{"id":8136,"date":"2021-07-29T15:07:23","date_gmt":"2021-07-29T19:07:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/?p=8136"},"modified":"2021-07-29T15:07:23","modified_gmt":"2021-07-29T19:07:23","slug":"english-words-in-the-news-infrastructure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/english-words-in-the-news-infrastructure\/","title":{"rendered":"English Words in the News: Infrastructure"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image by\u00a0Kevan Craft<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Pixabay<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Money, lots of money, has been approved by lawmakers in the United States to improve the country\u2019s infrastructure<\/strong>. The plan calls for $1 trillion to be spent on many neglected necessities across the country. 1<\/a><\/sup>https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2021\/07\/28\/upshot\/infrastructure-breakdown.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article<\/span> Yes, that\u2019s trillion, with a T. That\u2019s a 1 followed by twelve zeroes. In Europe, they would call that amount, \u201cOne thousand billion.\u201d A trillion single dollar bills stacked on top of each other would almost reach from the Earth to the Sun. As I said, a lot of money.<\/p>\n

What is Infrastructure?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Dictionaries define Infrastructure as, \u201cThe system of public works of a country, state, or region and the resources (such as personnel, buildings, or equipment) required for them to operate.\u201d This broad definition helps to explain why federal spending on infrastructure has been so difficult to achieve. It almost sounds as though the federal government, in order to fix infrastructure, must spend money on everything. Well, that’s almost true.<\/p>\n

Infra<\/em> means below, so the infrastructure is the foundation holding up the structure. It\u2019s things like water pipes and sewers and subways \u2013 the things we don\u2019t think about and take for granted that they will always work and be there for us.<\/p>\n

States, cities, and towns in the US budget money to fix or maintain their infrastructure. This is money for things like snow removal in the winter, or to cut down trees that get too close to powerlines. Local infrastructure might be schools, a library, or traffic lights. But, bigger projects, like bridges, railways, and dams, cost far more money than putting a new roof on City Hall. That\u2019s where federal funding comes in. And, because it has been years since the federal government has focused money and effort to fix these needs, the cost keeps going up along with the need. It\u2019s time.<\/p>\n

Here are the elements of the US infrastructure that will be improved with this money.<\/p>\n

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  1. Roads and Bridges<\/strong> \u2013 The highway system in the US needs to be repaired. While the agreement sets aside $110 billion for this, most experts believe that much more needs to be spent. But, it\u2019s a beginning.<\/li>\n
  2. Rail and Freight Lines <\/strong>\u2013 We have something called Amtrak<\/strong>, The National Railroad Passenger Corporation. It\u2019s our national rail passenger system. There is a long list of maintenance needs for this system, and it\u2019s long overdue for expansion.<\/li>\n
  3. Clean Water <\/strong>\u2013 Congress banned lead pipes for drinking water three decades ago. Over ten million remains and are contaminating our water.<\/li>\n
  4. Public Transportation <\/strong>\u2013 In addition to Amtrak, other trains, subways, and bus lines need to be maintained and improved. Many have not had advancements and improvements in over half a century.<\/li>\n
  5. Electric Vehicles <\/strong>\u2013 Electric vehicle charging stations will be built across the country to help encourage the manufacture and sale of modern vehicles in the age of climate change.<\/li>\n
  6. Broadband <\/strong>\u2013 Bringing high-speed internet to areas of the country without it became a necessity during COVID.<\/li>\n
  7. Wells and Mines <\/strong>\u2013 Many of these leak, making groundwater toxic. They need to be either repaired or shut down.<\/li>\n
  8. Airports <\/strong>\u2013 Some of the country\u2019s busiest airports need major improvements. Hundreds, maybe thousands of smaller ones, also.<\/li>\n
  9. Ports and Waterways <\/strong>\u2013 US shipping and international trade through U.S. ports, directly and indirectly, supports 25\u201030% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 13 million jobs.<\/li>\n
  10. Water Storage <\/strong>\u2013 Reservoirs and dams provide water supplies, power, recreation, and wildlife habitats to millions of people across the country.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These are specific parts of the US national infrastructure that will be affected by this new spending agreed upon by Congress and the White House. One trillion dollars may not be enough, but it\u2019s much better than nothing. How will it affect you?<\/p>\n

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