Infrastructure - Summary of the Issues

The nation’s long-term competitiveness depends on its ability to invest in its critical infrastructure. Maintaining and upgrading the nation’s infrastructure is a multi-faceted project that requires federal assistance. Although local and state governments have taken a highly aggressive approach to tackling their infrastructure needs, their ability to finance their infrastructure projects is limited by both the escalating costs of these commitments along with a decreasing ability to borrow from credit strained markets.
 
Fortunately the Obama administration has committed the federal government to increasing it’s financing and support for infrastructure improvement throughout the country.

Issue Areas
 

Address future infrastructure needs through a mix of funding sources: An infrastructure bank could be a viable and efficient means by which the federal government provides financing for infrastructure projects. The Bank could provide up to $60 billion over 10 years to help finance selected infrastructure projects across the country. For oversight, these projects would have to be approved by the Bank’s independent commission (whose members would be nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate). This commission would use its expertise in evaluating projects to target those projects that are in most need of financing.

Support Redevelopment of Brownfields:  Brownfield Redevelopment not only reduces environmental contamination in metro communities, but it provides jobs and new sources of tax revenues (from the redeveloped properties). According to a US Conference of Mayors survey, 188 cities (out of 209) estimated that they had about 24,896 Brownfield sites (average size: 13.92 acres). Of these sites, 3,282 had been classified as sites in which the current owner had no plans to either redevlop or sell (because of environmental liability). To help to improve these sites, Congress should support programs that help to redevelop these sites and place them back into productive use.

Prioritize alternative energy and public transit projects: To ensure that the nation continues to move toward a cleaner and greener future, the federal government needs to make use of alternative energy and expanded public transit as a priority for the next surface transportation law. Moreover, metro areas should be given more control and flexibility in implementing programs involving green infrastructure projects.

Fund rehabilitation of aging water infrastructure: Help the nation's communities rehab aging water infrastructure by providing increased SRF loan funding.

Support Repair of the nation’s school buildings: (1) Conduct an updated study on the state of the nation’s school buildings; (2) increase federal grants for school building repair in high poverty/high need school districts; (3) promote school construction through the use of federal tax credits; and (4) provide direct federal aid for school construction and repair.