Dierker Tag

Technology Highlight: Dig of the Future

29 Sep 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

        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…

Over 99.999% of all U.S. Hazardous Material is Transported Safely

21 Sep 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

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…

Staying Grounded in ESG Efforts

14 Sep 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

When businesses, corporations, or entire industrial sectors focus on environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), there is a tendency to favor decarbonization and abstract commitments to environmental stewardship. Within the energy sector, emissions are critical to account for and mitigate, but perhaps more so are the leaks and spills of…

Technology Highlight: Positive Response

13 Aug 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

      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. This series launched by…

811 Day Highlights the Importance of Safe Digging

11 Aug 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

While you may know March 14 as pi day (3.14) and May 4 as Star Wars day (May the fourth), today is of even greater consequence. August 11 – or 8-11 – is a day dedicated to safe digging known as 811 Day. Why does safe digging matter? Because every…

Technology Highlight: Locating Equipment

05 Aug 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

      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. This series launched by…

Technology Highlight: One-Call Centers

29 Jul 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

      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. This series launched by…

Avoiding Oil Spills and Pipeline Breakdowns

29 Jul 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

While pipeline spills involving toxic crude oil or methane leaks capture the public imagination, they do not represent all pipeline breakdowns. A different segment of the energy industry, handling more than just oil and gas, also encounters incidents. The upstream sector of the energy industry is responsible for exploration and…

Technology Highlight: Improving Access

22 Jul 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

      This blog series Technology Highlight will explore 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. While technology is…

A Busy Intersection: Rail Roads, Roadways, and Climate

28 Jun 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

Public policy is notorious for intersecting with various other policies, market forces, and public and private actions. It is one reason unintended consequences can be so prolific, and why ‘the path to hell is paved with good intentions’ rings so true. One such intersection involves rail roads, roadways, and the…

A Different Trillion-Dollar Deficit

21 Jun 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

The federal government has spent vast resources to build and maintain the current administrative state, provide for defense, meet healthcare obligations, and more. With trillions allocated each year, spending often overtakes revenues creating massive deficits as much as a trillion dollars. But there is another trillion-dollar deficit that is draining…

The Dig of the Future Is Here Today

03 Jun 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

Excavation damages to underground infrastructure – or more simply, digging projects that hit things like pipelines and internet cables – are on a five year upswing. Every year, more sensitive and critical infrastructure is being struck, damaged, and shuttered. Shovels and power tools breaking ground and hitting these unseen service…

Achieving Effective Rail Safety Starts With Technology

01 Jun 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

Railroads have served the needs of people and commerce in the United States for nearly 200 years. Since 1827, when the first steam-powered locomotive debuted, to America’s original 13-mile track and beyond, rail has been on a continuous journey of improvement. Today, approximately 139,679 miles of track facilitate the movement…

Why An Infrastructure Package Could Harm Critical Infrastructure

25 May 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

Seemingly the only area of public policy left unmarred by partisan politics is infrastructure. Both sides of the aisle agree that infrastructure maintenance, resilience, and investment are essential. While partisan differences emerge when defining the scope of infrastructure or the price tag, there is clear bipartisan support for revitalizing American…