Book Review: The Big Roads by Earls Swift

Swift, Earl.  The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011.

The American interstate system is often thought to be a product of the Eisenhower administration.  It’s named for him.  However, the nearly 47,000 miles of interstate were conceived largely before Eisenhower’s presidency.  Even as he observed the Army’s 62-day, cross-country convoy of 1919, engineers were laying the political and technical foundations of national highways.  Earl Swift tells this longer history of the interstates in The Big Roads.

When Americans began calling for better roads, the typical road was mud.  The loudest calls for better roads at the beginning of the 20^th Century were cyclists, especially the colorful Carl Fisher.  Fisher’s most famous work is the Indianapolis Speedway, where a popular 500-mile race continues to be run.  His promotion of the Lincoln Highway, the first coast-to-coast highway (at least on paper), provided an important antecedent to the interstates.

The Lincoln Highway Association operated on a system that informed later highway development.  Rather than build a huge new highway, it selected existing roads for improvement, joining them together in a highway.  New roads were built only if necessary.  The association, a private organization that raised private funds for road improvement and route promotion, was a model for later systems in another way.  The Lincoln Highway was built and improved in pieces by a number of local and state agencies.  The association provided a route, coordination, promotion, encouragement, and sometimes funding, but the road improvements were mostly local works.

Thomas MacDonald, an Iowa highway engineer, was using a similar model as he worked for that state.  He worked with city and county road departments to coordinate improvements leading to a statewide system of decent roads.  When he became director of the Office of Public Roads, he brought this model to the federal highway program, institutionalizing it in the Federal Aid system that began in 1916.

Of course, the U.S. highways that developed under this system were not like modern interstates.  They were open to anyone along them.  In rural areas, they might have been and often still are long ribbons of pavement crossed by the occasional farm road.  In cities, they became crowded with business, especially restaurants and gas stations, that slowed traffic to a crawl.  This problems gave rise to the concept of a limited-access highway, first proposed by Benton MacKaye, the conservationist who conceived the Appalachian Trail.

MacDonald and his engineers began working the concept.  His office produced a report, authored primarily by Hubert Sinclair Fairbanks, that laid out most of the current interstate system in 1938.  Fairbanks supported that idea that better roads might solve problems related to slums and blight in cities.  The recommendations of this report and a follow-up commission were largely implemented in law in 1944, when the term “interstate” first appeared in legislation.

The plans for an interstate system languished during World War II and the years immediately following.  Eisenhower comes into the picture at this time because he strongly supported funding for the interstate system.

Highway engineers saw themselves as providing a good and giving the people what they wanted.  Along the way, as Fairbanks suggested, they could clean up the cities.  As they began to implement their plans in earnest, opposition arose.

Swift gives particular attention to two interstate opponents.  Critic Lewis Mumford provided the intellectual and philosophical foundation for the Freeway Revolt.  Joe Wiles, a black professional and veteran, organized opposition to Interstate 70 in Baltimore which resulted in changes to the plan and help unite the white and black communities in that city.  The federal and state governments began to take seriously the possibility that interstates could have a negative impact on the communities near them

The intestate system, finally completed in the 1990s, is the largest public works project in history.  Now that it is built, it needs to be maintained.  It will be expensive: $225 billion a year for the next 50 years to keep it in good shape.  That is more than twice what we’re spending.  In addition, improved fuel efficiency and reduced driving prompted by the economic downturn has reduced gas tax revenues for the Highway Trust Fund.  In the near future, we may need to find new ways to pay for maintaining our transportation marvel.

The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways

If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in

The Brooklyn Bridge by Judith St. George

Canals and Their Architecture by Robert Harris

Dreams of Iron and Steel by Deborah Cadbury

The Great Bridge by David McCollough

On the Mainlines by William B. Claycomb

This review of The Big Roads by Earl Swift appears courtesy of Keenan’s Book Reviews, where you can reviews of other books related to engineering and technology.

President Calls for Transportation Funding to Stimulate Jobs Growth

In a recent speech, President Barack Obama indicated he plans to fund highway and bridge repair and rehabilitation as a way to increase jobs. He has called for this to be implemented legislatively through a six-year highway bill. Representative John Mica (FL), chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has indicated his willingness to consider a short-term reauthorization of the current highway bill. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has approved a bill to extend Federal-aid highway programs (S. 1525).

