With the 2022 midterm elections approaching, Barry Rabe, J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy, advised Democrats to take advantage of their successful legislative action.
"It’s almost a political no-brainer to show what...
After motorists in Virginia were left stranded on the highway for over 24 hours, calls for an investigation into the state's handling of the disaster mounted. Javed Ali, associate professor of practice, weighed in on the event.
"That...
After months of haggling and horse-trading, Congress has passed—and President Joe Biden is poised to sign—a more than $1 trillion infrastructure bill. The law will usher in long-sought investment in roads, rail, bridges, broadband, the power grid...
“The federal (infrastructure) funding is probably a once-in-a-lifetime lifeline, and it certainly is going to move the needle. But Michiganders need to understand that we have a long-term challenge. This federal money will last for a while, it will...
In an opinion written for the Detroit Free Press, Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence Abdul El-Sayed calls for Congressional policymakers to preserve the water affordability and infrastructure measures included in the Infrastructure...
Days after the United Nations climate change report sounded a "code red for humanity," Jennifer Haverkamp, professor of practice and director of the Graham Sustainability Institute, said there is still time to mitigate the effects of climate...
Hundreds of thousands--perhaps millions--of oil and gas wells in the U.S. have been walked away from by oil and gas companies over the past 150 years. Known as “orphan wells,” they represent a threat to the environment through leaking the greenhouse...
In a recent opinion for The Conversation, tax policy expert Stephanie Leiser provides evidence to increase the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28% to pay for President Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure plan. This increase would still be below levels...
Barry Rabe’s latest blog for Brookings explores how President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau might leverage their new relationship to make progress on climate, water and infrastructure.
“Methane may offer some real opportunity for...
By Greta Guest, Michigan NewsMost local government leaders have good things to say about their road commissions that maintain county primary and township local roads upon which so many Michigan residents rely.The Michigan Public Policy Survey at the...
Peter Adriaens discusses "The Transformational Role of Data for Democratized Digital Project Delivery" and how it relates to smart infrastructure finance.
Historically, public infrastructure systems such as roads, water utilities, and schools are financed using a combination of tax revenue, government and revenue-backed bonds. This system has repeatedly fallen short due to insufficient tax revenue and political aversion towards funding “social infrastructure”. Especially for schools, the access to quality infrastructure is highly correlated (in the US) to poverty, stemming from property values, credit worthiness and other factors. A recent bill (not passed) required a 1:6 leverage of federal with state and private finance, compared to 1:12 in Europe and 1:30 proposed under the Climate accords. Either infrastructure has not been built or upgraded, or private capital has stepped in the breach. At the Center for Smart Infrastructure Finance, we're asking whether data-driven models can close the gap by taking advantage of the internet of things (IoT): smart sensors that deliver information which can be monetized. This seminar will explore how private financing models that leverage digital data supply chains to attract 'efficient capital' (e.g. insurance, options trades, debt securities, variable interest rate bonds) can be adapted to financing public infrastructure while limiting recourse to the citizens that use it, and leveling the economic disparities of access.
The “Michigan’s Municipal Water Infrastructure: Policy Choices and Issues” conference is being sponsored by a consortium of universities across the state, with the hope of bringing a voice of academic research and analysis to the topic of municipal water policy in the state (particularly relevant in the face of the crisis in Flint). Faculty will present on a range of issues: from water supply engineering issues to municipal funding needs to health and environmental impacts to state and federal regulation.For more information and to register, please visit http://events.anr.msu.edu/MMWI/ This conference is free, however space is limited so please register early to secure your spot.
