National News - Richard A. Rula School of Civil & Environmental Engineering - Bagley College of Engineering - Page 4
US Power Sector Needs $2.1 Trillion in Investment by 2035, Says IEA
The United States needs to spend $2.1 trillion over the next 30 years to modernize the electricity grid and prepare for more renewable energy, according to a report from the International Energy Agency. While the country’s “energy policy landscape has fundamentally changed” since 2008, it still faces some serious barriers to reaching its carbon reduction…
Pipeline to deliver big economic punch in Iowa & South Dakota
A Texas company would spend $1.1 billion and $820 million in Iowa and South Dakota, respectively, to build a crude oil pipeline across the two states, according to a new analysis of the project. Energy Transfer Partners has asked state regulators in four states for permission to construct a 1,134-mile pipeline to move 570,000 barrels of…
Panama receives last floodgates
The final four floodgates that will be used to expand the Panama Canal arrived from Italy Wednesday, putting the behind-schedule, over-budget project on track for completion in early 2016. Panama, which relies on the canal for about $1 billion a year in revenue, is counting on the upgrade to keep the century-old waterway relevant by enabling…
As Infrastructure Crumbles, Trillions of Gallons of Water Lost
Imagine Manhattan under almost 300 feet of water. Not water from a hurricane or a tsunami, but purified drinking water — 2.1 trillion gallons of it. That’s the amount of water that researchers estimate is lost each year in this country because of aging and leaky pipes, broken water mains and faulty meters. Fixing that…
Will water woes leave Americans thirsty?
On August 2, 2014, residents of Toledo, Ohio, woke up to a startling warning from the city: “DO NOT DRINK THE WATER.” A few samples from the city’s water-treatment plant contained worrisome levels of a toxic chemical. Algae in Lake Erie, where Toledo gets its water, made this toxin. Drinking water with this chemical —…
Senate Hopefuls Answer 9 Questions
The Associated Press invited Sen. Al Franken and his GOP challenger, Mike McFadden, to respond to several questions ahead of the Nov. 4 election. Here are their verbatim answers. What’s the best way to shore up the federal highway trust fund for infrastructure repairs?
New Informational Tool Updates Transportation Revenue Options
While public officials continue to discuss ways to fund a new surface transportation authorization, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has updated its popular matrix of revenue generating options with new easy-to-understand graphics. The revenue matrix produced prior to MAP-21 enactment in 2012 was incorporated into AASHTO’s reauthorization policy resolutions and…
Lack of Federal Money for TDOT means Congested Roads
Drivers across Tennessee are going to have to endure congested roads longer than expected because of a lack of promised federal money. TDOT’s commissioner sent a letter to members of the Tennessee general assembly telling them 12 projects ready for construction and 21 ready for right of way acquisition will be delayed. Bridge repairs and…