Technology & Innovation

118th Congress: Infrastructure

01.12.23 | 4 min read | 文字安迪·戈登&Aleksandra Srdanovic

美国的基础设施处于失修状态，我们的运输系统未能跟上使用，技术和维护需求的步伐。结果，43％的公共道路处于较差或平庸的状态，去年的道路死亡人数达到了近43,000，而物流和供应链系统则因大流行病，国际冲突和极端天气事件所造成的压力增加而准备不足。此外，我们国家的供水系统受到老化的基础设施的困扰，例如铅管有助于不可逆转的健康影响，脆弱的管道导致水主休息每天损失高达60亿加仑的经过治疗的水。这些条件源于公共基础设施投资的下降，该投资的份额已减少了40％以上，比1961年的高点减少了。

The 118th Congress has an historic opportunity to develop and harness innovative technologies and methods to strengthen our economy, spur job growth, and bolster physical security with an eye toward equitable outcomes for all Americans. Our recommendations for policies that can help us achieve these outcomes are detailed below.

Reducing Transportation and Infrastructure GHGs.商用卡车和公共汽车是人为温室气体（GHG）的顶级贡献者之一。为了帮助这些车辆过渡到更清洁的电源，国会应促进全国性零排放加油站网络that would not only help reduce GHGs but also support America’s emerging alternative fuels and vehicles industry, and the job growth that would come with it.

Another significant contributor to GHGs is air travel, specifically small aircraft, the largest source of environmental lead pollution in the United States. Congress should help bolster a more sustainable aviation industry through funding, regulations, and taxes to spur the区域机场电气化while putting the U.S. back on track to competing with European and Asian companies in the sustainable aviation technology market.

但是，减少不同旅行模式的温室气体排放还不够：根据钢和混凝土等材料的排放强度，我们需要彻底改变建造方式。支持“钢镜头” at DOE, Congress should provide funding for a Clean Energy Manufacturing USA Institute focused on clean steel, as well as funding and authorities for federal investment in commercial-scale solutions.

Harnessing the Benefits of Smart-City Technologies While Mitigating Risks.Smart-city technologies – such as autonomous vehicles, smart grids, and internet-connected sensors – have the opportunity to deliver a better quality of life for communities by harnessing the power of data and digital infrastructure. However, they are not being used to their full potential. Congress should support morewidespread adoption of smart-city technologies通过为新的智能社区奖竞赛提供资金，增加了为HUD的Connecthome试点计划等社区发展计划的资金，为区域创新生态系统提供的计划赠款和资源等。

但是，如果不考虑个人保护和隐私，社区不应投资或采用智能技术技术。为此，国会应该fund the development of technologies and processes具有公民保护的核心。

AVs和CVsForefront of Advancing Societal Benefits and Equity.The widespread adoption of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) and Connected Vehicles (CVs) can revolutionize the way we travel and accelerate progress on a number of outcomes, including safety, GHG emissions, and travel times and costs. There are several ways Congress can play a role in spurring the AV and CV markets toward realizing these outcomes.

On AVs, Congress can create anEvaluation Innovation Engineat the Department of Transportation (USDOT) funded at $72 million annually to identify priority AV metrics and spur innovative technologies and strategies that would achieve them. Congress can also supportAV-5G connections，对于建立运输基础设施试点区域的计划，对于与建筑环境的AV集成至关重要；资助国家互联的AV研究联盟；为NSF的一项研究计划提供了针对安全的研究；并为美国技术人员和计算机科学家提供资金。

关于简历，国会可以通过创建一个联邦，州和地方一级的利益相关者实现他们的利益，并通过创建一个共同的战略来实现他们的利益国家连接车辆工作队。

Supporting Communities of Opportunity.In support of a national equitable面向运输的开发（TOD）计划这解决了对负担得起的住房和步行社区的普遍需求，国会应通过立法，以扩大铁路康复改善融资（RRIF）资金用于TOD倡议；将RRIF的贷款授权提高到50B美元，创建了新的资金和税收优惠，以支持TOD计划；并扩大了USDOT的联邦信用援助计划，以及其他措施。

拨款建议

• ARPA-Infrastructure (ARPA-I)。ARPA-I, authorized in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, presents a generational opportunity for USDOT to think big and take on monumental challenges across transportation and infrastructure that are ripe for breakthrough innovation. The office has received funding for initial planning and staffing but still requires considerable appropriations to begin building out an initial set of programs around high-priority infrastructure problems. Our recommendation is $500 million in appropriated funds for FY 2024 to scale ARPA-I.
• Secretary of Transportation Open Research Initiative Pilot Program.We recommend that the authorized pilot programs in Section 25013 of the IIJA be appropriated $50 million in funding for FY 2024, as authorized, to spur advanced transportation research.
• Clean Energy Manufacturing Institute for Clean Steel。我们建议国会在2024财年（与现有机构类似的资金规模）中适用于专门针对干净钢的清洁能源制造研究所。
• Clean Steel and Aluminum Earthshot Appropriations。2023财年的预算要求包括2.04亿美元用于能源部的能源地球倡议。我们建议该计划在2024财年获得强大的持续拨款，其中包括1500万美元，其中包括清洁钢和铝的地球。