Infrastructure Investment Creates American Jobs

Federal investment in transportation infrastructure can drive employment and boost our national competitiveness. Increased investment in transportation infrastructure will provide jobs in many sectors, including in construction and manufacturing, while addressing the long-term deficiencies in the state of U.S. infrastructure. Businesses depend on a state-of-the-art transportation infrastructure to efficiently transport necessary components and final goods to their destinations. A safe, world-class transportation infrastructure can create new jobs through greater efficiency, increased competitiveness, and more overall demand.

However, Congress and the President continue to delay making long-term, meaningful decisions about investing in our critical infrastructure. In July 2014, Congress approved an …

Investing in Mexico’s Energy Infrastructure Series: Power Generation and Cross-Border Prospects

The extensive reform under way in Mexico across all energy sectors has created a wave of anticipation and speculation about the future shape of the market and new opportunities for private investment. In this paper, we examine the current opportunities and risks in cross-border power markets in the context of the Mexican regulatory reform, especially along the Arizona-Sonora and Texas-Tamaulipas/Coahulia/Chihuahua areas of the border.…

Investing in Mexico’s Energy Infrastructure: Renewable Energy and Cross-Border Prospects

The current power trade between the United States and Mexico is relatively small, and the renewable sector in Mexico remains underdeveloped. Yet, encouraging market dynamics give ample reason to pay attention to this area. In light of these developments, ICF International has developed a series of papers that highlight emerging issues in different aspects of the energy opening. In this paper, ICF examines the current opportunities and risks in cross-border renewables trade, especially for the California market.…

Natural Gas Infrastructure and Methane Emissions

Significantly increased production of natural gas in the United States has dramatically changed the country’s energy landscape—both lowering domestic natural gas prices and providing substantial economic benefits.1 At the same time, debate has surrounded the environmental impacts of natural gas as compared with other fossil fuels.

Prompted by these uncertainties and the need to better understand the climate impacts of increased natural gas production and use, researchers have been investigating natural gas emissions throughout its lifecycle.…

Catching Up: Greater Focus Needed to Achieve a More Competitive Infrastructure

Modern economic growth and development depends on high-quality infrastructure. There is no getting around it. However, what, exactly, does that involve? Infrastructure spans a wide range of public and private assets, including highways and bridges, airports, ports and inland waterways, electricity plants and transmission lines, information and telecommunication networks and water and sewage facilities. Such assets are indispensable for facilitating production across various industries—not least of which include agriculture, energy, mining and, in particular, manufacturing. The ability to safely and efficiently move goods from a manufacturing facility to a customer located far away is crucial to the industry’s long-term health …

Beyond Shovel-Ready: The Extent and Impact of U.S. Infrastructure Jobs

Climate Change Adaptation: DOD Can Improve Infrastructure Planning and Processes to Better Account for Potential Impacts

Strategic Infrastructure Steps to Operate and Maintain Infrastructure Efficiently and Effectively

The Federal Government’s Track Record on Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure

In the past few years, we have seen significant breaches in cybersecurity which could affect critical U.S. infrastructure. Data on the nation’s weakest dams, including those which could kill Americans if they failed, were stolen by a malicious intruder. Nuclear plants’ confidential cybersecurity plans have been left unprotected. Blueprints for the technology undergirding the New York Stock Exchange were exposed to hackers. Examples like those underscore for many the importance of increased federal involvement in protecting the nation’s privately – owned critical infrastructure. But for one thing: Those failures aren’t due to poor practices by the private sector. All of …

Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity

The national and economic security of the United States depends on the reliable functioning of
critical infrastructure. Cybersecurity threats exploit the increased complexity and connectivity of
critical infrastructure systems, placing the Nation’s security, economy, and public safety and
health at risk. Similar to financial and reputational risk, cybersecurity risk affects a company’s
bottom line. It can drive up costs and impact revenue. It can harm an organization’s ability to
innovate and to gain and maintain customers.

To better address these risks, the President issued Executive Order 13636, “Improving Critical
Infrastructure Cybersecurity,” on February 12, 2013, which established that “[i]t is …