The National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine. (2021, August 5). Retrieved August, 8, 2021, from https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2021/08/environmental-resilience-of-transportation-infrastructure-should-be-assessed-for-all-federally-funded-projects-says-new-report

A new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine asserts that Congress should consider requiring all candidates for federal funding to undergo resilience assessments to account for natural hazards and the changing risks stemming from climate change. This mandate will ensure routine and deliberate attention to resilience in transportation investments. The article further extrapolates on the point stating, “the U.S. Department of Transportation should promote the inclusion of resilience benefits into its benefit-cost analysis (BCA) for project justifications.” An analytic framework incorporating detailed inventories of existing and planned assets, such as roads, runways, bdridges, docks, and rail lines, offers further protection from environmental degradation.

 

The article offers insight on the political side of both transportation and how environmental policy is enacted in the United States. The report indicates that protecting transportation from environmental harm and ensuring publicly subsidized public transport does not contribute to these harms is a priority for the administration. I think the article did an exemplary job highlighting the critical aspects of the report and offering explanations for their impact. It was also encouraging to see the emphasis on a data-based, analytical approach the government was taking to ensure maximum efficacy. This approach helps dilute bias and human error, offering a greater holistic benefit.