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- Obama says infrastructure program will include green projects
President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday said he will create a large public-works program that will include infrastructure projects to repair roads and bridges as well as "green jobs" that will help reduce carbon emissions. Obama did not say how much the U.S. will spend on the plan. However, he promised to spend record amounts on infrastructure programs, such as sewer systems, school construction, mass transit and electrical grids. NYTimes.com
(12/6)     
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Commentary: Public works plan need to be more than stimulus: President-elect Barack Obama's promise for a massive infusion for public works projects will require "leadership and competence at all levels of government," Nicole Gelinas writes in a Wall Street Journal commentary. "It's important that the elected officials view public works investment not as a short-term stimulus for stimulus' stake, or a vehicle for politically driven job creation. The goal should be to create the best and broadest necessary and permanent infrastructure for the most responsible minimal price needed to build it," she said. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model)
(12/8)
- MBTA says contractor caused structural damage to Boston church
Construction on a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority station caused a structural crack in a wall of Boston's Old South Church, according to media reports. The crack in the 19th-century church's foundation runs from the ground to the roof of the building around a stained-glass window. MBTA officials said they will hold a contractor that was installing elevators in a transit station responsible for the damage to the church, a National Historic Landmark building. The Boston Globe (free registration)
(12/5)
| Technology and Trends | | |
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- Carbon-capture technology stirs controversy
Carbon-capture-and-storage technology buries carbon dioxide underground instead of releasing the harmful greenhouse gas into the air. However, some environmentalists say the clean-coal technology may prove more expensive than alternative energy. "The concept is being used as an excuse to build more coal-fired power stations," said Stephanie Tunmore, climate campaigner for Greenpeace. However, the United Nations' top climate official, Yvo de Boer, said the technology is "critical" for countries such as China that will continue to use coal. USA TODAY/The Associated Press
(12/6)
- Inspired by rock crystal, Aga Khan headquarters opens in Canada
The new headquarters of Prince Karim Aga Khan IV in Ottawa, designed by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, is a $54 million building that sits on a horizontal granite podium and is wrapped in several types of glass. The building also features an atrium surrounded by a screen of cast aluminum and a roof spanning 25 meters that can support 40 tons of glass and resist wind forces. Ottawa Citizen (Ontario)
(12/7)
| Sustainability | | |
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- Researchers: Silicon solar cells offer efficiency, lower cost
New silicon solar cells with highly effective reflectors might be significantly more efficient and cost less than the solar cells now used, according to MIT researchers. The reflectors trap red and near-infrared light, which can be used to make electricity, researchers said at a recent Materials Research Society meeting in Boston. They are focusing on practical ways to make the solar cells. MIT Technology Review
(12/2008)
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| Policy Update | | |
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| Critical Infrastructure | | |
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- More than 5,000 road projects ready for funding, group says
State transportation officials say more than 5,000 highway projects across the country could be ready for construction in 180 days if they receive funding. The projects would create almost 2 million jobs and improve the nation's troubled infrastructure, according to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. The group noted that $64.3 billion is needed to fund the projects. Las Vegas Sun/The Associated Press
(12/6)
| News from ASCE | | |
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ASCE wishes you all the best during this holiday season
Read a special message from President Wayne Klotz and Executive Director Pat Natale.
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Videos profile ASCE honorees
Each of the 11 new ASCE Distinguished Members who were inducted at the recent Annual Conference in Pittsburgh have been profiled in brief videos now available online. See what made each worthy of one of the highest honors the Society can bestow. Visit the video gallery.
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A 121-ton girder collapsed last week and killed one worker at a bridge construction site in Oak Island, N.C. A video of the incident captured by the town's public information officer shows that the girder buckled before it collapsed at the second Oak Island bridge. Investigators and officials have not provided further details on the fatal incident. 
