As the U.S. comes out of hurricane season and the Infrastructure and Jobs Act allocates multi-million dollar resources for infrastructure repairs, flood mitigation infrastructure stands to benefit from a long-awaited influx of funds. Dam failures and massive flooding have struck numerous communities on the coast and inland as the impacts…
Constructing new infrastructure, buildings, or even planting trees all require breaking ground. These excavation projects use shovels, augers, jackhammers, backhoes, and other excavation equipment to scrape away earth and make way for new foundations, new pipelines, and new facilities. The problem is that this often threatens the subsurface infrastructure already…
If Gregory House, MD has taught us anything it is that people lie and people have bias. On a topic as politically charged as climate change, we can chalk lies up to rhetoric and framing of an issue. But the more interesting and pertinent issue is bias. When starting a…
Green energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries help facilitate emissions-free energy to the U.S. power grid. While the promise of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction directs attention to these technologies, the inputs required to build them do not receive as much recognition. With the current supply chain crisis…
Did it take longer than usual for some Halloween decorations to arrive at your house? Or now that the weather is getting cold, that throw blanket that should have been here two weeks ago is nowhere to be found? If it feels like packages are taking longer to get here…
The U.S. House of Representatives passed an over $1 trillion infrastructure package just before midnight on Friday, November 5, 2021. The bipartisan bill, which already passed the Senate in August, now moves on to the Executive branch for President Biden’s signature. While intraparty challenges among Democrats kept the bill from…
The state of South Carolina is no stranger to extreme weather. South Carolina is especially vulnerable to flooding hazards with its subtropical climate, low-lying topography, severe thunderstorms, numerous rivers, and large coastal zone. As of 2020, the state had experienced six major flood-related disasters in five years, resulting in the…
PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release: November 1, 2021 Contact: John Cassibry, jcassibry@aii.org WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 1, 2021) – Former Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Robert Sumwalt, joins the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) Board of Directors. “Robert will be a wonderful, and prestigious addition to…
Climate, ESG, sustainability, resilience – these themes dominate the culture from boardrooms to academia and even confront us through our televisions and social media platforms. The most consistent thread of all these concepts is the emphasis to mitigate, remove, and reverse atmospheric emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases….
Today, the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure celebrates the seventh year since its founding. On October 21, 2014, Aii launched operations as an independent, non-partisan organization focused on researching America’s infrastructure deficiencies, creating awareness of these deficiencies, and finding solutions to critical public policy challenges. In the seven years since,…
Aii Director of Public Policy, Benjamin Dierker, recently spoke to graduate students at Texas A&M University alongside fellow alumni on the topic of research careers outside of academia. Sharing his experience and insights from the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure, Mr. Dierker explained the nature of research in the think…
This blog series Technology Highlight has explored many of the ways that investments in innovation lead to better outcomes for infrastructure and public safety. When technology advances, it often becomes cheaper, more widely available and accessible, and helps facilitate faster, safer, and greener projects. This is…
This blog series Technology Highlight explores some of the ways that investments in innovation lead to better outcomes for infrastructure and public safety. When technology advances, it often becomes cheaper, more widely available and accessible, and helps facilitate faster, safer, and greener projects. Aii has looked…
Massive oil spills, natural gas explosions, produced water leaks, and train derailments are environmental and human tragedies. These rare but terrible events grab headlines and linger in the public memory for years or even decades. The extent of these issues are often difficult to conceptualize – and that is part…
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has changed the way companies update, monitor, and build infrastructure. In the damage prevention sector, innovations like 24-hour monitoring systems, gas leak detection technology, and improvements in safety gear have also made worksites and infrastructure projects safer. Often overlooked in the damage prevention field…
