Original Message:
Sent: 09-17-2018 16:45
From: Michael Byle
Subject: Are ASCE Infrastructure Assessments political and self-serving?
This is an important topic. John makes a valid point that we often neglect true innovation in lieu of expediency. Culture change is exactly what ASCE should be promoting. Sustainability must be a cultural value. Unfortunately, we are all in business and have to consider the short term continuity of our livelihood, and fostering unpopular ideas can interfere with that objective. As professionals in our industry, we must earn the respect of the larger community and not just pander to existing expectations. Change takes time and cannot be expected overnight, but we must raise the options and illustrate the alternatives in ways that make sense and in steps that are palatable. I have shared John's perception of the report card, especially when I see it reported in the news and used as a political tool by various elected officials.
I don't know how to get there from here, but as a profession, we need to promote sensible, and sustainable solutions and offer ways to get them off the ground in the face of the enormous momentum of existing policies and practice. Decentralized solutions to power generation, transportation, irrigation, etc. will not be popular among the centralized businesses that are our largest clients and may also be large political contributors. Creative solutions will be required. The question is: Are we up to it?
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Michael Byle P.E., D.GE, F.ASCE
Tetra Tech Inc.,
Langhorne PA
(215) 702-4113
Original Message:
Sent: 09-16-2018 11:59
From: Bevin Beaudet
Subject: Are ASCE Infrastructure Assessments political and self-serving?
I couldn't agree more, Charles. Many utilities have adopted inverted block rates, for conservation purposes. These rates, which increase the cost of higher use, definitely reduce per capital demand, just the opposite of declining block rates. But the inverted rates need to have teeth. Reduction of demand relieves the wear on older pipes and reduces the size of replacement pipes.
Here in Florida, where I used to manage a utility, over 50% of demand comes from landscaping use. Going back to John's point, conversion to rain barrels for instance instead of using expensive drinking water for landscaping is a relatively easy solution but requires a culture change.
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Bevin Beaudet P.E., M.ASCE
President/Owner
Bevin A. Beaudet, P.E., LLC.
West Palm Beach FL
(561)225-1214
Original Message:
Sent: 09-16-2018 05:40
From: Charles Haas
Subject: Are ASCE Infrastructure Assessments political and self-serving?
John O'Connor (one of my former professors) encapsulates an issue that has long been on my mind, and that ASCE needs to take seriously. I would only add one additional point.
Some of the infrastructure "shortfall" to the degree it exists reflects an imbalance between supply and demand. We need to look for "softer" solutions to address the demand side of the equation. For example, in the water supply section, abolition of declining block rates. In the road sector, time of day tolls, etc.
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Charles Haas Ph.D., F.ASCE
LD Betz Professor of Environ. Eng. & Department Head - Civil, Architectural and Environmental Eng.
Drexel University
Philadelphia PA
(215) 895-2283
Original Message:
Sent: 09-15-2018 13:00
From: Bevin Beaudet
Subject: Are ASCE Infrastructure Assessments political and self-serving?
John and Gregory make great points and have started an important discussion. Clearly rethinking our future and developing more sustainable programs are important. Civil engineers can help lead this discussion. Just repairing and replacing the infrastructure we have doesn't make that much sense. Modifying our infrastructure to take advantage of technical and social change is important. Renewable energy is a great example. But we still need transmission lines and substations and need to keep them reliable. We will still need roads and bridges as well as water/wastewater pipelines.
In in my field of water/wastewater infrastructure a lack of expenditure is causing more money though expensive breakdowns than would a well designed and funded program of repair and replacement. Many utilities are addressing this by adopting sound Asset Management programs. Through asset inventory, condition assessment, and risk management, limited resources can be focused on problem areas thus minimizing costly breakdowns. We can't fix everything at once and don't need to. This approach is equally important in energy and transportation infrastructure as well.
Adoption of newer technologies such as Trenchless Technology and improved construction methods and materials we can get to sustainable infrastructure over time. Civil engineers should be the leaders in Asset Management.
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Bevin Beaudet P.E., M.ASCE
President/Owner
Bevin A. Beaudet, P.E., LLC.
West Palm Beach FL
(561)225-1214
Original Message:
Sent: 09-14-2018 16:55
From: Gregory DiLoreto
Subject: Are ASCE Infrastructure Assessments political and self-serving?
Thank you for your feedback on ASCE's national and state report card programs. As you know, ASCE released updated state report cards for Missouri and Kansas in 2018, and an updated Infrastructure Report Card in March 2017. ASCE and the Committee on America's Infrastructure, the group of volunteer members who author the Report Card, believe that as the experts on these categories and as the stewards of our nation's infrastructure, ASCE has a responsibility to advocate on its behalf in order to protect the public's health, safety, and welfare.
For each report card, volunteer committees who are experts in each particular infrastructure categories, gather and analyze data, then assign grades to individual infrastructure categories based on eight key criteria: capacity, condition, funding, future need, operation and maintenance, public safety, resilience, and innovation. The committees also provide a series of specified solutions for state and national infrastructure challenges.
