Infrastructure

A group of US governors promises to install 20 million heat pumps by 2030

And they want to put at least 40 percent of them in disadvantaged communities.

  • By Katie Myers, Grist

FEMA rolls out climate adaptation loans for small and overlooked communities

The federal disaster relief agency has taken heat for steering past resilience funds to whiter, wealthier areas.

  • By Jake Bittle, Grist

Pocket parks emerge as a climate solution

Size doesn’t always matter. Even the smallest of green spaces can play a key role in mitigating climate impacts like extreme heat and poor air quality.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

Can the future of passenger rail be found between Miami and Orlando?

The debut of Brightline service linking Miami to the central Florida tourist mecca is giving rail advocates hope that passenger rail will gain popularity elsewhere, too.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

Transportation is feeling the heat

As cities nationwide get hotter, addressing extreme temperatures and their effects on roads, bridges and rail is becoming a priority.

  • By Kery Murakami
Sponsor Content

New Tools Help State and Local Governments Battle Ransomware, Other Big Disasters

When governments find themselves being ransomed, their choices are typically to pay, which will undercut their ability to deliver key services to their communities due to budget restrictions, or not pay, resulting in the immediate inability to serve their communities and the loss of key data that will inevitably plague them for years afterwards.

  • Presented by Veeam

What Arizona and other drought-ridden states can learn from Israel’s pioneering water strategy

COMMENTARY | Arizona is considering a multibillion-dollar desalination project to address its urgent water needs. Three water experts call for a go-slow approach and point to Israel as a role model.

  • By Gabriel Eckstein, Clive Lipchin and Sharon B. Megdal, The Conversation

States lose federal water funds to earmarks

Democrats and Republicans in Congress could divert nearly $1.5 billion from states for local funding.

  • By Kery Murakami

Mobile homes could be a climate solution. So why don’t they get more respect?

Mobile homes could be a key player in combatting climate change as they can be built or retrofitted with more energy-efficient and climate-friendly features.

  • By Siri Chilukuri, Grist

A capital requirement for broadband funding could exclude thousands of providers

A coalition of state broadband leaders said in a letter that a condition of the federal BEAD program would shut out all but the biggest providers.

  • By Chris Teale

As flood risk changes, many communities brace for insurance rate shock

While the National Flood Insurance Program’s new way of setting flood insurance premiums better reflect a property’s flood risk, lawmakers say the significantly higher rates for some properties could discourage people from buying insurance.

  • By Kery Murakami

How to get federal disaster aid: FEMA is running out of money, but these strategies can help survivors of Hurricane Idalia and the Maui fires get aid faster

COMMENTARY | After a natural disaster strikes a community, determining and documenting the extent of damage to homes and property is a crucial step in receiving financial aid to recover.

  • By Latisha Nixon-Jones, The Conversation

Federal, state regulators prod utilities to consider technology for grid upgrade

The ‘grid-enhancing’ tech—popular in other countries—could reduce the need for new wires.

  • By Robert Zullo, Nebraska Examiner
Featured eBooks
Road and Transit Infrastructure Trends
Federal Recovery Funds at the State and Local Level
Infrastructure at a Turning Point

EPA clean water rules reignite decades-old feud

The Biden administration issued new rules to abide by a May Supreme Court ruling that narrowed the scope of the Clean Water Act. But critics say the changes didn't go far enough.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

States get a leg up on grant applications

To better compete for federal funding, several states are setting up programs to provide matching funds and grant writing expertise.

  • By Kery Murakami

More cities address ‘shade deserts’ as extreme heat triggers health issues

Cities are trying to build heat resiliency into their infrastructure—including by boosting their tree canopy— all while experts warn of a public health threat growing more severe each year.

  • By Jack Prator and Lauren Peace, Tampa Bay Times

Cities struggle to solve the public restroom problem

There's a lack of public restrooms in U.S., which particularly affects the homeless. New policies and portable toilet models are helping to address the shortage.

  • By Elizabeth Daigneau

Round-the-clock speed cameras improve safety in a city that never sleeps

New York City saw a 25% drop in traffic deaths and a 30% decrease in tickets issued after state lawmakers let it operate their speed cameras on nights and weekends.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

Life in a rural ‘ambulance desert’ means sometimes help isn’t on the way

Rural health care services like ambulances and hospitals are often spread few and far between, research shows. A shortage of services puts residents' health at risk and even affects local economies, experts say.

  • By Taylor Sisk, KFF Health News

Higher minimum broadband speeds reflect internet’s growth

The FCC last raised the standard definition of broadband in 2015. Since then, demand from users has soared, prompting some to call for raising that standard as states prepare to build more infrastructure.

  • By Chris Teale

Using future, not just historical data projections could make state, local infrastructure designs more resilient

One county is baking sea level rise data projections into its building design requirements in an effort to prepare for the future effects of climate change.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

Much is at stake in Congress’ upcoming budget negotiations for state and local water agencies

Two analyses suggest governments will be getting far less than what they need. They blame politics and earmarks.

  • By Kery Murakami