Editing Public capital (section)

==Current state in the U.S.==

In 1988, the U.S. [[Infrastructure|infrastructure system]] including all public and private non-residential capital stock was valued at $7 trillion, an immense portfolio to operate and manage.<ref>Pietroforte, R., & Miller, J. (2002). Procurement methods for US infrastructure: historical perspectives and recent trends. Journal of Building Research & Information, 30(6), 425-434.</ref> And according to the Congressional Budget Office, in 2004 the U.S. invested $400 billion in infrastructure capital across federal, state, and local levels including the private sectors on transportation networks, schools, highways, water systems, energy, and telecommunications services. While public spending on infrastructure grew by 1.7% annually between 1956 and 2004, it has remained constant as a share of GDP since early 1980s.<ref>Orszag, P. R. (2008). Investing in Infrastructure. Washington, DC: Congressional Budget Office.</ref> Despite the value and investment of public capital, growing delays in [[aviation|air]] and [[transport|surface transportation]], aging [[electric grid]], an untapped [[renewable energy]] sector, and inadequate school facilities all have justified additional funding in public capital investment.

The [[American Society of Civil Engineers]] have continued to give low marks, averaging a D grade, for the nation's infrastructure since its inception of the Report Card in 1998. In 2009, each category of infrastructure varied from C+ to D− grades with an estimated $2.2 trillion of needed public capital investment. The [[aviation]] sector remains mired in continued delays in the reauthorization of federal programs and an outdated [[air traffic control]] system. One in four rural [[bridge]]s and one in three urban bridges are structurally deficient. States are understaffed and underfunded to conduct safety inspections of [[dams]]. Texas alone has only seven engineers and an annual budget of $435,000 to oversee more than 7,400 dams. [[Electricity]] demand outpaces energy supply transmission and generation. Almost half of the [[Lock (water transport)|water locks]] maintained by the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] are functionally obsolete. [[Drinking water]] faces an annual shortfall of $11 billion to manage their aging facilities and comply with federal regulations. Leaking pipes lose an estimated {{convert|7|e9USgal|m3}} of clean drinking water a day. Under tight [[government budget|budgets]], national, state, and local parks suffer neglect. Without adequate funding, rail cannot meet future [[tonnage|freight tonnage]] load. [[Public education|Schools]] require a staggering $127 billion to bring facilities to decent operating condition. Billions of gallons of untreated [[sewage]] continue to be discharged into U.S.’s [[surface water]]s each year.<ref>American Society of Civil Engineers. (2009). Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. Retrieved from {{cite web |url=http://www.asce.org/reportcard/2009/grades.cfm |title=2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure |access-date=2011-07-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100317143614/http://www.asce.org/reportcard/2009/grades.cfm |archive-date=2010-03-17 }}</ref>