Infrastructure Economic Stimulus in the News

Here is a clearinghouse of links to recent articles and posts on the how the economic stimulus package is effecting infrastructure.

Bill Would Axe Stimulus Plaques (Infrastructure Watch, July 1, 2009)
Hydropower Funding Available (Infrastructure Watch, July 1, 2009)
Missouri Receives Federal Funds for Energy Program (Infrastructure Watch, July 1, 2009)

Stimulus Buying A Lot Of New Highways, Not Much New Transit (Reed, J., The Infrastructurist, June 30, 2009)
Some transit stimulus now available for operating costs (The Dig, Blueprint America, PBS, June 30, 2009)
Missouri Receives Stimulus Funds for Water Quality Management Planning (Infrastructure Watch, June 22, 2009)
Transportation Department Releases Guidelines for Stimulus Funding of High-Speed Rail (Infrastructure Watch, June 22, 2009)
Federal Officials Discuss High-Speed Rail with State Officials (Infrastructure Watch, June 8, 2009)
Missouri Plans for SRF Funds from the Recovery Act (Infrastructure Watch, June 1, 2009)
the lion in winter: interview with Norman Mineta (Solomon, Mark B., DC Velocity, June 2009)

Coverage of Infrastructure Economic Stimulus (Infrastructure Watch, May 14, 2009)

Hydropower Funding Available

The Department of Energy announced up to $32 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to modernize the existing hydropower infrastructure. The department will competitively award funds to a variety of non-Federal hydropower projects that can be developed without significant modifications to dams and with a minimum of regulatory delay.

Projects will be selected in two areas:

-Deployment of Hydropower Upgrades at Projects Greater than 50 MW: These include projects at large, non-Federal facilities (greater than 50 MW capacity) with existing or advanced technologies that will enable improved environmental performance and significant new generation.

-Deployment of Hydropower Upgrades at Projects Less than 50 MW: These include projects at small-scale non-Federal facilities (less than 50 MWs) with existing or advanced technologies that will enable improved environmental performance and significant new generation.

Letters of intent are due July 22nd, 2009, and completed applications August 20th, 2009. The complete Funding Opportunity Announcement number, DE-FOA-0000120, can be viewed at FedConnect.net. Projects are expected to begin in Fiscal Year 2010.

You can read the full Department of Energy news release here.

Missouri Receives Federal Funds for Energy Program

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced $22.9 million in recovery act funding to support energy efficiency projects in Missouri. The Department of Energy’s (DOE) State Energy Program (SEP) funds state plans that prioritize energy savings, create or retain jobs, increase the use of renewable energy, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Missouri has now received 50 percent of its total SEP funding authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. DOE will release the remaining once the state meet reporting, oversight, and accountability milestones.

With SEP funding, Missouri will expand its existing Energy Center program, which includes a variety of home efficiency programs, building energy codes, and education and training initiatives. The funding will go toward encouraging Missourians to reduce their energy consumption by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes, industrial facilities, agricultural operations, transportation, schools and local governments. The state will focus on finding energy efficiency opportunities in its five most energy-intensive industries: aluminum, chemicals, food products, metal casting, and forest products including paper. These energy-intensive industries will be examined to determine specific, targeted activities to increase energy efficiency. The state intends to increase industrial and manufacturing energy efficiency through a multi-faceted program that may include energy audits, rebates and low-interest loans, workshops and development of a web-based audit tool.

After demonstrating successful implementation of its plan, the state will receive more than $28.6 million in additional funding, for a total of more than $57 million.

See the original Department of Energy news release here.

Bill Would Axe Stimulus Plaques

Sen. Judd Gregg (NH) has introduced a bill (S. 1318) that would prohibit the use of stimulus funds to put signage on projects that identify them as being funded by the stimulus package.

