Washington, D.C, June 16, 2021 — The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) released its newest policy brief, America’s Top Infrastructure Challenges. The brief details top areas of infrastructure that need the attention of industry participants, state officials, and the federal government.
Aii identified five infrastructure components that are most critical to reform due to the high costs and large populations impacted.
- • Road and Bridge Infrastructure
- • Damage Prevention
- • Infrastructure Resilience
- • Energy Grid Modernization
- • Cybersecurity
All together, these five infrastructure challenges lead to an estimated $650 billion drag on the U.S. economy every year. Resolving these issues through private action, state management, and federal oversight can save far more than money, but protect lives and increase economic opportunities for local communities and individuals across the country.
“If not addressed, these five areas will soon hold back a trillion dollars from the U.S. economy annually and impact millions of citizens,” said Aii Director of Public Policy, Benjamin Dierker. “These challenges are known and often agreed upon by both sides of the political aisle. Everyone loves infrastructure, so now is the time to act on that.”
With discussion surrounding the Biden administration’s infrastructure proposal and competing congressional approaches, the need to focus on critical infrastructure has never been more important. These five challenges must receive attention in an infrastructure package, but also from state governments and industry participants.
While many of these challenges take money, raising the funds is not the only problem. At least one issue can actually be solved without federal spending. Excavation damage hinders the economy by between $30 billion and $100 billion each year, but a simple regulatory fix could spare that economic loss without spending from the federal coffers.
To learn more about the Aii and our infrastructure work, visit Aii.org.
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About the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure
The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) is an independent, national research and educational organization dedicated to identifying our nation’s infrastructure needs, creating awareness of those needs, and finding solutions to critical public policy challenges. Aii strives to promote proven, innovative technology and higher safety standards in a non-partisan manner to achieve excellence nationwide. The Alliance is a think tank consisting of two non-profits: the National Infrastructure Safety Foundation (NISF) 501(c)(4) and the Public Institute for Facility Safety (PIFS) 501(c)(3). (Aii.org)