Infrastructure for the 21st Century

The Obama campaign indicated that his administration would invest in the American infrastructure. It seems likely that those investments would be part of the stimulus for the economy needed to get us out of the recession, or to avoid a worse recession. All that is to the good.

Lets be sure that we take the opportunity to invest in the infrastructure we need for the 21st century. As we invest in energy infrastructure, lets invest in wind, solar and biogas energy as well as the energy sources of the 20th century, not forgetting to invest in energy saving infrastructure. And lets think seriously about Warren Buffet's idea of using natural gas for our trucking fleet, investing in the delivery infrastructure as well as the wells.

Thinking about transportation, should we rebuild the railroad infrastructure and use policy instruments to encourage rail use? Aren't trains much more energy efficient than trucks? And how about wiring our vehicles and roads to make them safer and more energy efficient.

Are we at a point were we should rethink our sewage system to save water? One would think that would be important in at least some areas of the country.

In terms of water, should we reconsider agricultural policies? Most of our water is used for irrigation, and the ground water resources are being depleted in some important regions. How about reducing meat consumption, achieving health benefits, while reducing the need for feed grains and the environmental impact from feeding lots.

I hope that the White House Office of Science and Technology intervenes to assure that we use technological foresight in planning the investments in the infrastructure.

Check out the EPA Sustainable Infrastructure for Water & Wastewater website.