Federal Energy Nominations

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Warren F. "Pete" Miller, Jr., Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy--Miller presently serves as a part time Professor at Texas A&M University and is a resident of Albuquerque, NM. Dr. Miller is originally from Chicago, Illinois. He holds a BS from the United States Military Academy at West Point; is a Vietnam veteran; and holds a PhD in Nuclear Engineering from Northwestern University. Dr. Miller served for many years as a researcher and administrator at Los Alamos National Laboratory, retiring in 2001. He was elected as Fellow of the American Nuclear Society in 1982. He was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering in 1996.

FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION

John R. Norris, Commissioner-- Norris is currently serving as Chief of Staff for Secretary Tom Vilsack at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Prior to joining the USDA, Norris served as Chairman of the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) from 2005 to 2009. As a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) he worked on the Electricity Committee and was Co-Chair of the 2009 National Electricity Delivery Forum. He served as a Board Member, Secretary and President of the Organization of Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO) States as well as Chairman of the MISO Demand Response Working Group. He also was a member of the FERC/NARUC Demand Response Collaborative. Norris was on the Board of Directors of the National Regulatory Research Institute, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Iowa Power Fund and served on the Advisory Councils of the Iowa Energy Center, the Financial Research Institute for the University of Missouri College of Business and the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research at the University of Iowa. In 1999 and 2000 he was Chairman of the Iowa Electric Restructuring Task Force while serving as Chief of Staff for then Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack. Norris also worked for U.S. Representative Leonard Boswell (IA-3rd) as Boswell's Chief of Staff from 1997 to 1998. From 1989 to 2003 he owned and managed a restaurant in Greenfield, Iowa and he was State Director of the Iowa Farm Unity Coalition during the Farm Crisis of the 1980's. Norris graduated with distinction from the College of Law at the University of Iowa in 1995 and received his undergraduate degree in 1981 from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa.

Related articles and posts:
Original Department of Energy news release
Energy Appointments Confirmed
Federal Infrastructure & Environment Nominees Announced
Federal Nominees for Infrastructure and Environment Posts Announced
More Federal Environment & Infrastructure Nominees Announced
More Federal Environment and Infrastructure Appointees Announced
New Chief of Natural Resources Conservation Service Named
Nominations for Federal Environmental and Infrastructure Posts Announced
Ray H. LaHood Appointed Secretary of Transportation
Senate Approves Environmental Appointments

Federal Agencies Agree on Sustainable Communities Principals

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced an interagency partnership for sustainable communities. Testifying together before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, they outlined the six guiding ‘livability principles’ they will use to coordinate federal transportation, environmental protection, and housing investments at their respective agencies.

The six livability principles that will act as a foundation for interagency coordination are

1. Provide more transportation choices. Develop safe, reliable and economical transportation choices to decrease household transportation costs, reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote public health.

2. Promote equitable, affordable housing. Expand location- and energy-efficient housing choices for people of all ages, incomes, races and ethnicities to increase mobility and lower the combined cost of housing and transportation.

3. Enhance economic competitiveness. Improve economic competitiveness through reliable and timely access to employment centers, educational opportunities, services and other basic needs by workers as well as expanded business access to markets.

4. Support existing communities. Target federal funding toward existing communities – through such strategies as transit-oriented, mixed-use development and land recycling – to increase community revitalization, improve the efficiency of public works investments, and safeguard rural landscapes.

5. Coordinate policies and leverage investment. Align federal policies and funding to remove barriers to collaboration, leverage funding and increase the accountability and effectiveness of all levels of government to plan for future growth, including making smart energy choices such as locally generated renewable energy.

6. Value communities and neighborhoods. Enhance the unique characteristics of all communities by investing in healthy, safe and walkable neighborhoods – rural, urban or suburban.

Related articles and posts:
Original DOT news release
Federal Housing and Transportation Agencies Team Up

Transportation Department Releases Guidelines for Stimulus Funding of High-Speed Rail

The Department of Transportation (DOT) released guidelines, which can be found at http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/2243, for funding of high-speed rail projects under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. The program offers grants for both planning and construction so that states can apply for funds for project in any stage of development their project.

The guidance allows DOT to actively promote standard specifications for rail cars and other equipment. The Federal Railroad Administration will award the first round of grants by mid-September.

