infrastructure

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Japan Tunnel Collapse Death Toll Hits 9

Government orders emergency inspections

(Newser) - Authorities in Japan have confirmed nine deaths so far in yesterday's terrifying collapse of a major road tunnel . The bodies were found in three vehicles that had been crushed by falling concrete panels in the 2.7-mile Sasago tunnel, the BBC reports. The search for bodies has been suspended...

Major Quake Looms for Ill-Prepared Oregon

 Major Quake 
 Looms for 
 Ill-Prepared 
 Oregon 
in case you missed it

Major Quake Looms for Ill-Prepared Oregon

'Oregon is not ready,' says an expert

(Newser) - Oregon is sitting on a ticking time bomb, and stands a 40% chance of getting hit by a major earthquake—possibly as big as the one that hit Japan last year—in the next half-century, according to an ominous new report out of Oregon State University. Adding to concern: Shaking...

What the Massive Blackout Says About India

Embarrassing questions raised for country with big ambitions

(Newser) - India's power outage —among the biggest in the history of the world—is over, with the situation returning to what the power minister called "normal" by last night. But the questions are just beginning, note the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times . The blackout,...

Afghan Police Bases US Built for $19M Sit Empty
Afghan Police Bases
US Built for $19M Sit Empty
new report

Afghan Police Bases US Built for $19M Sit Empty

Report: some infrastructure projects could even prove detrimental

(Newser) - When US inspectors looked at four border police bases in Afghanistan—funded by the US at a cost of almost $19 million—they found most of the facilities on three of those bases had either been abandoned or weren't being used as intended, the Wall Street Journal reports. The...

Heat, Drought Savaging US Infrastructure

Roads crack, nuclear plants shut down as weather grows extreme

(Newser) - Farming isn't the only thing being devastated by the country's ongoing drought—much of the US' infrastructure is getting pounded, too, as the record-setting heat takes its toll on concrete, steel, and pavement, reports the New York Times . In Washington, DC, 100-degree temperatures caused a subway to...

'Leviathan State' Won't Solve Your Problems

Charles Krauthammer slams Obama's love for infrastructure

(Newser) - Can we thank government for our best opportunities? President Obama seems to think so, but Charles Krauthammer isn't buying it: Yes, government builds roads and pays teachers, but "to say that all individuals are embedded in and the product of society is banal," he writes in the...

Woman Strangled by NY Train Station Escalator

LIRR escalator had been slated for replacement

(Newser) - An 88-year-old woman was strangled yesterday on a Long Island Rail Road escalator that commuters said was malfunctioning for months. Irene Bernatzky was killed after she fell and her clothes became entangled in the treads of the moving stairs, investigators say. Officials say the escalator passed inspection last month after...

US Will Need $1T to Fix Water Pipes
 US Will Need $1T  
 to Fix Water Pipes   
study says

US Will Need $1T to Fix Water Pipes

Industry estimate sees steep costs over next 25 years

(Newser) - The US could be facing a $1 trillion plumbing bill. That's how much it will cost over the next 25 years to mend or replace the disintegrating pipes that carry drinking water throughout cities and build new ones to accommodate a rising population, according to an industry study. And...

US Water Infrastructure Going Down the Tubes

Billions needed to keep water flowing

(Newser) - Water and sewer systems, among the most basic things needed to keep civilized society going, are in danger of falling apart across America. Around a quarter of drinking water already leaks from pipes before it reaches the faucet, and without urgent repairs to the vast majority of water systems—many...

Planned Undersea Tunnel Divides Germans, Danish

$7.2B, 12.5-mile endeavor would be Europe's largest infrastructure project

(Newser) - Denmark is preparing for the largest infrastructure project in Europe: a 12.5-mile tunnel to Germany under the Baltic Sea. But the $7.2 billion project, which would be among the world's longest immersed tunnels, has sparked tensions with Germans who are dubious about its usefulness, Der Spiegel reports....

