Our Aging Infrastructure: It's Not Sexy, But it IS Critical...

Bob Herbert of the New York Times writes about the consequences of neglecting our infrastructure. What will it take to fix it?

'Lautenberg Language' On Chemical Security Passes Senate

States' Right To Adopt Strong Chemical Security Laws Like NJ's Protected

On Thursday, March 29, 2007, the Senate passed the FY 2007 Supplemental Appropriations Bill with a provision authored by Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) to block the Bush Administration's plan to preempt state chemical security laws.

The "Lautenberg language" overcame a vigorous campaign from chemical industry lobbyists who fought the ability of states to enact stronger laws than the federal government.

New chemical rules won't override states

AP reporter Beverley Lumpkin writes on August 1, 2007 that new federal rules giving the Bush administration authority for the first time to regulate and even shut down chemical plants will not overrule stricter state rules already in place, according to a letter sent Sunday to lawmakers by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. Rules for New Jersey or any other state that are tougher than the federal ones will be "grandfathered in"—that is, will not be overridden, according to Chertoff's letter.

"If a state measure to regulate security at high-risk facilities does not conflict with, interfere with, hinder, or frustrate the purpose of DHS's regulations, it would not be pre-empted," Chertoff wrote. Lumpkin writes that Lautenberg was not mollified. "Rather than let New Jersey and other states move forward defending our communities from attacks on our chemical facilities, the Bush administration is trying to freeze us in our tracks," said Scott Mulhauser, a spokesman for Lautenberg.

Rail and Public Transportation Security Bill of 2007, HR 1401 Passes, 299 to 124

HR 1401, the Rail and Mass Transit Security Act of 2007, passed by a vote of 299 to 124. Speaker of the House statement.

6th Annual TISP Congress

The 6th Annual TISP Congress, scheduled for March 28-29, 2007 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA, is slated to be the most important Infrastructure Resilience conference in 2007. The 2-day conference, focused on “Achieving Resilience: From Readiness to Restoration,” will feature keynote presentations by experts in the private and public sectors including the highly-acclaimed Senior Executive Forum on Priority Challenges to Achieving Disaster Resilience. See more.

ASCE Infrastructure Champions

The ASCE Committee on Critical Infrastructure (CCI) has developed an Infrastructure Champions (IC) program to actively solicit the participation of ASCE members. The IC national network will provide coordination between ASCE Regions to identify local and regional issues, trends, and innovative solutions. Read more.