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Flood Insurance

A Step Toward Disaster-Recovery Sanity

Congress can open the door to private flood insurance

May 11, 2016

The U.S. House of Representatives edged U.S. flood insurance policy—and with it, risk financing needed to rebuild after losses from flooding—closer to rationality with a unanimous vote April 28.

House Bill Would Limit Contractors' Labor Disclosures

Pam Hunter McFarland

May 11, 2016

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A Dept. of Defense authorization measure moving in the House includes an amendment to block a presidential directive for contractors to disclose labor-law violations when bidding for DOD and National Nuclear Security Administration projects.

NRC: Yucca Mtn Nuclear Repository Won't Harm Groundwater

Pam Hunter McFarland

May 11, 2016

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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has concluded that a proposed permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radio- active waste beneath Nevada’s Yucca Mountain will have minimal impacts on groundwater and surface groundwater discharges.

ASCE Report: Infrastructure Gap $1.4 Trillion Over 10 Years

Surface-transportation's shortfall accounts for $1.1 trillion of the total

Tom Ichniowski

May 10, 2016

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Electricity-sector gap pegged at $212 billion over next decade; water-wastewater gap estimated at $113 billion.

Transportation Infrastructure

Maglev Systems: It’s Time to Rethink Railroad Transit

After decades of research, a sustainable railroad transit revolution is underway—in Asia.

Kevin C. Coates

May 9, 2016

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Maglev technologies require much less maintenance than their more popular alternatives. Maglev propulsion is free from vehicle on track friction, so it avoids the financial burden of a “speed/maintenance penalty,” which increases with vehicle speed.

Benefits