The national Infrastructure Report Card's findings and solutions reflect your sentiments that there are not infinite resources to improve our infrastructure, nor meet the public's needs. The Report Card proposes three overarching solutions to modernize our infrastructure and ensure it is sustainable and resilient: increased investment, thoughtful leadership and planning, and preparing for the future. Sustainability and resilience are a key part of our recommendation to prepare for the future, to ensure infrastructure will be designed with consideration to economic, social, and environmental benefits, improving the overall "triple bottom line."
The national and state reports are used by ASCE members and infrastructure champions as advocacy tools to educate elected lawmakers, leaders, and the public about the importance of maintaining and improving infrastructure and offer a path forward to address our infrastructure deficit.
I hope that you will take this into consideration in the future and continue to advocate for investment in our nation's infrastructure.
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Gregory DiLoreto P.E., P.L.S., D.WRE, Pres.13.ASCE
RETIRED
West Linn OR
(503) 650-0770
Original Message:
Sent: 09-14-2018 11:14
From: John O'Connor
Subject: Are ASCE Infrastructure Assessments political and self-serving?
Are ASCE Infrastructure Assessments political and self-serving?
What would you grade the condition of America's overall infrastructure today? If we are a D+ nation, as the most recent report card on America's infrastructure from the American Society of Civil Engineers suggests, can you cite nations or societies with better civic foundations that we should be emulating?
Since 1998, the U.S. public has been repeatedly warned of the aging, deteriorating, crumbling condition of America's infrastructure, most recently, by the 28 members of the ASCE Committee on America's Infrastructure. For decades, the overall grades on these ASCE Report Cards: D-(1998), D+(2001), D(2005), D(2009), D(2013), D+(2017) have painted a dispiriting image of the deteriorating condition of our nation's civil works.
To propagate these assessments to federal and state funding agencies, ASCE has commissioned lobbyists to generate legislation aimed at obtaining major (dedicated) increases in infrastructure funding; relaxation of burdensome federal environmental regulations; and fast-tracking of construction permit processes. Decades of neglect and 'underinvestment', ASCE contends, now requires a near-term remedial expenditure of $4.59 trillion.
In addition, ASCE urges all members to take political actions to help 'put us on a path for increased economic prosperity.' Further, we are warned that 'The longer Congress delays, the more Americans pay.'
But are we, as America's rank-and-file civil engineers, planning and designing for an energy and resource-limited future? Or are these ASCE lobbying efforts a not-too-subtle indication that, in pursuit of 'economic prosperity', we will continue to design, build and operate civil works facilities based on a massive foundation of fossil fuels?
I have been a proud ASCE member for 62 years. I have observed the progress of our nation's growth over many decades and have developed a very different view of the current state of America's constructed facilities.
Our buildings are supplied with more reliable electricity than we could possibly need. We can travel everywhere with our roads and airports. Most Americans have safe, modern water supplies (while over 2 billion people worldwide don't). Over just the last half-century, we have protected our nation's waters with well-designed and well-managed wastewater treatment systems.
So why does ASCE offer such dismal appraisals of American infrastructure? Admittedly, it lobbies to advance the interests and profits of its members. Since fear is a great motivator, we are constantly warned of potential collapse and danger.
But, in a changing world of finite resources, last-century infrastructure - designed, built and still operating on a massive foundation of fossil fuels - cannot be allowed to continue.
As engineers, we must be the first to dispel any illusion of infinite resource availability and redirect our efforts to creating new foundations for a truly sustainable future, wherein our shared infrastructure will be energy-efficient, democratized, distributed, renewably powered, modest, environmentally safe and adequate for meeting basic public needs.
Perhaps America's infrastructure does deserve a near-failing grade, but not for the reasons ASCE ascribes.
I hope to continue to advocate for sustainable investments in our nation's infrastructure so as to protect the American public's health, safety, and future welfare. In that spirit, I would like to offer some suggestions that I feel are essential for ASCE to include in future infrastructure assessments.
Sustainability
Sustainability should be specifically cited as a goal/direction in evaluating progress toward renewing infrastructure. Resilience is not a substitute. Owing to its centrality to our nation's future, progress towards sustainability, by itself, requires a independent grade.
Transition from fossil-fueled-based infrastructure
Many engineering firms are already benefitting from nationwide efforts to design and construct facilities leading to a transition to renewable energy resources. These efforts should be a clearly stated, industry-wide imperative.
Ethics
From what is known, it should be obvious that the construction of new infrastructure for fossil fuel extraction, processing, and distribution is ethically questionable. Ethical design should be taken into consideration in grading all new infrastructure investments.
Transportation alternatives
ASCE should take a lead in promoting alternatives to current transportation design protocols with specific attention to minimizing the use and storage of private vehicles in burgeoning urban centers.
Overall, I would like to see ASCE take a position of bold leadership into a sustainable future. Presently, engineers are highly respected in our society, but our standing will suffer if many practitioners double down on last-century solutions.
Alternately, I hope that ASCE demonstrates courage and vision, using its influence and member insights to educate elected officials, leaders, and the public on the myriad benefits of truly sustainable infrastructure design.
John T. O'Connor, F. ASCE
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John O'Connor D.Eng., P.E., F.ASCE
CEO
H2O'C Engineering
Columbia MO
(573) 234-1012
<maskemail>John@...</maskemail>
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