Sustainable Critical Infrastructure Systems A Framework for Meeting 21st Century Imperatives: Report of a Workshop (2009) / Chapter Skim
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3 Underlying Issues
3 Underlying Issues
Pages 23-30
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From page 23... ...
LEGACY INFRASTRUCTURE At the end of the 20th century, the United States had 55,000 community drinking water systems; 30,000 wastewater treatment and collection facilities; 4 million miles of roads; 117,000 miles of rail; 11,000 miles of transit lines; 600,000 bridges; 26,000 miles of commercially navigable waterways; 500 train stations; 300 ports; and 19,000 airports (GAO, 2008)
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From page 24... ...
Government Accountability Office projected that net interest on the national debt, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid would consume an increasingly large portion of the federal budget through 2040, limiting the funds available to meet the nation's critical infra structure challenges (GAO, 2006)
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From page 25... ...
NOTE: Includes spending on highways, mass transit, rail, aviation, water transportation, water resources, and water supply and wastewater treatment systems.
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From page 26... ...
The 2007 water shortage in Atlanta, Georgia, for instance, required negotiations among the three states of Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee for agreement on water flow regulations that affect power plant operation, fish ing grounds, and the region's economic activities (Goodman, 2007)
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From page 27... ...
The current segmented decision-making and governing structure provides few incentives for public- and private-sector groups to discuss crosscutting issues, to collaborate to improve entire infrastructure systems, or to analyze the interdependencies among systems. FIGURE 3.2 Water main break in Bethesda, Maryland, on December 23, 2008, trapping passengers in cars and creating water and power outages.
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From page 28... ...
Major infrastructure improvements are primarily financed through 15- to 30-year bond programs, which require the support of the local electorate. Faced with a multitude of demands for avail able funding, including education, health care, and public safety, and reluctant to take on long-term financial obligations, elected officials may decide to defer the maintenance and repair of infra structure systems indefinitely.
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From page 29... ...
Citizens and jurisdictions are often reluctant to support bonds or other funding for needed infrastructure improvements when other services -- police and fire protection, education, health care -- are more visible and seem more urgent. In addition, because much of the existing infrastructure is underground or located away from population centers, it engenders an "out-of-sight, out-ofmind" attitude that makes it relatively easy to defer routine maintenance that could prevent failures and extend a system's service life.
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From page 30... ...
Finding ways to deliver mobility and power from alternative energy sources while accounting for local desires is challenging. Finding ways to communicate effectively about what is at stake, as well as the risks, costs, and benefits of differ ing options, will be essential to building public support.
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