From ASCE National, edited by Gregory Scott
On March 16th more than 200 ASCE members from 49 states descended on Capitol Hill to advocate for infrastructure and the civil engineering community. Armed with their everyday civil engineering experiences, issues briefings from the ASCE Government Relations team, and insight from two keynote speakers. Joining them were three members from the Pittsburgh Section, Nat Hayes, Gabby Briffa and Greg Scott. Fly-In
attendees spent Wednesday afternoon advocating for a new Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), water infrastructure funding, and the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization (FAA). In her presentation on Tuesday night, Marion McFadden, deputy assistant secretary for grants programs in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Community Planning and Development highlighted Rebuild by Design and HUD’s $1 billion nationwide design competition for infrastructure projects and community programs open to areas affected by natural disaster from 2011-2014. ASCE assisted HUD in the competition this past summer by providing cutting edge engineering expertise in designing resilient infrastructure.
On Wednesday morning, Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) a member the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and a former congressional staffer provided not only insight on the current political climate of infrastructure policy in the House but he also offered tips on how to improve the outcomes of Congressional meetings. ASCE members meet with roughly 230 congressional offices this week, including a visit to every congressional in PA. Don’t forget to add your voice to theirs by sending an email to Congress in support of infrastructure investment.
