What Does the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) Mean for Engineers?
Feb 04, 2022As a company whose primary consumer base consists of engineers, the news of a new infrastructure bill certainly piqued our interest. With America's exponential growth and rising demands for population support, the need for improvements within the fields of transportation, energy, water, and technology only increase. This blog will delve into why it is necessary, what concerns it will address, and the implications it will have for engineers.
Table of Contents
Why is it necessary?
Described as "crumbling"1 in the White House's own briefing, America's infrastructure leaves much to be desired. In fact, our infrastructure scored a C-2 on the American Society of Civil Engineers' 2021 Report Card for America's Infrastructure, which reviews categories like energy, roads, and stormwater. A C- rating indicates mediocre infrastructure requiring attention: with a water main break estimated to happen every two minutes as well as 43% of our public roadways in poor or mediocre position, changes clearly need to be made.3 The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) is a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that will deliver much needed financing "from bridges and roads to the nation's broadband, water and energy systems"4 over a five-year period. This bill will improve the quality of millions of lives across the nation.
What are some infrastructure categories that will be affected by this bill?
(Summarized descriptions of improvements gleaned from this fact sheet published by the White House)
- Aviation: Supply chain disruptions and bottlenecks within aviation impact inflation. Funds will help repair and maintain airports, increase sustainability, reduce emissions, and support US competitiveness.
- Broadband: Millions of Americans are currently living in areas that have limited or no access to high-speed internet necessary for business, school, work, and or leisure. This bill will help ensure every American has access to high-speed internet as well as help lower internet service prices.
- Drinking water: Access to clean water is another luxury that not all Americans share. The crisis that took place in Flint, Michigan starting in 2014 really brought to the forefront this issue of lead contamination and poisoning in American residences. Funds will help both provide clean drinking water and eliminate lead service pipes to disadvantaged communities.
- Energy: This bill will support a shift to clean, reliable energy, help prepare our power grids to deal with extreme weather events, fund new programs to develop and deploy clean energy, and establish a network of electric vehicle chargers.
- Rail: The US is significantly lacking in terms of passenger rail options. This bill will eliminate Amtrak maintenance backlog and bring rail services outside the northeast and mid-Atlantic.
- Roads: Surveys have shown that one in five US roads are in poor condition. Funds would help repair roads and bridges as well as support the Safe Streets and Roads for All program designed to reduce traffic fatalities.
- Transit: The US transportation sector is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions. This bill will replace deficient vehicles with zero emission vehicles and improve transit accessibility for all.
What does this bill mean for engineers?
On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed this historic bill into law, effectively creating a new world of multidisciplinary possibilities for thousands of engineers.
Civil Engineers: The ASCE, responsible for putting together the Report Card for America's Infrastructure, asked the question, how will the [new bill] change the civil engineering industry? and found that there will be an increased demand for civil engineers.5 Civil engineers are responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of public works, which include but are not limited to roads, bridges, dams, tunnels, and airports. This bill will breathe new life into thousands of projects across the nation that require the expertise of civil engineers.
Electrical Engineers: We have been relying more and more on electrical power but have not always been able to generate it in the most efficient or environmentally friendly way. Electrical engineers seek to improve efficiency in everything from the nation's power grids to our electrical vehicles' motors. Electrical engineers will be critical in facilitating the focus on green and efficient electricity production as well as optimizing building plans to reflect on sustainability goals.
Environmental Engineers: Another focus of this bill is to reduce our impact on the environment during infrastructure projects. Environmental engineers seek creative solutions to problems like water scarcity, climate change, erosion, hazardous-waste management, and water treatment. They will be integral to ensuring our life-improving projects do not have a negative effect on the environments in which they take place.
Despite being one of the wealthiest countries in the world, the US ranks 13th in terms of our infrastructure quality.6 Numerous events, like the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and power outages in Texas due to extreme weather in 2021, have brought these problems into the public eye. This bill represents the fact that our nation's leaders are seeking to improve our livelihoods in meaningful and lasting ways-and engineers will be supporting these efforts every step of the way.
References:
1 "Fact Sheet: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal." The White House. The United States Government, November 6, 2021. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/11/06/fact-sheet-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-deal/.2 "ASCE's 2021 American Infrastructure Report Card." Infrastructure Report Card. ASCE. Accessed January 25, 2022. https://infrastructurereportcard.org/.
3 "ASCE's 2021 American Infrastructure Report Card."
4 Lobosco, Katie, and Tami Luhby. "Here's What's in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Package." CNN. Cable News Network, November 15, 2021. https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/28/politics/infrastructure-bill-explained/index.html.
5 Walpole, Ben. "How Will the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Change the Civil Engineering Industry?" ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers, December 8, 2021. https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/article/2021/12/08/how-will-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-change-the-civil-engineering-industry.
6 "Fact Sheet: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal."
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