limits in confronting significant challenges.

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Tags: Chicago, Cook County, Cook County Government, IL, Illinois, Toni Preckwinkle
Posted in Funding, Infra Views, Local, Policy, Public Transportation, Roads, Transit

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Infra Views

Vulnerability of the North Alaska Highway to Permafrost Thaw

Opportunities to Increase Corporate Access to Clean Energy

AEM: National Infrastructure Poll

Investor Insights about Infrastructure Growth

Natural Gas and Global Warming: A Review of Evidence Finds that Methane Leaks Undercut the Climate Benefits of Natural Gas

Successful Strategies for Broadband Public-Private Partnerships

New Mexico: Water Project Dollars Slow to Spend

Why Goods Movement Matters: Strategies for Moving Goods in Metropolitan Areas

The Lessons of Long-Term Privatization: Why Chicago Got it Wrong and Indiana Got it Right

Connecting Cook County, IL: 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan

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