o one could be blamed for having the wrong impression of pipelines. Views tend to align with politics, and media coverage often casts these silent transport methods in one extreme light or another. The facts about pipelines are quite revealing, but there is a lot of data to discuss…
When you see a tree, you know it has roots. When you pull weeds, you aim to get all of those roots spread across the whole garden just beneath the ground. What you may not think of quite as intuitively is that modern infrastructure has roots too. This month, Aii…
PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release: February 18, 2021 CONTACT: John Cassibry, jcassibry@aii.org Washington, D.C, Feb. 18, 2021 — The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii), today, joins the American Flood Coalition, in order to advance both organizations’ missions of promoting resilient infrastructure. “The future infrastructure challenges we are facing…
The power pulsing into your home right now probably comes courtesy of an antiquated system of power plants and transmission lines thought up while horse and buggies were still common on the streets. Even with the advent of the Internet age, we largely still use this one-way power network, and…
Forgotten, it seems, in much of the discussion of climate change is the phrase “climate controlled.” This seemingly oxymoronic word pairing usually refers to buildings, which use heating systems and air conditioning to keep what is inside insulated from whatever occurs outside. Clearly climate control does not refer to humanity’s…
generally comes in three key stages. Each stage has its merit, but opposition to natural gas pipelines in many instances leads to negative consequences. To separate fact from fiction and dive deeper into the issue, this policy blog explores some of the broader considerations for natural gas pipelines and…
With the year-end omnibus budget and coronavirus stimulus package, the federal government’s top pipeline safety agency was reauthorized. The down-to-the-wire omnibus deal included the reauthorization, which was 447 days overdue, as the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) authorization expired in September of 2019. Due to federal rules and…
Since the term ‘climate change’ entered into society’s collective lexicon in the 1990s, the issue has steadily amassed political and societal relevance. Now, with many projected consequences of climate change looming, scientists are investigating innovative solutions to avert crisis — one of the more surprising of which is algae sequestration….
As this tumultuous election year comes to a close, the public eye is now focused attentively on the incoming administration’s proposed agenda to revive a beleaguered economy and suppress the spread of COVID-19. However, another crisis has been looming. As the Council on Foreign Relations reports, the state of U.S….
While the results of the election are still uncertain, one thing is all too clear: Congress has allowed the nation’s chief pipeline safety regulator to lapse without reauthorization for 400 days. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) was up for reauthorization late in 2019. That reauthorization is important…
The futuristic vision of drones, artificial intelligence, and other smart technology building and maintaining our critical infrastructure is closer than many think. Already, many in the transportation and utility sector employ those very technologies in daily operations to ensure efficiency and safety. As proponents of innovation, Aii hopes to…
– formerly Global Warming – is as controversial as any topic in politics today. As wildfires rage, sea ice melts, droughts appear, storms batter the coasts, and temperatures climb, it is easy to see climate change as the controlling factor lurking behind it all. How then, can some people…
At Aii, we love to read. We are always looking for new perspectives, expert analysis, and fresh insight to inform our approach to problem solving. We often read through newsletters and journalistic articles, as well as studies and reports from universities and think tanks. But, sometimes it takes a book…
Wind energy is often harnessed in large fields and land across the U.S. and around the world. What if we used the ocean and waterways to expand where we collect wind and take advantage of coastal winds? Would it be an eyesore or harm wildlife? Does the prospect of renewable…
The further you may be from the electrical grid, the more likely it is that you recognize the importance of energy storage. If you have access to abundant, reliable energy, then consider how far you would travel without a cell phone battery pack. An extra battery allows you to turn…
