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…
When policymakers and ordinary people hear the words “natural gas”, the common picture is a highly flammable gas pulled from the ground in a carbon intensive and environmentally stressful process. They may also associate it with the terms exhaustible and fossil fuel. However, that same gas that is pumped from…
As individuals and organizations focus on ways to improve their environmental, social, and governance impacts, discussions often center around climate. Seemingly the most common approach is to simply avoid fossil fuels altogether, but in the energy industry, that is not always possible or desirable. Where developing fossil fuels is the…
In the race for more viable forms of energy, a promising contender is that of natural gas vehicles (NGV). Rather than traditional gasoline-fueled vehicles, NGVs run on alternative forms of power: liquified natural gas (LNG) or compressed natural gas (CNG). Not only has there been a rise in manufacturing of…
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…
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…
Washington D.C, District of Columbia – December 31, 2020 – The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) today released a new report for industry leaders and public officials entitled Improving Upon Our Dig Laws: Proactive Steps to Combat Five Years of Rising Excavation Damage. As a result of a five-year…
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…
Excavation Damage Every person is required to call 811 or notify their safe digging One-Call center before breaking ground. That is for backyard projects, tree planting, home construction, or professional-level excavation. Failing to do this threatens to expose or damage a pipeline, electrical line, telephone or Internet cable, water main,…
Explosions can destroy homes, cost thousands, and threaten human lives. Worse than a tragic explosion is one that happens in spite of it being entirely preventable. This type of tragedy, whether by willful disregard for the law or lack of competence is why best practices for excavation are so critical….
Despite years of lobbying from the U.S. to stop the Russian natural gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2, it is all but complete as we enter 2020. And with it, Germany and others may have made themselves dependent –to one degree or another– on Russia for their natural gas supply for…
Environmentalists and activists on the further reaches of the green movement occasionally go as far as to say ‘leave all fossil fuels in the ground.’ While a legitimate fear of climate change may make this view understandable, it is ultimately misguided. Modern life unequivocally requires fossil fuels, but that doesn’t…
Written by Shane Skelton, Aii Executive Director Commercial and private drone use has become a frequent topic of discussion around the country and in Washington, DC these days. New regulations and registration requirements from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), reports of close calls with air traffic, the desire to use…
