Invest in infrastructure

The decisions (or the lack thereof) that made Texas’ power grid vulnerable to the calamitous winter storm that left millions without heat and water are undergoing fierce scrutiny. It’s about time. It’s actually past time.

Dozens died due to freezing temperatures, and the economic impact already tallies in the hundreds of millions.

Could regulators have done more to prepare for the storm? Could energy companies have done more to prepare for freezing conditions? Should lawmakers have pushed harder to force such companies to prepare?

Of course, the answer is “yes” to all of these questions, but this is hindsight speaking. However, it shouldn’t take a look in the rearview mirror to come to these conclusions.

Now is the time for a reckoning, a realization: While it’s important to study the past to avoid repeating the same mistakes, the country must also look to its future and see the obvious — that America’s infrastructure as a whole needs some serious upkeep.

Democrats and Republicans alike have flirted with the idea of a sweeping infrastructure bill in recent years, and President Joe Biden’s team is working to outline such legislation. These efforts should proceed swiftly — now is the time for Congress to invest in infrastructure, not only to help prevent crises, but also to jump-start an economy mired in the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite being one of the richest countries in the world, the U.S. seems constantly to hover on the edge of disaster, with news of natural forces smashing through power grids and levies and fire prevention strategies on a yearly or monthly basis. Texas is only the most recent state to have been pushed over the edge.

The American Society of Civil Engineers just this week gave America’s infrastructure an overall grade of C-minus in its quadrennial report card. The last grade was D-plus and that report cited decades of underfunding and unheeded recommendations. C-minus is an improvement but deserves not just federal attention but actual intervention. The report notes “we are heading in the right direction, but a lot of work remains.”

There is opportunity in the recent economic and environmental devastation that grabs headlines and breaks hearts. In the aftermath of the Great Depression, the government put millions to work improving parks and building roads and bridges and airports. President Dwight Eisenhower’s interstatehighway system remains the life veins of interstate travel.

A new and vigorous infrastructure package for America would fix what needs to be fixed and offer the promise of an economic boon.

The purpose of the federal government is to address the needs of American society in a way that can’t be tackled by states in a piecemeal fashion. What has happened in recent days within The Lone Star State demonstrates keenly that this is the time — actually past the time — that our federal leaders must shore up the foundations of our federation. Congress should act swiftly to lead states in reversing the entropy chewing away at America’s foundations. Until this happens, society stands on shifting sands.