The president is not the only one to use the Labor Day holiday as an opportunity to call for infrastructure investment with an eye for increasing jobs. The American Institute of Architects and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) released a joint statement calling for investment in a variety of infrastructure. AGC, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association called specifically for a six-year transportation bill.

Related posts and articles:
Another Temporary Extension as House and Senate Confront Their Differences
Boxer Files Highway Trust Fund Extension
Congress of Deadlines
Congress to Take Up Transportation Bill, Infrastructure Bank
GOP Questions Highway Plan
Highway Extension Bill Clears Senate Committee
Highway Fund in Continued Trouble; Empty by August
Oberstar Proposes to Float Loan to Highway Trust Fund
Returning to Dust: Our Aging Infrastructure
Senate EPW Approves Transportation Extension

Highway Funding

Infrastructure Watch previously posted about the dwindling Highway Trust Fund.  One of the reasons this fund has shrunk is that it is supported by taxes on gasoline.  Improvements in fuel efficiency and changes in driving habits have reduced revenues from gas taxes.

This is issue for states as well as the federal government.  Like the Highway Trust Fund, most state highway revenues come from gas taxes.  At all levels of government, people are looking for alternative sources of revenue.  Some of the proposals include increasing gas taxes, sales taxes, miles-traveled taxes, increasing fees, and new or increased tolls.

Increased Gas Tax

One approach is to simply increase the tax on gas.  In 13 states, it has been 20 years or more since the gas tax has changed.

Sales Tax

Some states are looking at supplementing highway funding with a sales tax.  Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has gone so far as to propose eliminating his states gas tax and replacing it with a sales tax to support transportation.  Though no other state has considered going so far, many have looked at increased or new sales taxes to supplement funds for highways.

Miles-Traveled Tax

The gas tax has some relation to road use because the more you drive the more gas you use.  Several states have looked at the possibility of directly taxing for roads based on use.  The difficulty of such a tax is that there needs to be a mechanism of tracking and reporting miles traveled.

Fees

Most states have fees for motor vehicle registration.  Some are considering increasing these fees and dedicating them completely to transportation.  It seems unlikely that these fees alone could replace losses in gas tax revenue.

Tolls

Tolls are a longstanding method of road funding.  One suggestion for raising road revenues is to increase toll and institute tolls on free roads.

Related posts and articles

Highway Trust Fund Running Out of Money (Infrastructure Watch, Feb. 9, 2012)

New tax hikes eyed for roads, transit (Copeland, L., USA Today, Jan. 28, 2012)

Time to tweak gas taxes? States weigh options (Copeland, L., USA Today, Jan. 28, 2012)

Quick Hits: Highway Funding (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 22, 2013)

Bureau of Transportation Statistics Releases Highway Bridge Report

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) recent released a report on highway bridges. The report summarizes information on bridges from several federal government sources and reports. Some of the interesting highlights of the report follow.

Bridge Conditions. In 2006, 74,000 bridges were found to be structurally deficient. This amounts to about 12 percent of highway bridges. Structurally deficient bridges are considered unsafe or likely to collapse, but need significant maintenance and may need weight or traffic limitations.

Spending. About $12 billion was spent on highway bridges in 2004. The vast majority, about $10.5 billions, was for rehabilitation and replacement of bridges.

Bridge Ownership. State and local governments own 98 percent of the bridges tracked by the Federal Highway Administration. The agency’s National Bridge Inventory includes all public road bridges over 20 feet long.

Rural vs. Urban Bridges. Urban interstate bridges, less than 5 percent of highway bridges, carry almost 35 percent of bridge traffic. Rural local bridges, about 35 percent of highway bridges, carry less than 2 percent of the traffic.

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

Oberstar Proposes to Float Loan to Highway Trust Fund

For some time now, projections have indicated that the Highway Trust Fund will shortly run out of money. The fund, which gets revenues from federal fuel taxes, is one of the primary sources of federal funding for highway projects.

Rep. James Oberstar (MN), chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, proposes loaning $130 million to the fund from the general treasury. The Highway Trust Fund would have to repay the loan beginning in the fifth year of the loan.

Related posts and articles:
Highway Fund in Continued Trouble; Empty by August
Oberstar proposes federal loan to fill highway funding gaps

Infrastructure & Environment Roudup

Drinking Water Supplies Threatened by Dry Weather

The Associated Press put together a nice, short summary the problem of shrinking water supplies.  You can read it at the NBC News site and see video of a related story.

