Every Wednesday, The Ferguson Group blog will be posting a series of articles published over the previous week that discuss topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup! -
How Emergency Managers Can Benefit from Big Data
In the past several years, big data has been used to prepare for and address emergency situations. Although the era of big data in emergency planning is still in its infancy, experts say big data could prove to be an indispensible tool for both large agencies and local emergency managers in the future. Read More…
Large Costs Loom for Upgrades to U.S. Water Infrastructure
After the near “catastrophic” water shutdown last week in Maryland’s Prince George’s County due to a 48 year old water main ready to explode, attention has again been drawn to America’s aging water infrastructure. The EPA estimates $384 billion in water infrastructure upgrades need to be made over the next two decades, and with the majority of water funding coming from local sources, concerns continue to surface about the potential cap on tax exempt municipal bonds. Read More…
Pew: States Can Take Steps to Help Cities Avoid Bankruptcy Filings
A Pew report released Tuesday identifies a range of practices States can adopt to help their cities and municipalities avoid financial distress. The State Role in Local Government Financial Distress gives insight on what causes bankruptcy, how to avoid it, and identifies the states that are best prepared to handle bankruptcy situations. Read More…
Can America’s Energy Infrastructure Survive Severe Weather?
Experts in the energy field agree that America’s energy infrastructure is not prepared to handle the severe weather events that are predicted to get worse and more frequent in the future. A report released earlier this month by the Department of Energy assesses the current deficiencies in our energy system and what needs to change in order for our infrastructure to survive climate change. Read More…
Interior Department Slams Senate Energy Revenue-Sharing Bill
A revenue-sharing provision to the FAIR Act has become the center of fierce debate, mainly between the DOI and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The provision, which looks to provide coastal states with 37.5% of offshore drilling revenues produced by their state, could have negative effects for Department of Interior programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which would lose over $800 million in funding. Read More…
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