Related articles and posts:
Original DOT news release
Federal Officials Discuss High-Speed Rail with State Officials

Missouri Receives Stimulus Funds for Water Quality Management Planning

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $1,097,400 to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. A total of almost $40 million will be awarded nationally to states for Water Quality Management Planning (WQMP) grants.

WQMP grants support a broad range of activities, such as setting standards, monitoring the quality of the water, developing plans to restore polluted waters, and identifying ways to protect healthy waters from becoming polluted. Grants are awarded to state agencies and some of the funds can be awarded to regional and interstate planning organizations.

Related articles and posts:
Original EPA news release
Missouri Plans for SRF Funds from the Recovery Act

Bill Introduced to Improve, Tax Freight Transportation

Rep. Adam Smith (WA) has introduced a bill (H.R. 2707) that would create a federal program that would make grants to states to improve highway, railroads and their intersections to improve freight transportation. The program would be supported by a tax of 1 percent of the value of freight rail and commercial ground transportation.

Federal Officials Discuss High-Speed Rail with State Officials

Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood discussed high-speed rail plans during with state officials at the White House. In April, the administration released a plan for $13 billion in federal funds ($8 billion in the Recovery Act and $5 billion budget) for passenger rail systems. Detailed guidance for up to the first $8 billion in federal grant applications will be announced later this month and the first round of grants are expected to be awarded as soon as late summer 2009.

Several governors and state transportation officials attended including Governor Jay Nixon of Missouri.

You can read the original Department of Transportation news release here.

Related posts and articles:
Economic Stimulus Funds 2000 Transportation Projects
Obama Signs Stimulus Bill
U.S. Transportation Dept. Releases Budget Framework

Highway Fund in Continued Trouble; Empty by August

Concern over the Federal Highway Trust Fund continues. The latest estimate is the fund will run out of money by August. The fund is the primary source of funding for federal highway projects (mainly managed as grants to states), and is paid for with federal fuel taxes. Federal gas tax revenues have been declining in recent years.

Related posts and articles:
Administration: Highway fund to go broke in August
Senator: Highway fund will go broke in August
U.S. fund for highways near empty: Senator
U.S. Highway Fund Low on Cash Again

Energy Appointments Confirmed

The Senate confirmed six Department of Energy (DOE) nominees, including Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman, Under Secretary for Energy Kristina Johnson, and Under Secretary for Science Steven Koonin. Also confirmed this week were Scott Blake Harris, General Counsel; David Sandalow, Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs; and Ines Triay, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management.

Since 2001, Daniel B. Poneman was a Principal of The Scowcroft Group, an international business advisory firm based in Washington, D.C. Prior to that he was a partner in the law firm of Hogan & Hartson. From 1993 through 1996, Poneman served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Nonproliferation and Export Controls at the National Security Council. He joined the NSC staff in 1990 as Director of Defense Policy and Arms Control, after serving as a White House Fellow in the Department of Energy. Poneman coauthored Going Critical: The First North Korean Nuclear Crisis, which received the 2005 Douglas Dillon Award for Distinguished Writing on American Diplomacy. He received A.B. and J.D. degrees with honors from Harvard, and an M.Litt. in politics from Oxford University.

Kristina M. Johnson was previously the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs of Johns Hopkins University. Prior to that, Johnson served as the Dean of Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering from 1999-2007 where she helped to set up interdisciplinary efforts in photonics, bioengineering and biologically inspired materials, and energy and the environment. Before that she was on the faculty of the University of Colorado, Boulder from 1985-1999 where she led an NSF Engineering Research Center and involved engineers, mathematicians, physicists, chemists and psychologists in working to make computers faster and better connected. Johnson is an electrical engineer with more than 129 US and foreign patents or patents pending.

Dr. Steven E. Koonin was previously Chief Scientist for BP, plc, where he was responsible for guiding the company's long-range technology strategy, particularly in alternative and renewable energy sources. Koonin joined BP in 2004 following a 29-year career at the California Institute of Technology as a Professor of Theoretical Physics, including a 9-year term as the Institute's Provost. He has served on numerous advisory bodies for the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Energy and its various national laboratories. Koonin's research interests have included theoretical and computational physics, as well as global environmental science. He did his undergraduate work at Caltech and has a PhD from MIT.