Earthquake Preparedness: The Great Shakeout

February 7 will be the Great Central U.S. Shakeout.  If you’re a fellow Missourian, find more information at the Missouri Division of Geology.  If you live elsewhere in the central United States, check out the Shakeout Web site (participating states are Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Tennessee).

Highway Trust Fund Out of Money by 2015

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released projections of funds available in the Highway Trust Fund.  They expect it to have insufficient funds to meet obligations by fiscal year 2015.

The Highway Trust Fund is the primary source of money for the federal-aid highway system.  Revenues to the fund come primarily from the federal gas tax.

You can see the CBO projections here→.

Related posts and articles

Highway Trust Fund Running Out of Money (Infrastructure Watch, Feb. 9, 2012)

Hydropower Bill Reported Out of Committee

The Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013 (H.R. 267) was reported out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.  The bill would expand hydropower development.

Mississippi River Affected by Drought

We’ve been following stories about the effects of the prolonged drought on the Mississippi River.  Our posts have mostly related to barge traffic and the effort to keep the river open downstream of St. Louis.

NPR has posted an article about the effects at the mouth of the river.  One of the issues is salt water intrusion, which as the potential to change the water quality in that part of the river and has already reached the intake of one drinking water system in Louisiana.  Of course, barge traffic is an issue for New Orleans, too, because the port there is where goods move from river barges to ocean-going vessels.

Recently, barge traffic has been back up by an oil spill on the river, too.  Cleanup of the spill near Vicksburg, Mississippi, continues.

Related posts and articles

Mississippi River barge backup shrinks, oil cleanup continues (Plume, K., Reuters, Feb. 1, 2013)

Rock clearing on drought-hit Mississippi River nears completion (Plume, K., Reuters, Jan. 29, 2013)

Work to Keep Mississippi River Open Continues (Infrastructure Watch, Jan. 29, 2013)

New Staff Leader Announced for Senate Environment & Public Works Committee

Sen. Barbara Boxer (CA), chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, announced that Jeremy Symons will join the committee staff as Deputy Staff Director. He will focus on environmental issues, including clean water, air quality, wildlife, and climate change.  Symons currently serves as the Senior Vice President for Conservation and Education at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Previously, he was Executive Director of NWF's Climate Change Campaign, held positions in the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Air and Radiation, and served in Sen. Ron Wyden's (OR) office.

You can read the original news release here→.

Secretary Chu Leaving Energy

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced he will be resigning his post.  Other officials who announced their resignation include Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.

Related posts and articles

Outgoing Energy Secretary Warns Of Dangers Of Climate Change (Shogren, E., NPR, Feb. 1, 2013)

Highway Trust Fund Running Out of Money

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predicts that the Highway Trust Fund will be empty by 2014. Federal gas taxes support the fund and are greatly outpaced by spending. These predictions of the trust fund demise are getting to be a regular thing.

Link to the CBO report

Additional posts and articles
Boxer Files Highway Trust Fund Extension
CBO reports highway trust fund headed for bankruptcy in 2014
Highway Fund in Continued Trouble; Empty by August
Returning to Dust: Our Aging Infrastructure

In Congress

Congress rolls on, after its fashion, even when a blog pauses. Here is a summary of what our senators and representatives have been up to over the last few weeks.

Acronym Mongers Active in Legislature
The Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship Act (H.R. 3158) would set limitations for rules the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) might implement to control spills at animal feeding operations. Another bill would constrain EPA (S. 1702) would limit the agency’s regulation of emissions from stationary internal combustion engines used for electric power generation or water pumping, though it doesn’t have a clever name.

The Resources and Economic Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast Act of 2011 (H.R. 3096) would create a Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund to be funded from penalties from the Deepwater Horizon incident. The fund would support restoration efforts in the coastal states on the Gulf of Mexico. The bill would also create five centers for excellence for the study of effects of the spill and the restoration of the Gulf.

Agency Potentially Under the Ax

The EDA Elimination Act of 2011 (H.R. 3090) would repeal the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, which created the Economic Development Agency. The bill has been referred to various committees.

American Jobs Act
The American Jobs Act of 2011 (H.R. 12) rolls together a lot proposals into an omnibus, dare it be spoken, stimulus bill. A significant portion of the bill deals with employment tax relief, other tax reform and supporting education jobs and facilities. Only part of the bill deals with the kind of infrastructure we normally cover at Infrastructure Watch.

