By Kevin McCarty
July 14, 2008

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell challenged the national leaders to increase federal commitments to the nation’s infrastructure needs, stating, "America has to get serious about its infrastructure and get serious fast."

In his remarks at the June 22 plenary session, Rendell discussed how he joined with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to champion a national campaign to raise spending commitments to infrastructure investment, especially by the federal government. Working through the "Building America’s Future" coalition, Rendell explained that this initiative is "dedicated to the proposition that we have to start on our infrastructure now."

Conveying a sense of urgency about this national problem, he said, "If we don’t act, we are going to leave our children and grandchildren a problem that may be impossible to solve."

He reminded mayors that this issue is also about the future and the nation’s economic competitiveness, and state that the U.S. is falling behind other nations of the world. "Every nation in the world has made a strong commitment to infrastructure."

Citing data on declining infrastructure spending levels at the federal level, Rendell noted that when President Dwight Eisenhower left office, 11.5 percent of the non-military spending went to infrastructure investment. Today, he noted, the federal commitment is about 2.5 percent.

Rendell explained that the current infrastructure shortfall is projected at about $1.6 trillion, exclusive of other infrastructure needs such as building out a high'speed rail network, an idea which drew applause from the audience. "No American should travel by air for a flight that is 500 miles or less," he said.

"Pay me now or pay me later," Rendell said in referencing an ad campaign to prompt automobile owners to change their oil filters. "This is the truth about America’s infrastructure now."

When Rendell was mayor of Philadelphia, he chaired the "Rebuild America Coalition," a now defunct coalition of governmental and private sector organizations which advocated for increased federal spending on the nation’s infrastructure needs. This month, Rendell assumes the chairmanship of the National Governors Association, where he is expected to work to raise the visibility of the nation’s infrastructure needs among his own state colleagues.