Scott Blake Harris was Managing Partner of Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP, a Washington, D.C. law firm with nationally known telecommunications, litigation, and appellate practices. From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Harris served as the first chief of the International Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission. Before joining the Commission, he was Chief Counsel for Export Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Prior to government service, Mr. Harris was a partner at the law firm of Williams & Connolly. Mr. Harris is a magna cum laude graduate of both Brown University and Harvard Law School.

David Sandalow was most recently Energy & Environment Scholar and a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program of the Brookings Institution. He is the author of Freedom from Oil (2008) and has written widely on energy and environmental policy. Previously, Sandalow served as Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment & Science; Senior Director for Environmental Affairs, National Security Council; Associate Director for the Global Environment, White House Council on Environmental Quality, and Executive Vice President, World Wildlife Fund-US. Sandalow is a graduate of Yale College (BA Philosophy) and the University of Michigan Law School (JD).

Dr. Ines Triay spent 14 years at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico before moving to the Department of Energy, first in the Carlsbad field office and then in the Washington, DC headquarters. In 2005, Triay became the Chief Operating Officer for Environmental Management, and she was named to the top career position there in October, 2007. In this capacity, she served as the acting Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management since November, 2008. Triay was born in Cuba and came to the US when she was 3 years old. Raised in Puerto Rico, she earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Miami, Florida and conducted her post-doctoral studies at Los Alamos.

You can read the original news release here.

Federal Nominees for Infrastructure and Environment Posts Announced

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

James J. Markowsky, Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy--Markowsky is currently a consultant in the energy and electric power generation area, a member of the National Research Council's Committee on America's Energy Future and a Member and the Chair of the National Academy of Engineering's Section 6 - Electric Power/Energy Systems Committee. Previously, Markowsky was the President of Research and Development Solution, LLC, from 2004 - 2005 where he was involved in providing technical support services, including R&D technology planning and analysis; R&D project planning and analysis; and R&D operations and process engineering, design and analysis to DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratories. Before that he was executive vice president of power generation, at American Electric Power Service Corporation(AEP), where his responsibilities included providing overall administrative, operational, and technical direction for the AEP System's 21,000MWe coal and 800 MWe hydro power generating facilities. Markowsky's career with AEP extended from 1971 - 2000, and his other positions included; executive vice president of engineering and construction, senior vice president and chief engineer, vice president - mechanical engineering, assistant vice president - mechanical engineering, AEP Sloan Fellow, and section manager.

Markowsky received several awards including the Washington Coal Club's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002 and has 26 publications in the area of power generation and fossil energy. He earned degrees from: Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MS in Industrial Management -1981; Cornell University - Ph.D. in 1971 and MS in 1970, both in Mechanical Engineering; and Pratt Institute - Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering -1967.

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Polly Trottenberg, Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy--Trottenberg serves as Executive Director of Building America's Future, a national bipartisan coalition that supports U.S. infrastructure investment and a more accountable, sustainable and performance-driven national transportation policy. Building America's Future is chaired by Governor Edward G. Rendell, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and has a membership of elected officials from across the U.S. Prior to joining Building America's Future, Trottenberg served in the U.S. Senate for 12 years, most recently as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for Senator Barbara Boxer, and worked extensively on transportation policy.

She also served as Legislative Director for Senator Charles Schumer and as Legislative Assistant for Transportation, Public Works and Environment for the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Trottenberg previously worked at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Massachusetts Port Authority on aviation and transportation finance issues, and on the Joint Commerce and Labor Committee of the Massachusetts State Senate. She received her Master's in Public Policy from Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government and her BA in American History from Columbia University, Barnard College.

Read the original news release here.