-Transportation appropriations. The bill would appropriate $39 billion to air, rail, port and highway transportation programs. In most cases, normal matching requirements would be waived.

-Infrastructure Bank. The bill incorporates the BUILD Act, the main purpose being the creation of a national infrastructure bank.

-Redevelopment. The bill appropriates $15 billion to the Department of Housing and Urban Development to make grants for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed properties.

A version of this bill was also introduced in the Senate (S. 1660). There are several other bills intended to create jobs and stimulate the economy.

The Jobs Through Growth Act (S. 1720) would, among other things, limit EPA’s rulemaking authority and ease the way for energy exploration in the continental shelf. The Rebuild America Jobs Act (S. 1769) would fund transportation projects and create an infrastructure bank, and increase taxes on people with incomes of $500,000 or more (I wish I had that kind of problem).

Appropriations
Appropriations acts, the only thing Congress really has to do every year, are making their way through the process.

-The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 (H.R. 2608) passed both houses.
-The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (S. 1596) was introduced to the Senate.

Bill Would Suspend Requirements for Highway Projects
Rep. Randy Forbes (VA) has introduced the 414 Plan Act of 2011 (H.R. 2924). The bill would suspend several federal requirements for federal-aid highway projects and highway safety construction. The suspension would last for five years. It would also repeal several laws relating to biking and pedestrian traffic.

Coal Combustion Product Regulation
The House of Representatives passed the Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act (H.R. 2273). This bill would put regulation of coal combustion products under Subpart D of the Solid Waste Disposal Act, essentially putting regulation in the hands of the states and heading off a potential determination from EPA that may have brought it under a federal regulatory program.

Congress Passes Bill to Extend Transportation Programs
Both houses have Congress have passed a bill (H.R. 2887) to extend several surface and air transportation programs through March 31, 2012. Long-term reauthorization is underway (S. 1786).

Related posts and articles
Congress of Deadlines
Congress to Take Up Transportation Bill, Infrastructure Bank
House Passes Transportation Bill

Energy Bill Has Unusual Name, Other Energy Proposals
In spite of its name, the Rebuild American Roads Act (H.R. 2983), would expedite plans for energy resource exploration and drilling in the continental shelf, especially in the Gulf of Mexico. The bills was introduced by Rep. Shelly Moore Capito (WV). The POWER Act (H.R. 2360) would make U.S. laws applicable on energy structures on the outer continental shelf.

The Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act of 2011 (H.R. 2842) would smooth the way for the development of hydropower generation projects in Reclamation water conveyances. The Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act of 2011 (S. 1775) would establish means to permit solar and wind energy projects on public lands and extend existing geothermal development programs.

Missouri River Priorities Contested
Rep. Sam Graves (MO) has introduced a bill (H.R. 2993) that would strike wildlife protection as priority for the Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River management plan and make flood control the top priority. S. 1795 would direct the Corps to address flood control specifically by increasing storage.

National Infrastructure Bank Bill
Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH) has introduced the National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2011 (S. 1550). The bank would be board-governed and make loans and loan guarantees of up to half the project cost to public sponsors of a variety of infrastructure projects. The bill would authorize appropriations of up to $5 billion annually through 2015 to capitalize the bank.

The American Jobs Act of 2011 (S. 1549) also includes an infrastructure bank proposal. That bill would establish the American Infrastructure Finance Authority to make loans and loan guarantees for transportation, water and energy infrastructure projects. This provision appears to be very similar to the BUILD Act.

A version of this bill was also introduced into the House of Representatives (H.R. 3259).

Related posts and articles
Calls for Infrastructure Bank Continue
Congress to Take Up Transportation Bill, Infrastructure Bank
President Proposes New Recovery Plan
President Sends Jobs Plan to Congress

Water Resources Infrastructure Bill Hits Senate
The Senate version of the Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act of 2011 (S. 1669) has been introduced. A similar bill was previously introduced in the House.

Related posts and articles
Water News: Water Resources Resilience Bill Introduced

All About Missouri This Week

Bill Prefiled to Ban Texting and Driving

Missouri State Senator David Pearce has prefiled a bill that would prohibit the use by all drivers of hand-held mobile phones to send, read or write text messages. Find out more here.

