Bang, meet buck: The 3 best infrastructure investments to restart our economy

[eridani]

http://washingtonpolicywatch.org/2012/05/07/bang-meet-buck-the-3-best-infrastructure-investments-to-restart-our-economy/


First, water infrastructure investments create more jobs overall – and more jobs per dollar – than any other infrastructure project. This is especially true of jobs in those industries hit particularly hard by the recession.

States and localities don’t have to wait for the federal government to act on this one. Philadelphia’s “Green Cities, Clean Waters” stormwater management program is predicted to yield $2 of benefit per $1 dollar invested and create 250 jobs every year. Since the US water system is very decentralized, potential jobs exist everywhere, even in our smallest communities.

Second, smarter investments in waste management could create millions of jobs. Recycling creates ten times as many jobs per ton of waste as landfills, so diverting 75% of waste from landfills and into recycling facilitites could create 2.3 million jobs in 2030 – that’s 1.1 million more jobs than we would create with current recycling trends.

Third, investing in “smart grids” (modern electric infrastructure) reduces energy use and emissions, creates 12.5 jobs for every $1 million in output, and saves customers an average of 10 percent on their energy bills. Austin, Texas is already moving in this direction by equipping homes with “smart” electric meters to allow customers to track energy use and costs. In Seattle, the Building Energy Benchmarking and Reporting Ordinance aims for a 20% decrease in energy consumption in all existing buildings by 2020, compared to their 2005 levels. Retrofitting of existing buildings will create an estimated 150 new jobs.