The White House will release the first part of their multi-trillion-dollar economic recovery package this week. This initiative is focused on rebuilding roads, bridges, and other infrastructure that will be of interest to design and construction firms. The White House's hope is that a bill that is solely focused on roads and bridges will get... Continue Reading →
During the 2020 Biden campaign, climate change was a priority issue. Consistent with that messaging, the administration is now plowing forward with urgent and sweeping climate mitigation policy proposals that will significantly impact the power, transportation, building, waste, and industrial sectors. Navigating the policy and regulatory implications for business models takes time, but the risks... Continue Reading →
According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and their 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, the country’s total infrastructure needs over the next 10 years is nearly $6 trillion. After acknowledging various sources of committed funding, ASCE measures the gap to meet those needs as $2.59 trillion. To indicate the payback that infrastructure... Continue Reading →
(Above photo by the Bureau of Land Management) There is great uncertainty for state agencies in the upcoming year as finances are battered by the current recession. It is unclear whether there will be meaningful support from the federal government. As states decide what programs to cut, it is likely that capital improvement projects will... Continue Reading →
What is a National Climate Bank? Despite the name, it isn’t really a bank in the traditional sense of the word because it isn’t a depository institution. Rather, it’s a non-profit 501(c)(3) created for the sole purpose of leveraging limited public funding (through financing instruments such as market term loans, soft loans, equity investments, and... Continue Reading →
While we wait for federal lawmakers to pass a comprehensive infrastructure package that may integrate clean energy infrastructure and a sustainable framework for climate change and resilience in the face of continued severe natural disasters, there’s another federal resource worthy of attention. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) launched a new program, Building Resilient Infrastructures... Continue Reading →
The Trump Administration held a flurry of infrastructure related meetings last week. Lawmakers are still waiting for more details on the $1 trillion infrastructure plan that Trump touted during the campaign. There is uncertainty as to how much actual funding will be allocated to the infrastructure plan, and the President has questioned the role of... Continue Reading →
The devastation caused by hurricanes in 2017 to U.S. coastal cities and territories can only be described at this early stage of recovery as historic. The numbers and actual economic impacts in the coming months will no doubt illuminate more deeply the gravity of the situation, and will likely spark a renewed enthusiasm in the... Continue Reading →
According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, the Trump administration will unveil a $1 trillion infrastructure plan later this year. The announcement did not offer details of funding for projects, but according to Chao, investment will be valued at $1 trillion over 10 years. The proposal is expected to cover transportation, energy, water, and potentially... Continue Reading →
The dramatic images of water crashing down the Oroville Dam Spillway in California have shown us that we are dependent on infrastructure that is now well over 50 years old. Engineers know that the hydrologic models used to model weather events are based on data that was collected decades ago. As noted in an article... Continue Reading →