Gubernatorial Candidates Discuss Tranportation Funding (Just a Little)

So far, Missouri’s candidates for governor have provide few details about how the state will pay to maintain roads. Missouri is 7^th among the states in the size of its transportation system, but 47^th in state funding.

Candidate Catherine Hanaway suggested that the $200 million annually in state fuel tax revenues that is used to fund the Highway Patrol could be committed to transportation. The Highway Patrol would be funded from general revenue, though Hanaway’s plan does not provide specifics about how other general revenue-funded programs would be cut or how general revenue would be increased. You can find more about Hanaway’s proposal here.

The state General Assembly is also looking at the issue. A prefiled bill (HB 1381) would raise the state fuel tax from 17 cents to 19 cents per gallon.

First Woman Engineering Dean at University of Missouri

My alma mater, the University of Missouri College of Engineering, has named its 11^th dean, Elizabeth G. Loboa. She is the first woman to hold the position. Loboa has a background in biomedical engineer. Before coming to Mizzou, she held a joint appointment at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University.

Highway Commissioner Appointed

Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Hannibal-area lawyer John Briscoe to serve on the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission. The appointment must be confirmed by the Senate.

Springfield Buying Wind Energy

City Utilities of Springfield announced it will be buying energy from a wind farm to be built north of Oklahoma City, OK. The wind farm is being built by Duke Energy Renewables and is designed to produce 200 megawatts.

Energy & Transportation News

ENERGY

Missouri Municipal Electric Utilities, Governor Support Power Line Project

Earlier this year, the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) rejected a proposal for a power line that would carry electricity generated at wind farms in Kansas to the grid in Indiana. The PSC’s decision was based, in part, on the fact that no Missouri customers would use the line or the energy it carried.

Clean Line Energy, which proposed the project, has been looking to overcome this object. It has brokered a deal with the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission (MJMEUC), which represents a pool of municipal utilities that pool resources to by power. MJMEUC has 67 municipal utility member and 35 are expected to take part in the deal if it is approved.

In addition, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has expressed his support for the transmission line. In his statement, Nixon emphasized the energy savings and jobs that would be created the $500 million construction project.

The line must be approved by the Missouri PSC. It is likely to be opposed by affected landowners who campaigned against the original proposal. Official in Kansas, Illinois and Indiana have already approved the project.

What Are the Advantages of Microgrids?

This is the second in a series of posts on microgrids. See the previous post for a description of what is a microgrid.

Microgrids have several potential benefits. These include

-backup energy supply and improved reliability,

-environmental benefits,

-exploitation of local and alterative resources,

-increased energy efficiency and reduced energy consumption, and

-reduced cost.

Backup Energy Supply and Improved Reliability

Because microgrids can operate independently of the larger grid, they may be able to continue to operate when there is an outage elsewhere on the main grid.

Environmental Benefits

Microgrids are not inherently less polluting than large grids, but they may afford opportunities to manage energy resources in manners that may reduce pollution. Microgrids may be more easily able to exploit variable or small renewable sources including solar and wind energy. These smaller power supplies may also be able to address local peaks and reduce the need to ramp up production at larger, and potentially more polluting, power plants.

Exploit Local and Alternative Resources

Sometimes local energy resources are available that are not suitable for use on a large grid because they are not sufficiently powerful or reliable. Solar energy, an alternative energy source that is variable and relative low power, is an example of a resource that may be more easily exploited by a microgrid.

Reduced Cost

Microgrids might be managed in a manner to reduce costs. For instance, when prices are high during periods of peak demand, a microgrid might switch to a local power supply that is less expensive. This will also reduce the peak on the larger grid, meaning larger power plants do not have to ramp up production as much or be built to address large peaks.

If you’re interested in finding out more about microgrids, here are some resources to get you started.

How microgrids work (Lantero, A., Energy.gov, June 17, 2014)

What is a microgrid? (Infrastructure Watch, April 23, 2016)

TRANSPORTATION

60 Years of Interstate Highways

President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 on June 29 of that year. Though previous legislation had authorized interstate highways, it was under this act and the Eisenhower administration that our interstate system began in earnest.

Interstates have proven to be a safe way to travel (the fatality rate on interstates is less the rate on other routes).

Even so, the roads are showing signs of aging. Many sections are in poor condition and many bridges are structurally deficient.

Keeping up with the maintenance needs of the interstate system is an enormous task. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that the backlog if needed improvements totals $189 billion.

