"Using long, drawn-out processes to put money into circulation to meet an emergency is like mailing a letter to the fire department to tell them that your house is on fire." - Thomas Sowell on the CBO's analysis showing only a small portion of public works package will be spent this year.
According to Wordspy the first reported use of the term "shovel ready" was in the Worchester Telegram & Gazette in February 22, 1995.
Five weeks ago, Barack Obama urged passage of a massive economic stimulus package, vowing that it would "create millions of jobs by making the single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s." However, the bill passed by the House yesterday dedicates only about 5 percent of the $819 billion measure to highway, mass transit, and rail projects, analysts said. Read more at Boston Globe.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors has identified 4,029 “shovel ready” projects that could create more than 271,000 jobs in 2009 and 2010 for an investment of $23.4 billion. View Projects in Your Neighborhood.
Comparison of House and Senate Economic Recovery Bills Funding. (House Funding passed floor on 1/28 in billions | Senate Funding passed committees on 1/27 in billions)
The U.S. Conference of Mayors has identified 4,029 “shovel ready” projects that could create more than 271,000 jobs in 2009 and 2010 for an investment of $23.4 billion. View Projects in Your Neighborhood.
Comparison of House and Senate Economic Recovery Bills Funding. (House Funding passed floor on 1/28 in billions | Senate Funding passed committees on 1/27 in billions)
- Clean Water State Revolving Fund (6.0|4.0)
- Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (2.0|2.0)
- Rural Water and Waste Disposal (1.5|1.4)
- Corps of Engineers (4.5|4.6)
- Watershed Infrastructure (.4|.1)
- Highway Infrastructure (30|27.60)
- Amtrak (.8|.85)
From the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Read the whole list.
The following is an excerpt from the 2009 ASCE Report Card for America's Infrastructure
DAMS D
As dams age and downstream development increases, the number of deficient dams has risen to more than 4,000, including 1,819 high hazard potential dams. Over the past six years, for every deficient, high hazard potential dam repaired, nearly two more were declared deficient. There are more than 85,000 dams in the U.S., and the average age is just over 51 years old.
DRINKING WATER D-
America's drinking water systems face an annual shortfall of at least $11 billion to replace aging facilities that are near the end of their useful life and to comply with existing and future federal water regulations. This does not account for growth in the demand for drinking water over the next 20 years. Leaking pipes lose an estimated seven billion gallons of clean drinking water a day.
LEVEES D-
More than 85% of the nation's estimated 100,000 miles of levees are locally owned and maintained. The reliability of many of these levees is unknown. Many are over 50 years old and were originally built to protect crops from flooding. With an increase in development behind these levees, the risk to public health and safety from failure has increased. Rough estimates put the cost at more than $100 billion to repair and rehabilitate the nation's levees.
INLAND WATERWAYS D-
The average tow barge can carry the equivalent of 870 tractor trailer loads. Of the 257 locks still in use on the nation's inland waterways, 30 were built in the 1800s and another 92 are more than 60 years old. The average age of all federally owned or operated locks is nearly 60 years, well past their planned design life of 50 years. The cost to replace the present system of locks is estimated at more than $125 billion.
WASTEWATER D-
Aging systems discharge billions of gallons of untreated wastewater into U.S. surface waters each year. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the nation must invest $390 billion over the next 20 years to update or replace existing systems and build new ones to meet increasing demand.
ASCE Recommends the following 5 solutions.
- Increase Federal Leadership in Infrastructure
- Promote Sustainability and Resilence
- Develop Infrastructure Plans.
- Address Life-cycle Costs
- Increase and Improve Investment from all stakeholders
