PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, May 25, 2021
CONTACT: Andrew Jefferis, ajefferis@aii.org
Washington, D.C, May 25, 2021 — The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) released its newest policy brief, Building Back Better And Protecting What We’ve Built. The brief details the rising nationwide crisis of excavation damage and how the Biden administration’s infrastructure plan may exacerbate the crisis – unless critical reforms are included to protect existing subsurface infrastructure.
Excavation damage has trended higher for five consecutive years, costing the U.S. $30 billion in 2019 alone. Damage to subsurface infrastructure is correlated to construction spending, making new infrastructure investments a risk to the pipe and service lines powering modern life.
“There has been a five-year rise in excavation damage that no one has been able to reverse,” said Aii Director of Public Policy, Benjamin Dierker. “The technology and reforms to prevent damage and save lives exists now, but will likely take federal action to implement systemically. The Biden Administration’s focus on infrastructure may provide the perfect vehicle to address the nation’s excavation damage crisis.”
The federal government now has an opportunity to address the costly damage trend by including language in a new infrastructure bill that incorporates more adoption of technology aimed at reducing damages into the damage prevention process. Without such reforms, the infrastructure package itself may lead to greater infrastructure damage across the nation.
To learn more about the Aii and our infrastructure work, visit Aii.org.
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About the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure
The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) is an independent, national research and educational organization dedicated to identifying our nation’s infrastructure needs, creating awareness of those needs, and finding solutions to critical public policy challenges. Aii strives to promote proven, innovative technology and higher safety standards in a non-partisan manner to achieve excellence nationwide. The Alliance is a think tank consisting of two non-profits: the National Infrastructure Safety Foundation (NISF) 501(c)(4) and the Public Institute for Facility Safety (PIFS) 501(c)(3). (Aii.org)