Relate Posts and Articles

At 60, U.S. Interstate Highway System is Showing Its Age (Hill, C., Equipment World, June 28, 2016)

Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 (Weingroff, R. F., Federal Highway Administration, June 15, 2015)

Missouri Legislature Fails to Act on Transportation Tax

Though a bill passed in the Missouri Senate, the state’s General Assembly did not act on a proposed fuel tax increase before closing its session in May. You can read more about this issue here.

COMPLAINTS DEPARTMENT

Blogger Considers Career Change

That doesn’t mean I’ll quit blogging. I’ve never made a living (or even a dime) from blogging, and it has always taken a back seat to other things. By day, I’m an employee of a state that pays the lowest wages of any state (even our legislators are starting to complain about it). Maybe I should cross the river and go back to school where I can learn to be a brewmaster, or possibly a vintner. As I recall, looking through the fog of a couple of decades, I did reasonably well in my undergraduate food processing class, so maybe I can build on that.

Energy, Transportation & Water News

ENERGY

Bill Would Change Electric Ratemaking in Missouri

State Rep. Rocky Miller, who represents parts of Camden and Miller Counties near Osage Beach, introduced the 21^st Century Grid Modernization and Security Act (HB2816). The bill would substantially change the state’s method of regulating electric utility rates. The method is modeled on processes in Illinois and would allow annual adjustments to electric rates.

Another portion of the bill substantially changes provision related to special electric rates for aluminum smelters. This is largely driven by Noranda, which operates smelter in New Madrid. It seems unlikely that lower or more flexible electric rates will save the company from plummeting aluminum prices.

With the exception of Noranda, large electricity users in Missouri have generally come out against the proposal. Some companies that have expressed opposition to the bill are Purina, Bayer, Ford, General Motors and Procter & Gamble. You can read more about this topic here.

Poop to Power Project Coming to North Carolina

Duke Energy has contracted with Carbon Cycle Energy for the construction and operation of a facility to process animal waste to produce methane gas for fuel. Waste will come from area pig and chicken farms. The gas will be piped to Duke plants as fuel in electric power generation.

North Carolina is the second largest pork producing state in the U.S. Duke is a major electric power producer, particularly in the Carolinas. Carbon Cycle is based in Colorado.

TRANSPORTATION

Barrel Bob Found

Barrel Bob, a character that serves as spokesman for worksite safety for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), was found in Columbia on April 1 (no fooling) after he was stolen from his roadside station at highway construction site in Jefferson City on March 19.   The statue, constructed from used orange and reflective white barrels and cones, was previously set on fire by vandals at this location.

This statue was one of seven Barrel Bobs. Each of MoDOT’s districts has one. Bob was scheduled to make appearances at events to promote highway worksite safety beginning April 11, so the agency had resorted to building a new statue before Bob was found. You can find out more here, here and here.

Missourians Could Vote on Fuel Tax Increase

A bill (SB623) is making its way through the Missouri Senate that could increase the state fuel tax from 17 cents per gallon to 22.9 cents per gallon. The tax, if implemented, is expected to bring in $240 million annually. The bill would place a referendum on the November ballot, meaning it would have to be approved directly by voters. Before getting that far, it must complete its path through the General Assembly. The Senate is expected to pass the bill in its final vote in the first full week of April. Afterward it will be considered by the state House of Representatives, where it is not expected to be warmly received. You can read more about this here, here and here.

Significant funding for Missouri roads comes from the federal government (which has its own funding issues). MoDOT is preparing to use cash reserves to match federal grants for transportation projects (more here).

Name a Missouri Highway

An alternative to increased fuel taxes could be the auctioning of naming rights for highways. There is no estimate of how much revenue it could raise, but I’ll go out on a limb to say not enough to persuade the General Assembly to this bill. You can read the bill here. I have the impression the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter who covered this story must have chuckled as he typed.

WATER

Antibiotic Resistance Found in Bacteria Downstream of Wastewater Discharge

Researchers studying the biofilm in a Spanish river found antibiotic resistance genes. These genes occurred as far as 1 km (0.6 mile) downstream from the of a wastewater treatment plant. The genes provide resistance to some antibiotics commonly used in hospitals. You can find more here. In response to the issue of pharmaceutical pollution, some chemists are considering biodegradable drugs.

