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MAINE LABOR UPDATE
The collapse of the Mississippi River bridge in Minnesota focused a
tragic, glaring spotlight on a massive American problem that has, in just
a few days, become the subject of hundreds of articles and statements and
actions - including the re-inspection of many bridges in Maine and other
states.
The bridge collapse should come as no surprise. Our nation's
infrastructure has been gradually falling apart for decades and many
warnings have been issued - warnings that have been largely ignored.
Now everyone is seeking someone to blame.
Minnesota's Republican governor, Tim Pawlenty, has insisted that
inspections in 2005 and 2006 had found no structural problems with the
bridge. But the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that the bridge "was
rated as 'structurally deficient' two years ago and possibly in need of
replacement."
The bridge's suspension system was supposed to receive extra
attention with inspections every two years, but the last one had been
performed in 2003.
The Republican governor had every reason to try and hide the truth because
in 2005, he vetoed a bipartisan transportation package that would have
"put more than $8 billion into highways, city and county roads, and
transit over the next decade."
The question is does the nation have the political will to start the
process which will take an estimated trillion and a half dollars
when politicians know they gain votes from building something new - not
from repairing and maintaining something already in existence. By now anyone who reads a newspaper knows that in 2005 the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), reported 160,570 bridges, or just over one-quarter of the nation's 590,750 bridge inventory, were rated structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
Maine has a larger share of this problem than many states. Some 340
of Maine's 3,800 bridges were safe but "structurally deficient" last year
and about 1,500 of the state's bridges are more than 50 years old. To
avoid being closed or restricted nearly 300 Maine bridges must be repaired
or replaced in the next ten years.
At its summer meeting in Chicago August 8, members of the Executive Council renewed their call for Congress and the president to rebuild America. The Council’s statement said:
Our government must make the significant investments needed to upgrade and maintain the nation’s infrastructure. We need to find the resources to make this happen and ensure that we take advantage of this opportunity to create good jobs for America’s workers, both in construction and production of the materials needed. This will require courage, leadership and vision, but we cannot afford not to act.
ASCE’s “2005 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure” gave the nation a “D.” The group estimated that a $1.6 trillion investment over the next five years is needed to fix these problems and rebuild America. The report is both a damning indictment of neglect and a recipe for disaster:
27.1 percent of the nation’s 590,750 bridges were rated structurally
deficient or functionally obsolete. It will cost $9 billion a year for 20
years to eliminate all bridge deficiencies.
Poor road conditions cost U.S. motorists $54 billion a year in repairs and
operating costs, and congestion on the nation’s roadways costs drivers $63
billion a year. However, the $59 billion spent annually is well below the
$94 billion needed each year to improve transportation infrastructure.
Limited rail capacity has created significant chokepoints and delays.
However, freight rail is expected to increase at least 50 percent by 2020.
In addition, intercity passenger and commuter rail service is recognized
as a good investment. Each year, $12 billion to $13 billion is needed to
maintain existing rail infrastructure and expand for future growth.
WATER AND WASTE
Between 1998 and 2005, the number of unsafe dams rose by 33 percent to
more than 3,500. It will take $10.1 billion over the next 12 years to
address all critical nonfederal dams. By 2005, there were more than 11,000
high-hazard-potential dams—dams whose failure would cause loss of human
life.
The federal highway trust fund, which the fuel tax funds, is expected to be broke by 2009. Current projections indicate a deficit of $5.7 billion in 2010, which would result in a 42 percent reduction in federal transportation money, the association predicts.
"We'll fall off the cliff in 2009," said Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., who wrote
much of the last transportation bill.
BILLIONS MISSPENT
"After World War II, the nation's tax bill was roughly split between
corporations and individuals. But after years of changes in the federal
tax code and international economy, the corporate share of taxes has
declined to a fourth the amount individuals pay, according to the US
Office of Management and Budget." --Boston Globe series on Corporate
Welfare. While many huge corporations pay no taxes at all, it is estimated
that annual subsidies and tax benefits to corporations exceed $150
billion.
The AFL-CIO Executive Council this month summed it up well by saying"The future of our economy and our quality of life depend on the health of the nation’s infrastructure. Investing in it will create good jobs while improving the living standards of working families and their communities."
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