Corridors of Power: America’s grid is old. Too many of the nation’s electrical systems and pipelines date back to the 1800s. Electricity demand has increased by about 25% since 1990 while construction of transmission facilities decreased by about 30% according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Super Storm Sandy nearly wiped out New York City’s grid. Our fragile power infrastructure is under constant cyber attacks. Gridlock is another big challenge to the grid. Like is the case with much of our infrastructure, minimizing jam ups in the system is the challenge to be topped. Getting right-of-ways to build new high tension lines, pipelines and other corridors of power, remain the key to success.
There are 5,200 power producing facilities in the US. Of those, 2,000 public utilities are run by states and local government agencies that provide about 15% of the power we use. 213 stockholder-owned utilities provide power to about 73% of the population. 930 electric cooperatives providing power to about 12% of the population. Additionally, there are nearly 2,100 non-utility power producers, including both independent power companies and customer-owned distributed energy facilities.
Key Source: American Society of Civil Engineer’s Report Card for America’s Infrastructure
Dan McNichol is a number-one bestselling author and an award-winning journalist. His published books, articles, thought-leadership papers and speaking events focus on mega construction projects in the United States and The Peoples Republic of China.
McNichol recently contributed to a front page story in The New York Times titled, “Trump-Sized Idea for a New President: Build Stuff”. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) / Boston Chapter named McNichol as one of nation’s outstanding journalists in 2014 and again in 2003. McNichol contributes to worldwide media outlets including: The New York Times, Engineering News Record (ENR), ABC World News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) network, China Central Television (CCTV), TV Tokyo, MSNBC and PBS’s The NewsHour, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, History Channel. McNichol is a frequent voice on National Public Radio (NPR).
ENR Magazine recently tapped McNichol as the magazine’s national correspondent for a cross country tour. McNichol and Aileen Cho, ENR’s senior transportation editor, drove in a 1949 Hudson Commodore with the tagline, “America’s infrastructure is as old, rusty and energy defunct as our original Detroit lead-sled.” The journalists wrote ENR print and online cover stories about the nation’s ailing infrastructure.
A former White House appointee, McNichol served the President on US policy issues surrounding transportation and infrastructure between 1991-1993. McNichol has worked in official capacities on the nation’s largest infrastructure projects: California High Speed Rail (2017), San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Replacement (2013) and The Big Dig, a.k.a. The Central Artery / Third Harbor Tunnel Project (2000).