Around America

American Infrastructure Investment Fund Act

Senators Jay Rockefeller (WV) and Frank Lautenburg (NJ) have introduced the American Infrastructure Investment Fund Act. This would create a transportation infrastructure bank. Streets Blog has some more information on the proposal.

Bills Pile Up While the Bills Pile Up

The Highway Trust Fund Reform Act of 2013 (H.R. 711) would eliminate federal prevailing wage requirements for federal-aid highway and public transportation projects. If this passes, expect it to have almost no effect on the cost of highway projects.

The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2013 (S. 335) would authorize the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make loans to entities for the improvement of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. Only large projects would be covered, with minimum loans for $20 million.

The Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act of 2013 (H.R. 765) would establish a grant program in EPA to assist water systems (broadly defined) with the protection of water resources.

Georgia Eyes Tennessee River

A bill in the Georgia state legislature could be the first step in the state’s effort to move it’s border with Tennessee to gain access to the Tennessee river. The border is in dispute because the line laid by surveyors is south of the border specified by Congress, though Georgia’s interest lays more in a desire for more water. You can read more about it in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Mississippi River Floods Caused $2.8 Billion in Damages in 2011

In 2012 and  2013, we’ve been following developments of drought impacts in the Mississippi River. Back in 2011, the news was flooding. ABC New reports that flooding caused $2.8 billion in damages in Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee

Sequestration

Do you have questions about the sequestration? A place to start may be the Q&A posted by the Congressional Budget Office.

Texas Rainy Day Fund May Pay for Water Resources Projects

We previously posted about a bill in the Texas Legislature that would provide $2 billion for the construction of projects in the state water plan, and how many mayors are supporting it. The Associated Press has a story on the subject, which you can read in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Missouri General Assembly Clears Way for Design-Build-Finance-Maintain Contracts for Highway Projects

The Missouri General Assembly recently closed a special session in which it approved changes to bonding requirements for highway projects. These changes would make it easier for the state highway department to used design-build-finance-maintain contracts. See this post for more information.

New Briefs

It’s been a while since I’ve had to post anything on this blog, so some of this news is old. I appreciate those of you who still follow this blog. I hope I can continue to make something worthwhile for you.

Foxx Sworn in As Transportation Secretary

Anthony Foxx has been sworn in as Secretary of Transportation. Foxx was mayor of Charlotte, NC, and has had a career as an attorney and politician.

GAO Critiques Nonpoint Source Program

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report that critiques the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 319 program. This program (named for the section of the Clean Water Act that authorized it) provides grants to states to undertake activities to reduce nonpoint-source pollution, including subgrants to organizations to implement improvements. They found that the program sometime failed to produce desired results and that EPA’s oversight of the program sometimes was inadequate or produced unintended undesirable results. In addition, a complementary program of the Natural Resources Conservation Service introduces practices that, by themselves, can decrease water quality because their primary intent is soil conservation.

I-5 Bridge Collapse

At this time, IW has no news to add to what has been reported on the I-5 bridge collapse. The collapse of a bridge on I-35 was one of the events that prompted the launch of this blog. IW sends it’s condolences to those affected by this event and wishes the National Transportation Safety Board a fruitful investigation.

Many Highway Projects are Categorical Exclusions for NEPA

GAO published a report on expediting highway projects. One of the interesting things was that many highway projects were considered categorical exclusions for the purpose of review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Categorical exclusions are classes of projects that, individually or collectively, have been determined by rule to have no significant environmental impact. These projects receive no or limited NEPA review.

New Appointees to Advisory Committee on Construction Safety & Health

Acting Labor Secretary Seth D. Harris appointed or reappointed eight members to the ACCSH. The new members are

-Sarah M. Coyne of Arizona Construction Training Alliance and

-Jerry Rivera of the National Electrical Contractors Association.

OSHA Extends Deadline for Crane Operator Certification

The Occupational Safety and Health Agency announced its will extend the deadline for certification of crane operators to November 10, 2017. The original rule that was finalized in 2010 established a deadline next year.

Report on Rural Water Infrastructure

The GAO published a report on programs that fund drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in rural areas. In Missouri, agencies that administer the State Revolving Fund (a state-administered EPA-overseen program), Water and Waste Disposal Program (U.S. Department of Agriculture), and Community Development Block Grants Program (a state-administered program overseen by the Department of Housing and Urban Development) coordinate their water funding efforts.

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