If the threat is as dire as some believe, we cannot wait for policy changes to take effect. Realistically, tax and regulatory policy cannot bring about the type of innovation revolution needed. Taxes discourage growth and regulation restrictions action. While restriction may be worthwhile when it prevents and holds back…
The relationship between passenger rail and freight rail often comes across the way cinematic thrillers depict tension between the FBI and local police. Both want to ensure public safety and maintain order, but each wants to flex its jurisdiction and make sure it gets the respect it deserves. Like fictionalized…
Amtrak is seeking to establish twice daily passenger service between Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans, Louisiana. With Hurricane Katrina damaging rail infrastructure back in 2005, many passenger routes along the Gulf Cost have long been dormant. However, over the last several years, Amtrak has increasingly ramped up its efforts to…
Natural gas has become the fossil fuel of choice in the last decade as energy producers shift towards less environmentally-impactful fuels. The U.S. today produces almost all of the natural gas that it uses. Investments into fracking technology allowed massive upticks in production in the U.S. and current innovations promise…
Coal is primarily used to create electricity in the United States. For coal to create electricity, bituminous or subbituminous coal is burned, which turns water into steam that turns a turbine and creates electricity. Bituminous and subbituminous coal is found in abundance in West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming. In…
Wind energy has been used for purposes of sailing and flying for hundreds of years. Wind energy can also be harnessed for electricity via wind turbines. Turbines, advanced from the previous windmills, use the wind to turn propellers that generate electricity, delivered to homes and businesses through transmission and distribution…
Renewable energy sources have received significant amounts of investment in recent years as combating climate change becomes a higher priority. Sunlight, the movement of water, and the natural movement of wind all have been harnessed to generate energy. Most of these systems work by harnessing the heat or kinetic energy…
The U.S. has a diverse and proven supply of several types of fossil fuels that can be used to power the national grid. Coal, natural gas, and petroleum all have been used to power American homes, heat and cool buildings, and power vehicles for over a century. Since the Industrial…
Hydropower has been used for hundreds of years at small scales to power windmills on farms but has massive potential to provide commercial electricity for entire cities and parts of the country. Hydroelectric dams can either harness the power of fast-flowing rivers or release a large amount of water that…
Nuclear energy has long been a technology that most associate with large, expensive reactors that cost billions to build. However, nuclear power can generate massive amounts of energy with zero carbon emissions. The costs to build nuclear plants have skyrocketed even though nuclear power generation in the U.S. peaked in…
Petroleum has long been used to power vehicles, heat homes, and facilitate travel across the U.S. As climate change becomes a more pressing issue, oil extraction and associated petroleum products have come under scrutiny for the heavy impact on the environment. Of particular concern is the process of fracking, which…
Solar energy continues to be utilized by homeowners to decrease their energy bills in regions of the U.S. with lots of sunlight. The two main types of solar power – photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) – generated 88 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) in 2020. Solar panels have become…
If there is one thing the latest Common Ground Alliance (CGA) Technology Report makes clear, it is that the damage prevention ecosystem has an embarrassment of riches on its hands in terms of technological innovation. Indeed, a review of other CGA studies and publications along with reports by various regulatory…
PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release: Wednesday, July 27, 2022 CONTACT: John Cassibry, jcassibry@aii.org Washington, D.C, July 27, 2022 — The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) released its latest white paper, Consensus Around Technologies: The Key Communications Technologies that Need to be Adopted to Improve Efficiency and Reduce Excavation…
I have studied damage prevention for several years. From reading reports and best practice guides to ride alongs with locators and even calling in an 811 locate request, I felt like I had a good understanding. But it was this summer when I made an online homeowner locate request that…
