Resolution 140086

..Title Supporting the Repair America movement which seeks to prioritize infrastructure investment which will create quality jobs, boost the economy and ensure that communities are safe and healthy, and urging our federal legislators to support this initiative. ..Body WHEREAS, Rebuilding the systems we rely on every day should be a priority, which will create good jobs in a variety of sectors in our economy and ensure our communities are safe and healthy; and WHEREAS, The dramatic effects of Hurricane Sandy highlighted our vulnerability to severe weather. The United States has spent $136 million on disaster relief from 2011-2013. Failure to invest now means fixing these systems will be far more costly in the long run, especially as climate change fuels more destructive weather; and WHEREAS, By 2020 there will be a projected $107 billion funding gap in our needed electricity infrastructure spending, which could grow to almost $732 billion by 2040, representing a seven-fold jump; and WHEREAS, Updating equipment and facilities to be resilient during more severe weather conditions, doing preventive maintenance even as simple as clearing trees away from lines, and increasing capacity would improve safety and help keep the lights on in extreme weather; and WHEREAS, 42 percent of America's major urban highways remain congested, costing the economy an estimated $101 billion in wasted time and fuel annually, earning our roads and bridges "D" and "C+" grades respectively; and WHEREAS, Being competitive in a 21st century global economy requires a cleaner, more efficient transportation system. Building and implementing a stronger transit system will ensure goods and people move more efficiently, and it will give us the competitive advantage we need to compete for jobs globally; and WHEREAS, Our nation's water infrastructure, some of which is more than a century old, is bursting at the seams with an estimated 745 to 850 water main breaks every day in the U.S. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave both the nation's drinking water and wastewater systems a "D" grade on its 2013 report card; and WHEREAS, Modernizing and upgrading of these systems will create quality jobs across the economy, for example, every $1 billion invested in water infrastructure will create more than 20,000 jobs; and WHEREAS, President Obama has put forward a plan to respond to the threat of climate change, which includes carbon pollution standards for power plants, investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency and ensuring America's infrastructure is ready for its impacts; now, therefore RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby support the Repair America movement which seeks to prioritize infrastructure investment which will create quality jobs, boost the economy and ensure that communities are safe and healthy, and urging our federal legislators to support this initiative. ..End