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Where Every Issue is a Green Issue| Providing Wisdom in Building a Sustainable Future | ||||||||||||||||||||
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AIA-Backed Infrastructure Bill Passes Senate Committee In view of the collapse of the Minneapolis bridge over the Mississippi on Wednesday, August 1, 2007, it seems most apropos that this effort by the U.S. Congress should appear the day after. A few people just had to die to make infrastructure a priority. Meanwhile, the $6 trlllion U.S. surplus that abounded when the current administration came to power would have crated 247,000 jobs if dedicated to infrastructure repair and upgrades. Most of the U.S. highways, telephone poles, bridges, sewage and water systems were built in the 1950's, stress and time have taken their toll. The Senate Environment and Public Works has approved legislation supported by the AIA and 15 other design, construction, engineering, and transportation organizations to improve the nation's infrastructure. The bill, the National Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2007 (S. 775), aims to create a National Commission on the Infrastructure of the United States, which would conduct a study on the age and condition of public infrastructure, financing methods for the construction and maintenance of public works projects, trends in innovative financing and investment needs, and the projected federal-state share of investment. Sponsored by Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE), George Voinovich (R-OH), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), and Norm Coleman (R-MN), the bill now goes before the full Senate. "It's no secret that the nation's infrastructure is in desperate need of investment," says Andrew Goldberg, Assoc. AIA, manager of federal affairs. He notes that the American Society of Civil Engineers, in its 2005 Report Card for America's Infrastructure, assigned a cumulative grade of D for the nation's aging physical infrastructure. "This legislation is an important first step in finding ways to revitalize the infrastructure of our built environment." Courtesy the AIA - Angle |
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