Infrastructure
Covering topics such as broadband, highways, infrastructure finance, rail, utilities, water and sewer and civic architecture.
Permitting obstacles too often slow deployment of federal infrastructure dollars.
The state has begun scanning 2 million pages. It’s part of a $60 million project to build a database integrating a century of water rights records, geospatial mapping and up-to-date water diversion data.
The state will launch an alternative system where drivers are charged for each mile they drive. That might replace the gas tax, which hasn’t been updated since 2003. As of 2022, just 0.13 percent of the state’s vehicles were hybrid or electric.
Two political leaders are backing a congressional bill that would lower the cost of homeowner property insurance by about a quarter. In 2023, Florida homes cost three times the national average to insure.
An audit by a federal watchdog found several instances of poor planning, misallocation of funds and a lack of workers which undercut millions of dollars of federal aid meant to keep stormwater at bay.
Since 2019, the state has experienced 263 outages, each lasting an average of 160 minutes and impacting an estimated 172,000 Texans. During Texas’ deep winter freeze in 2021, there were 47 outages.
Today’s interest rates may tempt public financiers to try to play the spread between tax-exempt and taxable bond yields. That invites heightened federal scrutiny, but there are some strategies likely to avoid the bite of the IRS.
Authorities known as industrial development agencies hand out nearly $11 billion worth of subsidies each year.
Voters in Los Angeles approved a ballot measure to add hundreds of miles of bike lanes and bus lanes. It will force implementation of a plan the city agreed to years ago.
The Delta Conveyance Project is a 45-mile tunnel that would run beneath the delta and move more water from Northern California to cities further south. Opponents worry about the tunnel’s impact on the delta’s fragile ecosystem.
A new $1 billion fund will help Texas communities fix crumbling water infrastructure. Advocates say much more will be needed due to population growth and climate change.
A handful of incoming mega-projects, such as a $15B Micron expansion and a new Meta data center, could squeeze the state’s tradesmen and hinder other developments across the state.
Florida health officials began warning homeowners near the Florida State Fire College that well water may be contaminated and a potential health hazard. But inmates at a nearby women’s prison say they weren’t informed.
Umatilla Electric Cooperative is responsible for 1.8 million tons of carbon emissions annually despite having just 16,000 customers. One of those customers is Amazon, which has data centers in areas where renewable energy access is limited.
Assessments and additions that would make a home more climate-friendly also have significant price tags, driving up housing costs. Local officials in Lacey, Wash., are trying to reconcile competing goals.
The state will increase its toll rates on March 1, with the highest toll rate being $15 on I-405 and Highway 167. Dynamic pricing will change the toll rate to a minimum of $1 as often as every five minutes.
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