America gets a D-

Panelists discussed America's aging water infrastructure at a forum hosted by the United States Chamber of Commerce. David Havern, executive vice president and chief operating officer of USCC, said the United States has over one million miles of water mains and that the entire system continues to fall into disrepair due to neglect and age. He said the American Society of Civil Engineers gave America's water infrastructure a D- grade. Janine Benner, an aide of Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) said the United States should be investing between $3 and $23 billion more to maintain its drinking and waste water systems.

General Manager of the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority Jerry Johnson said piping in Washington, D.C. dates to the early part of the twentieth century. He noted that little federal funding is given to the development of more efficient water systems. Dan Coody, mayor of Fayetteville, Ark. said cities and states often find it difficult to improve pipelines since the need for a balanced budget could jeopardize funds for education and health. Coody said local governments currently fund 95 percent of drinking water infrastructure and 98 percent of waste water infrastructure.

Panelists encouraged increasing federal allocations for water infrastructure in light of America's aging system and the need to address problems caused by rising sea levels due to global warming. Panelists also discouraged the privatization of water facilities, stating that corporate boards could increase prices, which are already on the rise, to levels that are out of reach for many Americans to guarantee profit. Benner and Benjamin Grumbles of the Environmental Protection Agency suggested increasing water rates so that customers would pay the full cost of water treatment. According to Benner, current rates only meet 90 percent of production costs.

Today at Talk Radio News

White House Correspondent Lovisa Frost will cover the press gaggle this morning.

The Washington Bureau will cover remarks from political analyst Cokie Roberts on how healthy America's health care debate is on the campaign trail and in the halls of Congress. The Bureau will also be covering a discussion on the role of state and local governments in combatting poverty, as well as a briefing on Zimbabwe's economic meltdown, Botswana's ascent and what it means for the rest of Africa. As new worries regarding America's aging infrastructure emerge, the Bureau will attend a forum on our nation's water system and ways it can be improved.

Later in the day, TRNS will cover an event discussing the congressional energy outlook with Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), as well as a discussion with the Israel Project on challenges facing Israel today.

Giant multi-city regions dominate America’s economy says director of infrastructure program

Petra Todorovich, director of the America 2050 National Infrastructure Plan, spoke about “Smart Growth: Planning for America's Future Infrastructure, Economic Development, and Environmental Challenges” in a speech in a series of talks at the National Building Museum.

She said that a major shift in the structure of America is the rise of the megaregion. Megaregions are large areas of interconnected cities caused by overlapping communities, similar histories, and ecological unity. The Northeast megaregion, spanning from Washington, D.C. to Boston, is responsible for 20 percent of the nation’s GDP, 17 percent of the population, and only two percent of the land area. Todorovich said that as the megaregions grow and become the economic engines of America, they must be efficient and sustainable.

She said that Americans have the right to clean air, well-planned, walkable cities, and the choice of high-speed rail. The America 2050 program addresses the problems facing the aging population, including transportation, oil prices, and air quality, among others

Climate change attacks infrastructure

The American Meteorological Society (AMS) held a discussion on the effects of climate change on Gulf Coast transportation and the New York City water supply. Michael Savonis, the air quality team leader of the Federal Highway Administration, said that those working in transportation are frequently conservative because of the billions of dollars involved, so considerations of investing in climate change preparation are tentative. But, as transportation infrastructure ages, climate change must be considered in building new roads, bridges, railways, and ports. The effects of climate change in the Gulf Coast area include a rise in average temperature between two and four degrees and a 50 percent increase in days with temperatures over 90 degrees. He said that as a result more than 2400 miles of roadways in the Gulf Coast area are at risk of permanent flooding as well as 75 percent of freight and non-freight port facilities. Because of the increase in heat, asphalt wears faster, train rails buckle more, and aircraft performance decreases.

On the topic of New York City’s water system, Cynthia Rosenzweig, the senior research scientist at the National Air and Space Administration Goddard Institute for Space, said that as temperatures increase, water quality goes down and freshwater becomes less available. As sea water levels increase, there is more stress on water treatment plants and more groundwater pollution. She said that changes made in preparation of climate change will not only be in infrastructure, but also in management, insurance, and policy.

Mayors plead for funds to improve infrastructure

The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee held a full committee hearing on the condition of the nation’s infrastructure with four mayors from around the country. The chairman of the Committee, Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), said that a local perspective is necessary to determine how to invest in infrastructure. Dodd said that the current methods of investment are as obsolete as the investments themselves.

Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, said that the proposed national infrastructure bank would create a non-partisan system to provide funds to cities in promotion of such things as water treatment, railways, and roads. Bloomberg said that the deficiencies in infrastructure are too great for one city to bear and that the burden must be shared.

Shirley Jackson, mayor of Atlanta, said that the government has reduced its efforts on infrastructure overall. She added that there are simply not enough funds to cover the necessary improvements in water and sewage treatment in Atlanta. Mark Funkhouser, mayor of Kansas City (Mo.), said that the decline in funding for infrastructure represents an overall decline in productivity and that a better, apolitical method of funding is necessary.