Marking the beginning of an intensive pre-election campaign, President Obama unveiled what he called “a bold new vision to renew and expand America’s investment in transportation infrastructure”…The plan would: (1) abolish modal “silos” by combining roads, transit, railways, airport development and the air traffic control system (NextGen) in a single consolidated transportation infrastructure investment plan; (2) integrate high-speed rail (HSR) into the surface transportation program thus ensuring a sustained commitment to a national HSR program over the next six years; (3) establish an Infrastructure Bank to fund investments of national and regional significance; (4) streamline the surface transportation program by consolidating the many different programs and use analytical measures of performance to identify and prioritize investments of critical importance to the nation’s economy.
View this complete post...Archive for the ‘Jobs’ Category
THINKING AHEAD: High-Speed Rail in Southern California
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE
INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORTATION STUDIES
Just as the Interstate Highway System transformed the way Americans live and where they work, high-speed rail has the same transformative potential. In the arena of transportation, it is a disruptive technology, with the power – as LaHood noted – to reshape entire regions and communities in a more sustainable manner. Southern California will be ground zero for this transformation: of the seven corridor segments identified in the California High Speed Rail Authority business plan, Los Angeles to Anaheim is currently the most advanced in the planning and environmental review process, and could see limited service commence as early as 2017.
Join the Fight for High-Speed Rail
Thursday, August 12th, 2010The American High-Speed Rail Alliance has launched Action for American High-Speed Rail, a grassroots advocacy center with the goal of unifying “all advocacy efforts that promote a comprehensive national high speed rail network.”
View this complete post...Gov. Ed Rendell: Rebuild our Infrastructure
Thursday, August 5th, 2010PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
By Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell
Most schools are out for a summer break after final grades were toted home in students’ backpacks throughout the country. Around the same time, America got its infrastructure report card — and the results aren’t good.
Imagine sitting around the kitchen table reviewing Junior’s grades. His last report card shows a cumulative average of D. As a family, parent, teacher or community, wouldn’t we do all we could to try to help this student improve? Of course we would.
It’s the same with the state of the country’s infrastructure. Consider some of these “grades,” as reported in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ most recent infrastructure report card: transit, D; energy, D+; dams, D; bridges, C; aviation, D; drinking water, D-; hazardous waste, D; schools, D; and wastewater, D-.
I’d say this defines our infrastructure situation as one in crisis.
View this complete post...All Aboard: Clean Energy Transportation Opportunities Favor Ohio Economy
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010POLICY MATTERS OHIO
America once led the world in production of rail cars, buses and other forms of transportation capital stock. As national attention shifted to highways and air transit in the second half of the twentieth century, investment in rail and public transit dwindled. New interest sparked by climate change and the dangers of dependency on fossil fuel and foreign oil have brought attention to pent-up demand and investment needs in this sector. National investments to repair existing stock and implement plans already in the works would provide sufficient demand to start rebuilding the public transit manufacturing sector…
RENEWABLE ENERGY - MEETING THE GOAL: A PROGRESS REPORT
Wednesday, July 7th, 201025 x ‘25
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – also called the stimulus package – included $37.5 billion for renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. However, the expiration of a critical production tax credit has depressed the production of biodiesel from soybeans and other farm products, and Congress has not yet adopted comprehensive energy and climate legislation that will establish a long-term national energy plan to guide America’s transition to a cleaner and more secure energy future.
Guest on The Infra Blog: John Horsley, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010John Horsley is Executive Director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). From 1993 to 1999 he served as Associate Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation. A native of the Northwest, Horsley was elected to five terms as County Commissioner in Kitsap County, a community just west of Seattle. He is Past President of the National Association of Counties, and was founding Chairman of the Rebuild America Coalition.
View this complete post...
CATEGORIES
- Accountability (11)
- Aging Infrastructure (74)
- Aviation (8)
- Biking (20)
- Bipartisan (23)
- Bridges (31)
- Broadband (5)
- Buses (19)
- Carbon Tax (7)
- Clean Air (23)
- Climate Change (22)
- Competitiveness (76)
- Congestion (61)
- Dams (13)
- Democrat (9)
- Drinking Water (21)
- Economic Stimulus (26)
- Employment (31)
- Energy (42)
- Environment (55)
- Equity (25)
- Funding (94)
- Global (12)
- Green (44)
- Hazardous Waste (3)
- High Speed Rail (48)
- Highway (74)
- Inland Waterways (14)
- Jobs (30)
- Land Use (26)
- LEED (2)
- Levees (7)
- Local (118)
- National (175)
- Policy (108)
- Pollution (20)
- Private Investment (22)
- Public Opinion (21)
- Public Parks & Recreation (10)
- Public Transportation (88)
- Racism (2)
- Rail (69)
- Recession (19)
- Recovery (71)
- Republican (5)
- Roads (81)
- Schools (19)
- Seaports (10)
- Smart Grid (5)
- Smart Growth (76)
- Solid Waste (5)
- Sustainability (68)
- Tax (23)
- Technology (26)
- Telecommunications (2)
- Transit (163)
- Urban Planning (106)
- Wastewater (18)
- Water Treatment (10)
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.
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!
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.
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.
RSS Feed