STATE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS AND POTENTIALS  (2021)

Just over a century ago, my grandfather and his brother, former Dodson Times editor and mayor, Joel Payne, were strongly advocating for better roads and schools in Louisiana.  Several of my uncles were working in the thirties to build better recreational areas and living in CCC camps in north Louisiana.  Some of us can well remember I-10 and I-20 interstate highway construction across Louisiana starting in the late fifties.  Recognition of infrastructure needs and many initiatives back then helped generate the prosperity and opportunities that have benefited several generations of Louisiana residents.    

Most state residents are aware of some of our current infrastructure needs, particularly road and surface transportation concerns.  They are probably less informed concerning the much broader range of needs and proposed targets for infrastructure investments in the near future.     

Criticisms are frequently made about our poor state roads.  State rankings by transportation specialists continue to place Louisiana roads near the very bottom in quality.  While 37 U.S. states have raised gasoline taxes to help fund surface transportation since 2010, Louisiana’s gasoline taxes have not increased in more than 30 years and are among the nation’s lowest.  Proposed increases in our state gasoline and diesel taxes have been turned down by the state legislature in recent years.  Chances for increased state taxes for road improvements in the very near future still seem long, despite a legislative initiative proposed in early March by Republican State Representative Jack McFarland (Winnfield).   

Recent water shortages and electric power outages in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi due to extreme weather conditions have reminded us of other infrastructure vulnerabilities.  Austin Ramsey and Tegan Wendland (The Advocate, March 8, 2021) describe how Louisiana’s groundwater is stretched thin and is running low as the state population increases and the climate changes.   The Investigative Reporting Workshop and WWNO/WRKF traced the problem to decades of overuse, unregulated pumping by industries and agriculture, and scant oversight or action from legislative committees rife with conflicts of interest. 

Our country will be particularly focused this year on infrastructure proposals.  President Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’ proposals will likely fuel at least some level of infrastructure investments coming this year and over the next few years.  Infrastructure problems seem disturbing enough that even our currently polarized political parties will be forced to approve at least certain initiatives.  Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, recently stated that “A generation of disinvestment is catching up to us, and we must choose whether to allow our global competitors to pull ahead permanently, or to invest in the safety, equity, resilience and economic strength that superior infrastructure can bring to Americans.”  Major questions remain, though, concerning the actual magnitude, scope, and timing of these investments.   

President Biden’s infrastructure proposals of over 2 trillion dollars can hardly be separated from his administration’s plans for energy, climate change, and job creation.  Below are many of the expected categories and components of infrastructure proposals that could receive support: 

Surface and air transportation:  Repair of existing highways and bridges;  

More “smart” roads that use sensors and controls to achieve better traffic and travel efficiency and greater safety;  

Hundreds of thousands of charging stations across the USA to support moves toward more electric vehicles;  

Improved rail systems to reduce travel time, energy consumption, and pollution;  

Municipal and suburban light rail, buses, e-scooters, electric bikes and other transit options; 

Improvements in air transportation and control facilities; and  

Drone development programs, especially to support environmental monitoring for leakages and other problems from pipelines, refineries, oil and gas drilling, and wind turbines 

Water-related improvements:  More and upgraded water distribution and waste treatment plants; 

Repair of existing water pipelines and sewer systems; 

Replacement of lead pipes;  

Incorporation of improved flow monitoring and control technologies, and  

Better protection of clean water sources for the protection of our reservoirs and watersheds from human-caused and weather-related disasters.    

Energy-related concerns:  Modernization and repair of electric grid transmission and distribution systems;  

Improved microgrid designs (decentralized groups of electricity sources and loads that are able to connect or disconnect as environmental or economic conditions dictate);  

Better storage batteries, solar and other fuel alternatives to reduce greenhouse gases and pollution; 

Green hydrogen developments to increase storage potentials for existing and renewable energy production;  

R&D funding to enhance our communications infrastructure security and speed; and  

Further biotechnology and artificial intelligence innovations for energy creation and improved future global competitiveness.       

Building and housing:  Upgrades and weatherizing for many millions of American buildings and homes to help cut energy bills for businesses and home owners; and  

Shifts toward “net zero buildings” (much increased use of light emitting diodes (LEDS) to replace incandescent and florescent lighting smart windows, smart thermostats, efficient heat pumps, better insulation, and advanced automation control systems).   

Public calls for increased and more affordable housing have spurred infrastructure plans for millions of new construction projects and new jobs.   The construction industry in Louisiana had employment levels at approximately 140,000 for mid-2019, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.  This business sector has long been anticipating a huge economic boost when federal government legislation is actually enacted.           

Transition from awareness of infrastructure needs and proposals for infrastructure initiatives toward actual programs and results seems a huge political and administrative challenge.  Both of the two previous presidential administrations talked a great deal about enacting large-scale infrastructure investments. We can hardly afford continuing disappointments or delays and yet maintain our previous levels of economic and social well-being.  

Of course, the devil is in the details of particular infrastructure investments approved and their effective execution.  Just one part of the challenge is the 15 or more different federal agencies that are involved with this wide range of infrastructure proposals.  Success will likely require some form of infrastructure “czar” and a White House Office for Infrastructure Results composed of engineering, construction and project management specialists to coordinate and facilitate actions across federal and state agencies.  

Higher probabilities for long-term success will also require effective communication of early actions and results that the public can actually see and experience as positive changes in their lives.  Partially for that reason, the priorities for earlier action seem to be those involving surface transportation.  Many of us are hoping that our national leaders can work together better on these critical infrastructure challenges.