Infrastructure
It’s an ongoing, multitrillion-dollar challenge to build new and maintain existing infrastructure. This section will explore forward-looking approaches to funding, building and maintaining roads, highways, rail and broadband, as well as water and other utilities.
Rain falling on deep snowpack is accelerating runoff and straining dams not designed for today’s climate extremes.
Jim Mathews, the president and CEO of the Rail Passengers Association, is worried about funding cuts and a potential freight rail merger. But he says passenger rail is in a better place than it’s been for decades.
Officials say a streamlined approach to technical support could improve compliance and protect public health.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill says updated regulations could unlock projects and help lower utility bills as energy demand rises.
Too often local officials sign nondisclosure agreements that keep the public in the dark about tech companies’ plans. Policymakers need to rein them in.
Only California and Alaska, which respectively placed 49th and 50th, fared worse.
Massive flooding in Oahu strained the dam nearly to its breaking point, putting thousands of lives at risk.
A little-used state program is enabling landowners to set aside water for ecosystems in a system built on strong private property rights.
Grants once slated for trail networks and pedestrian improvements are being canceled or delayed, leaving state and local leaders searching for replacement funding.
The explosive growth of data centers, fueled partly by the AI race, has some states scrambling for a piece of the action and some localities trying to pump the brakes.
With up to 700,000 visitors expected over three days, planners are weighing how the city’s roads, transit system and hotel supply will manage the surge.
Residents demand action on resource-heavy developments, but local governments say state law curtails their power.
Soil testing shows dozens of city parks expose children to hazardous lead levels years after officials pledged to fix the problem.
In communities where agriculture is central to local identity and economy, opposition to wind and solar projects is reshaping the pace and location of energy investments.
Thousands of unplugged wells from a century of drilling are leaking pollution, while the state struggles to track money meant to fix the problem.
The incentives are reshaping rural economies, with debates emerging about oversight and long-term community costs.
Industry surveys reveal a growing disconnect between when data centers expect power and when utilities can provide it.
With tailored, evidence-based policies, the U.S. can relieve the burden on local and municipal governments, communities, and the environment.
After years of waiting, states and territories will soon begin breaking ground on projects intended to expand access to high-speed internet nationwide.
Officials have pledged faster permitting and infrastructure fixes, but residents point to broken promises after earlier wildfires.
They could act as official intervenors in rate-hike cases, bringing the power of their offices to bear.
The new law will boost funding and restructure oversight of Chicago-area transit agencies as federal pandemic aid expires.
Utilities are spending billions to modernize transmission for renewables, manufacturing and data centers with costs passed on to ratepayers statewide.
Advocates say developers are exploiting a loophole in state air quality regulations.
The state trails far behind Illinois and Ohio, which together hold half of all operating facilities in the region.
A regional design meant to prevent failures during wildfires never worked in practice.
Data center exemptions now make up nearly 80 percent of all economic-incentive spending, even as communities raise concerns about rising power costs.
The sweeping funding initiative is aimed at replenishing supply and fixing failing systems as the state braces for future drought risk.
Construction of Meta’s $27 billion “Hyperion” facility coincides with a more than 600 percent spike in truck crashes.
As utility bills soar, Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill faces a high-stakes balancing act over an embattled natural gas project that would stabilize prices—but at a cost to the environment.
The bill is coming due after years of underinvestment in water infrastructure. New research highlights needs in each state and the economic benefits from meeting them.