Senate Blocks President's Infrastructure Jobs Strategy

$60M third part of Obama work plan shot down

(Newser) - Another piece of President Obama's jobs plan has been defeated in the Senate. A measure to spend $50 billion on infrastructure improvement and $10 billion in seed money for a new infrastructure bank fell short of the 60 votes needed for debate, reports the Washington Post . Every Senate Republican...

'Son of Stuxnet' Worm Found in Europe

Duqu designed to gather information on industrial systems, Symantec says

(Newser) - A new computer virus found in Europe and the Middle East bears a strong resemblance to the Stuxnet worm that attacked Iran's nuclear facilities, security experts say, but the Duqu malware's target is still unclear. Security firm Symantec says Duqu appears to be designed to gather information on...

Obama Scrambles for Jobs Plan
 Obama Scrambles for Jobs Plan 

Obama Scrambles for Jobs Plan

But problem may be too big to fix

(Newser) - As he announced the appointment of Alan Krueger yesterday, President Obama promised a speech outlining his new jobs agenda next week—but behind the scenes, Obama and company haven’t actually agreed on that agenda yet, the Washington Post reports. The president is considering a number of options, including a...

US Needs to Plow $2T Into Infrastructure


 US Needs to Plow $2T 
 Into Infrastructure 
study says

US Needs to Plow $2T Into Infrastructure

America has fallen behind Brazil, China, India

(Newser) - If the United States wants to get its infrastructure up to date, it’s going to need to throw $2 trillion at it. The US is falling behind much of the world when it comes to improving and expanding its transportation network, and now lags behind Brazil, China, and India,...

GOP Slams $53B High-Speed Rail Plan

Huge rail boost likely to meet stiff House opposition

(Newser) - Joe Biden announced an ambitious $53 billion plan to expand America's high-speed rail program yesterday, drawing immediate fire from Republicans. "This is like giving Bernie Madoff another chance at handling your investment portfolio," said House Transportation Committee chairman John Mica, pointing to previous rail failures and labeling Amtrak...

For Some Teens, America Is a Third-World Country

Decaying infrastructure hits reservations especially hard

(Newser) - America's deteriorating infrastructure may not be immediately noticeable to you—but take a walk on an Indian reservation, and that will soon change. In the Daily Beast , Eliza Griswold profiles EJ Montoya, 16, one of 400 students who battles sometimes impassable roads and numerous other obstacles just to get to...

US Can't Build Things Anymore
 US Can't Build Things Anymore 
Jonah Goldberg

US Can't Build Things Anymore

Don't blame conservatives for bureaucratic nightmare, writes Jonah Goldberg

(Newser) - It took just 410 days to build the Empire State Building, and a mere two years to build the Pentagon. “These days it takes longer to build an overpass,” observes Jonah Goldberg of the LA Times . “This country can’t build stuff the way it used to....

Schwarzenegger and Pals: Our Infrastructure Is Embarrassing

Bloomberg, Rendell, and Governator all want us to improve transportation

(Newser) - Arnold Schwarzenneger, Ed Rendell, and Michael Bloomberg teamed up on an op-ed piece in Politico today, arguing that the nation needs to invest heavily in transportation. “Our nation’s infrastructure has been neglected for too long,” the trio writes. They tout the many construction projects and state-of-the-art high-speed...

Obama Pushes $50B Infrastructure Plan

Prez seeks GOP support for 'roads, railways, runways' spending

(Newser) - President Obama has made a fresh call for bipartisan support for his $50 billion "roads, railways and runways" plan to upgrade the nation's infrastructure. Obama warned that a failure to invest in infrastructure is eroding America's competitive edge and called for lawmakers to choose between "decline and prosperity,...

Stewart Smacks Obama's $50B Plan

By way of really elaborate football metaphors

(Newser) - It is September, which means just one thing to Jon Stewart ... it's time for midterms, and really elaborate football metaphors. First up last night , analyzing Obama's "version of a rousing morale booster between recessions half-time speech." But would he play the part of the inspirational coach, or be...

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