In March of 2005, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated 811 as the nationwide phone number for excavation damage prevention. Now, 15 years later, we have seen damages decline as everyone from homeowners to construction crews call before they dig. The federal designation unified the nation’s programs into one simple,…
Explosions can destroy homes, cost thousands, and threaten human lives. Worse than a tragic explosion is one that happens in spite of it being entirely preventable. This type of tragedy, whether by willful disregard for the law or lack of competence is why best practices for excavation are so critical….
As our nation faces a public health crisis in the form of the Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19, many are working or studying from home. With this mass transition from corporate or college life to homes and communities, the nation’s telecom and digital infrastructure could be under new and unprecedented use,…
Underneath the feet of every American are millions of miles of buried cables, electrical lines, pipelines, water systems, and more. This vast network of underground utilities is coursing with the information, power, and resources we rely on every day. But because it is buried under our yards, sidewalks, gardens, parking…
As Congress grapples with how to deal with the immediate health and public safety impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic, including making tests kits available and helping states with additional funding for safety efforts, many are also beginning to think about how to best mitigate any economic fallout resulting from the…
The Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) or COVID-19 is in the process of reshaping the order of things at home and abroad. As we all react to the spread of the virus, there are many obvious considerations – groceries, work, event cancelations, hand washing, and apparently toilet paper. But a less obvious…
Aii Asks sometimes tests our audience’s knowledge about a subject, like “What tax does the federal government add to every gallon of gasoline you pump?” Other times, we want to hear what you think. Our latest poll asked what form of tax you would prefer to pay for roads and…
Residential solar systems are becoming an increasingly popular trend in the United States. By the end of 2018, the U.S. had installed enough solar panels to power 12.3 million homes, and the solar industry managed to generate a $17 billion investment in the economy. These statistics indicate that the implementation…
The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) released a new report today highlighting the declining revenue into the Highway Trust Fund and the looming insolvency that has cast a decade-long shadow over the Fund. In the report, the fuel tax is identified as insufficient –even if increased–for supporting our roads…
The Highway Trust Fund is the federal fund for road and bridge maintenance and repair. It once built the Interstate Highway System and helped keep our roads safe and smooth. Now, it is under the shadow of looming insolvency, with revenue failing to keep pace with spending. The…
You are enjoying your day, looking up at the shapes in the clouds when all of a sudden, a pilot far above you releases thousands of gallons of jet fuel. It is jarring, confusing, and seemingly illegal, but it is an accepted practice known as fuel dumping. The relatively uncommon…
As technology improves, law and regulation must improve for the sake of public safety. Excavation damage has been a leading – and in many years the leading – cause of pipeline incidents for decades. More than ten years ago, Congress addressed what was then the leading contributor to these incidents…
Throughout the past century, the public has sought to predict what the ‘car of the future’ would entail. And, with the release of the VISION AVTR, a new concept car from Mercedes-Benz, any past predictions have been completely surpassed. This show vehicle was developed in tandem with the upcoming…
s the immense tragedy in Australia continues apace, helpless onlookers are grappling for emotionally and intellectually satisfying explanations. How could such a conflagration begin, grow, and seemingly thwart all efforts to extinguish? As human lives are threatened, property burns, and animal losses rise to nearly incalculable tolls, pinning all…
Despite years of lobbying from the U.S. to stop the Russian natural gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2, it is all but complete as we enter 2020. And with it, Germany and others may have made themselves dependent –to one degree or another– on Russia for their natural gas supply for…