Another National Infrastructure Bank Bill Proposed

Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (CT) has introduced the National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2009 (H.R. 2521). The bill would create a government owned corporation that could buy and sell bonds, make and guarantee loans and undertake similar activity for the purpose of financing a variety of infrastructure projects. The bank would be capitalized by $5 billion, with possibly more in callable capital, a year from the Department of Treasury from 2010 to 2014. The law would close the bank after 15 years.

Other articles and posts related to a national infrastructure bank:
Building the National Infrastructure Bank-Analysis: The Bank Not Built
Building the National Infrastructure Bank-Overview
Building the National Infrastructure Bank-Transcript: California I-Bank Interview
Building the National Infrastructure Bank-Video: Felix Rohatyn Interview
Infrastructure Bank Plan Gaining Attention And Momentum
Senators Propose National Infrastructure Bank
Stimulus Funds Making Their Way to Transportation Projects

Missouri Plans for SRF Funds from the Recovery Act

Missouri has released plans for more than $146 million for drinking water and wastewater made available by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Copies of the plans (one covers the clean water state revolving fund [SRF] and the other the drinking water SRF) are available here along with instructions for submitting comments. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is accepting comments on the plans until June 3.

Missouri is the only state in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 7 that has not received its portion of these funds. The other states in that region are Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska.

Related articles and posts:
EPA Announces $24 Million Recovery Act Funds for Water Infrastructure Projects in Iowa to Boost Economy, Create Jobs and Protect Public Health
EPA Announces $53 Million Recovery Act Funds for Wastewater Infrastructure Projects in Iowa to Boost Economy, Create Jobs and Protect the Environment
EPA Announces $19.5 Million in Stimulus Funds for Water Infrastructure Projects in Kansas to Boost Economy, Create Jobs and Protect Public Health
EPA Announces $35 Million in Recovery Act for Wastewater Infrastructure Projects in Kansas to Boost Economy, Create Jobs and Protect Public Health
EPA Announces $19.5 Million in Stimulus Funds for Water Infrastructure Projects in Nebraska to Boost Economy, Create Jobs and Protect Public Health
EPA Announces $20 Million in Stimulus Funds for Wastewater Infrastructure Projects in Nebraska to Boost Economy, Create Jobs and Protect the Environment

Missouri Communities Receive $1.36 Mill in Brownfield Grants

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced today the availability of an estimated $1,360,000 in grants, bolstered by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to help communities in Missouri clean brownfields. The grants, which include $800,000 from the Recovery Act of 2009 and $560,000 from the EPA brownfields general program funding, will help restore former industrial and commercial sites to productive use.

Successful applicants in Missouri include:

-Kansas City which will receive $200,000 in Recovery Act funds to clean up the former Greyhound Bus Terminal as part of the East Village Project.

-Springfield which will receive $200,000 in Recovery Act funds to clean up the Jordan Valley West Meadows Site 4.

-Springfield which will receive $400,000 in Recovery Act funds to address community-wide hazardous waste and petroleum.

-Beacon Hill Homeowners Association (Kansas City) which will receive $160,000 in brownfields general program funds to clean up four lots in the Beacon Hill neighborhood.

-St. Louis Land Reutilization Authority which will receive $400,000 to clean up hazardous waste and the former ATCOM Site, and to clean up petroleum at the Former Porter Oil Site.

The grants will help to assess, clean up and redevelop abandoned, contaminated properties known as brownfields. Brownfields are sites where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.

For more information on brownfields cleanup revolving loan fund pilots and grants, and other brownfields activities under the Recovery Act, go to: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/eparecovery/index.htm.

For more information on the EPA Region 7 brownfields recipients and their pilots, go to: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields.

Bill Would Create National Tunnel Inspection Program

Rep. Michael Capuano (MA) has introduced a bill that would establish a national tunnel inspection program (H.R. 2232). The bill would require the Secretary of Transportation to create standards for highway tunnel inspections and state tunnel management programs, produce procedures for national certification of highway tunnel inspectors and compile a national tunnel inventory.

