Today's Article
This much-needed
legislation immediately
passed in the Senate
after our bridges
began collapsing--so
why does it now seem
stuck in the House?
legislation immediately
passed in the Senate
after our bridges
began collapsing--so
why does it now seem
stuck in the House?
The American Spark
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Is Major Infrastructure Bill Parked In House Committee?
By Cliff Montgomery - Nov. 16th, 2007
On Nov. 7th, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) used her power as chairwoman of the Senate Committee on
Environment and Public Works to file a written report on a current congressional bill establishing a National
Commission on the Infrastructure of the United States.
This much-needed legislation was introduced in the Senate by her colleague, Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE)
on March 6th, 2007. But it was the fateful Minneapolis bridge collapse on Aug. 1st which practically ensured
the bill's passage in the chamber.
Boxer's panel reported the bill with an amendment to the full Senate the very next day, on Aug. 2nd. By that
evening it had aced the Senate by unanimous consent, and was referred to the House Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure on Aug. 3rd.
But with the corporate press soon turning to other matters, the impetus for this much-needed legislation seems
to have faded; the bill currently appears to be parked in the House Transportation Committee.
We quote the major parts of Sen. Boxer's report below:
TO ESTABLISH A NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE UNITED STATES
BACKGROUND
"The `National Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2007' would create a commission to be known as the
`National Commission on the Infrastructure of the United States' to ensure that the infrastructure of the
United States meets current and future demand, facilitates economic growth, is maintained in a manner that
ensures public safety, and is developed or modified in a sustainable manner.
"The National Commission on the Infrastructure of the United States is needed because the infrastructure of
our nation is aging quickly and may be vulnerable to potential failure. For example, on August 1, 2007 during
the evening rush hour, the I-35W Mississippi Bridge located in Minneapolis, Minnesota collapsed, killing 13
people.
"While the cause of the collapse is still under investigation, the bridge was completed in November of 1967,
and had been in use for almost forty years. It also had been classified as structurally deficient. Much of the
nation's infrastructure has not only exceeded its design life but has become an impediment to further
economic growth, and creates safety hazards either because of its physical condition or because it does not
meet current design standards.
"The Department of Transportation has reported that 27.1% of our nation's bridges are structurally deficient or
functionally obsolete. According to DOT's Conditions and Performance report, the nation spent $75 billion on
highway infrastructure in 2005 but needs to spend $100 billion annually.
"The wastewater management systems in the United States are also aging, as they continue to discharge
billions of gallons of untreated sewage into U.S. surface waters every year. The EPA has estimated that
nationwide all levels of government will need to spend $390 billion over the next twenty years to replace existing
systems to meet increasing demand.
SUMMARY OF THE LEGISLATION
Duties
[...] "The Commission is directed to study:
"The National Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2007 states that the Commission will develop
recommendations on a Federal infrastructure plan that will detail:
Funding
"This section provides the Commission with authority to request funding from fiscal years 2008 through 2010,
from amounts made available to the Secretary of Transportation (from any source other than the Highway
Trust Fund), from the General Expenses account of the Corps of Engineers, and from the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency.
Commission Termination
[...] "The Commission shall terminate on September 30, 2010."
Like what you're reading so far? Then why not order a full year (52 issues) of the The American Spark e-
newsletter for only $15? A major article covering an story not being told in the Corporate Press will be
delivered to your email every Monday morning for a full year, for less than 30 cents an issue. Order Now!
By Cliff Montgomery - Nov. 16th, 2007
On Nov. 7th, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) used her power as chairwoman of the Senate Committee on
Environment and Public Works to file a written report on a current congressional bill establishing a National
Commission on the Infrastructure of the United States.
This much-needed legislation was introduced in the Senate by her colleague, Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE)
on March 6th, 2007. But it was the fateful Minneapolis bridge collapse on Aug. 1st which practically ensured
the bill's passage in the chamber.
Boxer's panel reported the bill with an amendment to the full Senate the very next day, on Aug. 2nd. By that
evening it had aced the Senate by unanimous consent, and was referred to the House Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure on Aug. 3rd.
But with the corporate press soon turning to other matters, the impetus for this much-needed legislation seems
to have faded; the bill currently appears to be parked in the House Transportation Committee.
We quote the major parts of Sen. Boxer's report below:
TO ESTABLISH A NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE UNITED STATES
BACKGROUND
"The `National Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2007' would create a commission to be known as the
`National Commission on the Infrastructure of the United States' to ensure that the infrastructure of the
United States meets current and future demand, facilitates economic growth, is maintained in a manner that
ensures public safety, and is developed or modified in a sustainable manner.
"The National Commission on the Infrastructure of the United States is needed because the infrastructure of
our nation is aging quickly and may be vulnerable to potential failure. For example, on August 1, 2007 during
the evening rush hour, the I-35W Mississippi Bridge located in Minneapolis, Minnesota collapsed, killing 13
people.
"While the cause of the collapse is still under investigation, the bridge was completed in November of 1967,
and had been in use for almost forty years. It also had been classified as structurally deficient. Much of the
nation's infrastructure has not only exceeded its design life but has become an impediment to further
economic growth, and creates safety hazards either because of its physical condition or because it does not
meet current design standards.
"The Department of Transportation has reported that 27.1% of our nation's bridges are structurally deficient or
functionally obsolete. According to DOT's Conditions and Performance report, the nation spent $75 billion on
highway infrastructure in 2005 but needs to spend $100 billion annually.
"The wastewater management systems in the United States are also aging, as they continue to discharge
billions of gallons of untreated sewage into U.S. surface waters every year. The EPA has estimated that
nationwide all levels of government will need to spend $390 billion over the next twenty years to replace existing
systems to meet increasing demand.
SUMMARY OF THE LEGISLATION
Duties
[...] "The Commission is directed to study:
- The capacity of infrastructure to sustain economic development now and in the future;
- The age and condition of public infrastructure;
- The methods used to finance the construction, acquisition, rehabilitation, and maintenance of
infrastructure;
- Investment requirements that are necessary to maintain and to improve infrastructure based on current
expenditures by Federal, State, and local governments;
- The impact of local development patterns on demand for Federal funding of infrastructure;
- The impact of deferred maintenance; and
- The collateral impact of deteriorated infrastructure.
"The National Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2007 states that the Commission will develop
recommendations on a Federal infrastructure plan that will detail:
- National infrastructure program priorities;
- [...] Infrastructure improvements and methods of delivering and providing for infrastructure facilities;
- [...] Analysis or criteria and procedures that may be used by Federal agencies and State and local
governments in [creating inventories of] existing and needed infrastructure improvements, assessing the
condition of infrastructure improvements, developing uniform criteria and procedures for use in
conducting the inventories and assessments, and maintaining publicly accessible data; and
- [...] Proposed guidelines for the uniform reporting by Federal agencies of data in regards to infrastructure
improvements.
Funding
"This section provides the Commission with authority to request funding from fiscal years 2008 through 2010,
from amounts made available to the Secretary of Transportation (from any source other than the Highway
Trust Fund), from the General Expenses account of the Corps of Engineers, and from the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency.
Commission Termination
[...] "The Commission shall terminate on September 30, 2010."
Like what you're reading so far? Then why not order a full year (52 issues) of the The American Spark e-
newsletter for only $15? A major article covering an story not being told in the Corporate Press will be
delivered to your email every Monday morning for a full year, for less than 30 cents an issue. Order Now!