start infrastructure renewal now - begin where we live!

Beginning early on Day One of the next Congress,  we will lead a call to focus first on investments in grassroots infrastructure improvements. Here are just a few examples of investments we can get started on in 2021 that can have immediate and measurable impacts in the 4th District and across the nation: 

1. START WITH INLAND, RURAL & SMALL-CITY ROADS & BRIDGES: We need to get started by addressing the roadway challenges in rural and small city settings between the coasts. Why here?  First off, federally supported roadways in areas like these are the most viable means of regional citizen mobility (and of enhancing local economies). These inland routes are also the key feeders of the entire nation’s industrial growth (as well as of the food pantries in our homes). We depend on a sustainable and effective future of the nation’s inland transportation backbone if we are going to thrive together. 
2. INVEST IMMEDIATELY IN REVIVAL OF RURAL-SMALL CITY TOWN CENTERS: We will not thrive as a nation if we fail to make shrewd federal investments now in improving the economic development potential of small city and rural community downtowns. We need to end the era of federal neglect that has increased the number of “downtown ghost-towns” in inland communities across the nation. Federal research and investment into innovative, consumer-friendly "town center" designs, commercial site development initiatives, as well as shared transit programs in these areas will be a good start. 
3. REGIONAL FREIGHT RAIL: We need immediate federal action to support the rail industry in renewing and enhancing the nation's cross-region and cross-country freight rail networks (and to perhaps invest in encouraging the private sector to re-enter some level of passenger rail service business between rural area and small city locations to improve sustainable mobility patterns there in the 2020s.) 
4. ENHANCE OUR SHARED AGRICULTURAL ASSETS: We need to address our nation's ongoing responsibility to renew and enhance the trillions of dollars’ worth of shared agricultural assets that the federal government has been investing in since the early 1800s. Not only have these investments paid off many times over in terms of benefits to the nation's economy, food-supply and overall quality of life -- all of this "agricultural infrastructure" -- such as sustainable irrigation, farm equipment sharing schemes, extension services, commodity transportation hubs and many others supported at some level by federal investment, have critical economic and quality of life impacts on surrounding communities and neighborhoods. 
5. EXPAND DIGITAL ACCESS, WI-FI AND 5G TECHNOLOGY: One thing the Covid disruption showed all of us is that our imperfect digital service infrastructure is not only an inconvenience, but a national security threat. Shoddy service in this area can bring down our economy, public education, emergency communications and disaster recovery efforts when it doesn't work effectively or equitably. Federal investment in expanded public Wi-Fi and 5G technology (such as work already ongoing at PNNL)  is going to be especially critical in rural and tribal areas of the 4th District where industry providers have been lax in expanding and improving access. 
6. COMMIT TO RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE AND IMPROVED CITIZEN-ACCESS TO INNOVATION DATA: The critical, world-changing breakthroughs being accomplished every day at federally-driven research hubs (like the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory [PNNL] in the Tri-Cities) represent crown-jewels of America's national infrastructure. Rather than election year calls for “more funding” we need a new strategic commitmentto federal investment in research and development capability at sites like these. This needs to be a key facet in our nation’s long-term national infrastructure plan – not an electioneering ploy. We must also invest in better ways for ordinary citizens and small businesses to access and use the non-classified and non-proprietary data and analysis that federally funded research yields.  

RETURN TO ISSUES