Washington hosted the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) annual meeting just prior to President Obama’s inauguration. One month earlier, over 200 participants from 16 countries attended the 20th biannual International Maglev Systems Conference in San Diego. Only this year, there were no TRB maglev presentations, nor were there any Federal Railroad Administration or Federal Transit Administration representatives. So why was the most advanced transport technology conspicuously ignored? Answer: the Bush administration was anti-maglev and discouraged official review or acceptance of the technology. Related Links: Video: The Promise Of Maglev Things have changed. President Obama provided some much needed leadership and pushed
Now that the stimulus package is reality, the big question is, what�s next?�Will this program be truly successful, will it put people to work on worthy projects or will it bog down in bureaucracy and be driven by a multitude of negative forces coming from politicians, lobbyists, special interests, trade associations, government at various levels and so on?�It is critical that stimulus projects be in the best interests of the country and aligned with the objectives of the program. Our history provides guidelines. Lessons can be learned, both positive and negative, from the Works Projects Administration (WPA) that existed from
President Obama and Congress are crafting a stimulus package that will bring economic relief, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors has listed 15,221 infrastructure projects in 641 cities that are “ready to go.” But while speed in getting work started and jobs created is key, the importance of good design, which will last for generations, should not be lost in the haste. We need to ensure that the money spent goes to creative, sustainable buildings that will stand the test of time and will still be used by our children and our grandchildren. After all, they are the ones who
With consumers in the U.S. and abroad facing depressed home values, diminished retirement accounts and an inability to access credit, it is now clear that the current financial crisis will be followed by declining consumer demand for goods and services, falling manufacturing output and increasing unemployment. The question for the Obama administration is not whether to stimulate our economy, but rather which forms of stimulus will be the most effective. A focused, multifaceted commitment to revitalizing our nation’s infrastructure and rebuilding our engineering workforce offers an unbeatable combination. The infrastructure deficit in the U.S. is a threat to public safety
CHINOWSKY I am writing to my colleagues in academia and industry to help promote a discussion concerning the direction that civil engineering education must choose for its foreseeable future. The ASCE Body of Knowledge and the National Academy of Engineering have set the challenge for us. Distinguished colleagues such as Mike Garvin of Virginia Tech and Jeff Russell of the University of Wisconsin-Madison have previously stated the need for our community to address this issue. I renew the challenge that we urgently discuss this matter, not as an argument on the number of units required of a student, but a
We need a build-out. We need a buildup. We need a national makeover. But we must make certain that every bailout dollar, which we’re borrowing from our kids’ future, is spent wisely. So opined New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman on Dec. 24 on then President-elect Obama’s proposed stimulus package. Slide Show Source: Robert Wible & Associates Potential Annual Private Sectors Streamlining Savings in Regulatory Costs ENR readers know only too well the need for a build-up, especially of the nation’s long-neglected infrastructure. Elected officials know this as well, and everyone has their own list of “shovel-ready” projects worthy of
Recovery from natural and man-made disasters is often assigned in part to engineers, who we expect to answer the call to fix the problem. Knowing the inevitability of periodic catastrophes, the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York) strongly supports emergency responder legislation to prevent future misguided lawsuits against engineering firms for on-site conditions that are entirely outside their assigned responsibility. Unlike Good Samaritan Laws, which protect only unpaid volunteers from liability for work performed during state or national disasters, emergency responder legislation would provide design firms immunity from lawsuits that attempt to make engineers responsible
There’s no getting around the fact that automobiles are among the leading causes of pollution. There are tens of millions of cars and trucks on American roads contributing significant amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. The question facing policy makers, scientists, and engineers is how to reduce the impact that our vehicles have on the environment. In Washington, the discussion revolves around how high to raise fuel efficiency standards and whether to offer tax credits to those who drive hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles. And on the drawing boards of auto industry engineers and environmental scientists, new ideas for
Economic Stimulus Packages needed! Bail out big auto. Bail out Wall Street. Next, bail out big oil because oil prices are falling. With the national debt now at more than $10 trillion (69% of the Gross Domestic Product) and growing, massive foreclosures of idiotic and now not-so-idiotic mortgages, the credit system in shambles, unemployment moving to depression levels, an unfinished war that is a black hole for resources and an economic stimulus package that will not work, this country needs a plan. There are a number of reasons for the current economic problems. Some of the more popular candidates are
The recent major increases in fuel prices, exacerbated by the turmoil in the financial and credit markets, have provided the impetus for airlines to take a hard look at their operations and begin to tailor their operations to today’s needs. The increased fuel prices have a major affect on the ability of various aircraft in the fleet to produce positive yields, and the load factors necessary for all aircraft to produce positive yield. This has led airlines to critically evaluate demand and attempt to better match segment demand with capacity. The results of this endeavor are not final as of
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