Dierker Tag

Heat Makes The World Go ‘Round

28 Aug 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

When people think about energy, they don’t often think of industrial heat. But that heat is critical for sustaining modern life. Without a lot of heat, this very article could not exist. Heat is responsible for all of the infrastructure and almost all electricity in the United States and the…

An NTSB for Natural Disasters?

23 Aug 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has become one of the most trusted organizations in the wake of both national tragedies and lesser known transportation incidents. The fact-focused agency investigates transportation-related incidents to uncover root causes and offer recommendations to industry and policymakers to hopefully prevent future accidents from occurring….

How Excavation Damage Harms the Vulnerable

09 Aug 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

The world beneath our feet is vibrant and complex. Although we cannot see it and often do not think about it, tens of millions of miles of pipelines, cables, and wires run across the country just underfoot. Every time a shovel or power tool makes contact with the dirt to…

New Rail Report Offers Policymakers Insight into Train Length

07 Aug 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Washington, D.C. (August 7, 2023) – The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) published its latest report Monday, Evaluating Train Length: Mitigating the Costs and Enhancing the Benefits of Longer Trains. The report evaluates train length amidst a wide-ranging national debate over railroad safety and issues such…

South Carolina’s Energy Future

09 Jun 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

As temperatures rise and the summer power demand begins to take form, policy makers and industry leaders gathered in Columbia, South Carolina to discuss the state’s energy future. From economic competitiveness to new manufacturing, the need for new and resilient energy to meet current and future demand is essential. The…

One Reason For Rising Energy Costs

17 May 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

Supply and demand govern almost all of the prices that consumers face in the market. But there are factors behind the scenes that artificially alter elements of supply or demand, changing the ultimate price that we see. This may be regulatory hurdles and permits, foreign wars and supply chain pressures,…

A Longer View on Longer Trains: Part 3 Climate Impact

08 May 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Analysis, Blog Posts

This is the third and final policy blog in the series investigating train length. The purpose is to survey the impacts and implications of longer trains to the U.S. economy, public safety, and the world. Because railroads are so central to the nation’s supply chain and transportation network, it is…

Differences in Decarbonization

02 May 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

When it comes to decarbonizing the U.S. economy, one could be forgiven for thinking the answer is as simple as ramping up wind and solar. While that is an option – albeit one that on its own would take decades – a more realistic approach is to identify what the…

A Longer View on Longer Trains: Part 2 Costs

01 May 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Analysis, Blog Posts

In this blog series, we are tackling the question of what longer trains mean for the United States and the world. We are using three lenses to evaluate this policy issue: safety, costs, and climate impact. Be sure to read our first blog overviewing modern day freight rail and explaining…

How Soon Can Hydrogen Help Decarbonize?

12 Apr 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

There seems to be agreement from all sides that hydrogen is the fuel of the future. It is combustible and energy rich, and because its molecular formula is all H, there is no carbon in the equation to emit. If our utility-scale electricity on the grid, industrial and commercial heat,…

Pipeline Safety Agency Highlights Innovative Technology

05 Apr 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

Every year, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) provides funding opportunities to states and stakeholders to improve and protect pipeline safety. One way that is done is by promoting the “damage prevention” process – known by many as the “Call Before You Dig” program. Through a number of…

How to Halve Excavation Damages in Five Years

08 Mar 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

Construction and excavation activity that damages buried infrastructure in the United States is on the rise. For over 10 years, damage numbers have risen – now exceeding 500,000 annual incidents of striking pipelines, cables, and wires below the surface. It is estimated that this leads to economic harm of over…

What is Causing 1,000 Derailments Each Year?

25 Feb 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

In one of his early responses to the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg referenced the apparent common phenomenon of derailments in the United States. Whether to downplay or simply place it in context, Buttigieg stated that around 1,000 trains derail every year – around three each…

A Longer View on Longer Trains: Part 1 Safety

22 Feb 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Analysis, Blog Posts

Longer trains can be a blessing or a curse, depending on where you sit. Certainly when stuck at a blocked crossing, one can only see the negatives. But what does a more wholistic assessment of longer trains reveal? Does the frustration outweigh the benefits, or are longer trains a key…