City Utilitiesn of Springfield (MO) Joins Water Coalition

The City Utilities of Springfield, which operates the drinking water system for Springfield, MO, has joined the Tri-State Water Resources Coalition. The coalition is made up of communities and water utilities in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.

Related Posts and Articles
Missouri, Arkansas team up to tackle water quality
Missouri Water Resources News
More water sources are required for future

Coverage of Infrastructure Economic Stimulus

Here is a clearinghouse of links to recent articles and posts on the how the economic stimulus package is effecting infrastructure.

Stimulus funding slots $615.8 million for rural water (AWWA Streamlines, May 12, 2009)
Stimulus funds roll out to First Coast military projects (Gibbons, T., Florida Times-Union, May 12, 2009)
Cities cry foul on stimulus cash (Sataline, S., Wall Street Journal, May 11, 2009)
The Impact of ARRA on the Water Industry (Water World, May 2009)

U.S. government awaits effects of stimulus bill (Lambert, L., Reuters, Apr. 29, 2009)
Smart Grid Program Announced (Infrastructure Watch, Apr. 21, 2009)
Missouri Selects Transportation Projects for Economic Stimulus Funding (Infrastructure Watch, Apr. 15, 2009)
Missouri to Hold Public Meeting on Economic Stimulus for Weatherization Program (Infrastructure Watch, Apr. 15, 2009)
Coverage of Infrastructure in Economic Stimulus (Infrastructure Watch, Apr. 14, 2009)
Stimulus money starts flowing, but questions remain (Plank, D., AWWA Streamlines, Apr. 14, 2009)

Missouri Receives $185 Mill for Weatherization, Energy

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced the award of $43,779,300 for state, county and city efforts in Missouri. This is in addition to an investment of $185,541,027 in Missouri weatherization and energy funding.

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program provides formula grants for projects that reduce total energy use and fossil fuel emissions, and improve energy efficiency. The funding will support energy audits and energy efficiency retrofits in residential and commercial buildings, the development and implementation of advanced building codes and inspections, and the creation of financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements. Other activities eligible for use of grant funds include transportation programs that conserve energy, projects to reduce and capture methane and other greenhouse gas emissions from landfills, renewable energy installations on government buildings, energy efficient traffic signals and street lights, deployment of Combined Heat and Power and district heating and cooling systems, and others.

You can find the full DOE news release here.

Bill Introduced to Bring Back the Streetcar

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR) has introduced the Federal Streetcar Revitalization Act of 2009 (H.R. 2164). The bill would increase federal funding for streetcar capital improvements and make some changes to the program.

May 9 is National Train Day

Amtrak has declared May 9 to be National Train Day. You can find out more about it by reading this resolution from the House of Representatives.

Bill Would Require Surface Transportation Inspections by Public Employees

Representative Bob Filner (CA) has introduced the Safety, Efficiency, and Accountability in Transportation Projects Through Public Inspection Act of 2009 (H.R. 2104). The bill would require that public employees conduct all construction inspections for surface transportation projects receiving federal funds.

Drinking Water Week May 3-9

Drinking Water Week will be observed May 3-9. You can find information and resources at the Drinking Water Week web site.

House Passes National Water Research and Development Initiative Act

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the National Water Research and Development Initiative Act of 2009 (H.R. 1145). IW previously posted a summary of the bill here.

Kansas City Launches Infrastructure Blog

The Kansas City (MO) Council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has started a blog to inform about infrastructure issues in the city. You can read the blog at http://kctransprotation.kcmo.org.

More Federal Environment & Infrastructure Nominees Announced

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works)--Ms. Darcy is currently Senior Environmental Advisor to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, working to develop energy, environmental and conservation initiatives using the tax code. Previously, she served as Senior Policy Advisor, Deputy Staff Director and Professional Staff on the U.S. Senate Committee on Environmental and Public Works. Darcy has held a number of other positions, including Executive Director at the Great Lakes and Water Resources Planning Commission in Michigan, Assistant to the Director of Personnel for Gubernatorial Appointments for the Office of the Michigan Governor and Legislative and Policy Analyst in the U.S. House of Representatives Banking Subcommittee on Economic Stabilization. Darcy holds a Master of Science in Resource Development from Michigan State University.

DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR

Anne Castle, Assistant Secretary for Water and Science--Anne Castle joined Holland & Hart LLP as a lawyer in 1981 and became a partner in 1987. She is a practitioner in water rights and water quality law, and has over twenty-five years of experience in water rights practice. She has represented a wide variety of clients in water court litigation, including adjudications of water rights, changes in water rights and plans for augmentation, and appeals. She has also represented clients in numerous water rights and water quality administrative proceedings. Her practice includes water rights conveyancing, contracts for purchase, use, and supply of water, and the evaluation and assessment of water rights. Castle is the former Chair of Holland & Hart’s Management Committee (2002 to 2004) and former Chair of the firm’s Natural Resources Department (1998 to 2001). In 2004, members of the Colorado Bar voted her the top water lawyer in the Denver Business Journal’s Best of the Bar survey. She was a finalist for Outstanding Women in Business–Professional Services awarded by the Denver Business Journal in 2005. Castle was appointed by Governor Bill Ritter to the South Platte River Task Force in 2007. She was designated "Best of the Bar" in Water Law in 2006-2008 and was listed in Best Lawyers in America for water law in 2007, the first year in which water law was a listed category, and again in 2008. Ms. Castle was honored in 2008 by the Women’s Vision Foundation with its Woman of Vision Award and was featured in Law Practice Management magazine (Oct. / Nov. 2008) in its "Leadership Profile."

Deanna A. Archleta, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science--Since January 2008, Archuleta has been board chair of the Bernalillo County (Albuquerque) Water Utility, overseeing the completion of the San Juan Chama Drinking Water Project, one of the largest water treatment facilities in the United States. This multi-million dollar treatment plant provides clean drinking water to more than 600,000 residents of the Albuquerque area.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Peter S. Silva, Assistant Administrator for Water Programs--Peter S. Silva is a Civil Engineer with nearly 32 years of experience in the water and wastewater fields. He has served in varying capacities in the public sector specializing in water resources policy with extensive experience in U.S.-Mexico border issues. Mr. Silva currently is a Senior Policy Advisor for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Prior to this he was the Vice-Chair of the California Water Resources Control Board for six years, having been appointed by both Governors Davis and Schwarzenegger. Mr. Silva was appointed by President Clinton to serve for three years on the Board of the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC). He also served as the BECC Deputy General Manager for three years in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. His other experience includes ten years at the City of San Diego, four years in charge of the IBWC San Diego office and five years with the California RWQB in San Diego. Mr. Silva lives in the community of Jamul, California with his wife, Ana and son, Diego. He is a registered Civil Engineer in the state of California.

Mathy V. Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response--Mathy Stanislaus has over 20 years of experience in the environmental field, primarily in the areas of brownfields, Superfund and solid waste. He is an environmental lawyer and chemical engineer. Mr. Stanislaus co-founded and currently co-directs New Partners for Community Revitalization, Inc. (NPCR), a unique not-for-profit organization whose mission is to advance the renewal of New York's low and moderate income neighborhoods and through the redevelopment of brownfield sites. Mr. Stanislaus has been an advisor to the USEPA, other federal government agencies, Congress and the United Nations on a variety of environmental issues. Mr. Stanislaus served as assistant regional counsel for the United States Environmental Protection Agency in its New York Region II Offices. He was responsible for all aspects of enforcement cases brought under CERCLA (Superfund), and Emergency Planning & Community Right to Know Act. He is a current board member of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, Inc. Mr. Stanislaus was born in Sri Lanka and immigrated to the United States.

You can read the original news releases here, here and here.

Other recent nominations and appointments:
Federal Infrastructure & Environment Nominees Announced
More Federal Environment and Infrastructure Appointees Announced
New Chief of Natural Resources Conservation Service Named
Nominations for Federal Environmental and Infrastructure Posts Announced
Ray H. LaHood Appointed Secretary of Transportation
Senate Approves Environmental Appointments