We are forced to think about our nation’s infrastructure when a big bridges collapse occurs, but many fail to notice that decrepit bridges drive up the prices on almost anything that gets to the store by truck. Transportation for America (T4A) recently released a report that shows 11 percent of all U.S. highway bridges are structurally deficient. According to the report, placing all 66,405 deficient bridges end-to-end would create one long deficient bridge stretching 1,500 miles — that is equal to the distance from Mexico to Canada across the widest part of the United States.

While a bridge with a structurally deficient rating isn’t necessarily about to collapse, in many cases it means the bridge has weakened to the point where it can no longer handle heavy loads. Lower weight restrictions cause big trucks that deliver goods to detour, making their routes longer and adding to transportation costs. That cost is usually passed along to consumers, which is reflected in many of the rising costs people are seeing at the market.

An estimated $76 billion is needed to repair deficient bridges that carry 260 million vehicles each day, yet traditional transportation funding is eroding, and the federal government’s current financial condition and fiscal outlook further complicates the issue.

Currently only 10 percent of structurally deficient bridges are eligible for repair under our nation’s largest highway program. The remaining 90 percent are left to compete with all the other pressing needs in our communities, and many states are going into their sixth or seventh year of budget troubles.

THE TOP 10 FOR JUNE 19

Showing the climate change-poverty link — The World Bank yesterday released a report explaining how climate changecould “trap millions of people in poverty.” (Associated Press)

Now appearing: Ernest Moniz — Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz appeared before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology yesterday. House members took time to ask him questions like, “What percent of climate change can be attributed to human activities?” (Politico)

Doing the math — The Obama administration is attempting to explain the social cost of greenhouse gas pollution in dollars and cents. (New York Times)

Responding to “drastic cuts” — House Democrats yesterday responded to the GOP’s proposal to cut the Department of Energy’s renewable energy spending in half. (The Hill)

Lining up — Partisan lines are becoming more clear as the Senate continues to prepare an immigration reform bill. (The Hill)

90+ degrees in Alaska? — A “searing dome of heat” is pushing temperatures to all-time highs in Alaska. (Washington Post)

Protecting kids in Oregon — Oregon’s House of Representatives passed a measure requiring the phase out of arsenic, cadmium, mercury and other toxic chemicals from children’s products. (The Oregonian)

Renewables in Austin — The city of Austin, Texas, is about to hit 35 percent renewable energy. This achievement is happening four years before the city’s goal of 2020. (SustainableBusiness.com)

Open again — The I-5 Bridge in Washington, which collapsed over the Skagit River, has reopened. (The Hill 

Those energy savings look good on you — A new partnership is hoping to encourage Seattle commercial building owners to save energy through energy efficiency. (The New York Times)

THE TOP 10 FOR JUNE 18

More antics – The House GOP appropriations bill — that includes the Department of Energy — features huge cuts to spending on renewable energy. (Hill)

Autism and air pollution linked – New research shows that there may be a link between autism and air pollution. The study shows that women who live in areas with polluted air are twice as likely to have an autistic child. (Huffington Post)

Strong faith in solar – Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz is standing behind the department’s efforts to support solar energy.(Hill)

A momentum shift? – The former climate change ambassador for the U.K. says there’s momentum toward progress in international climate talks. (E&E News)

Who’ll lead the FERC? – There are a number of strong candidates to chair the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission — the agency that regulates, monitors, and investigates America’s energy transmission. (Politico)

Waiting – A number of states and environmental organizations have delayed litigation as they wait to see how President Obamawill address climate change when he unveils his strategy in July. (Hill)

Oil spills and human health – Inside Climate News says there aren’t clear guidelines for exposure to chemicals at oil spills and there’s a lack of health studies to understand the long-term implications for human health. (Inside Climate News)

Clean water – Advocates for clean water say that California’s efforts to clean up tainted water aren’t moving forward fast enough. (Los Angeles Times)

Immigration reform – There might be movement in the House on a comprehensive immigration reform bill. (Politico)

Inspecting the inspectors – The New York Times Editorial Board reviews the United States Department of Agriculture's report on how well their inspectors are doing to inspect our food supply. (New York Times)

The following blog is written by Molly Cox, Communications Intern with the BlueGreen Alliance.

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). At the hearing Chairman John Shimkus (IL) addressed the possibility of reform for TSCA, signed into law in 1976. Despite the chair’s words, the hearing ignored the most important reason why this law needs to be reformed: toxics are killing and causing illnesses to Americans at an alarming rate. More than 190,000 illnesses and 50,000 deaths are suffered annually by workers due to exposure to toxic chemicals.

The problem is that chemicals regulations as they exist today are ineffectively working to prevent families from dangerous chemicals in their homes and at work. We cannot continue to put Americans at risk; we must act now to reform TSCA. At the hearing, Kathleen Roberts, Vice President of B&C Consortia Management, testified that TSCA needs to be stronger, as it has not undergone any significant reformation in over 30 years. Roberts is in favor of TSCA regulations, and pointed out that the EPA has been constrained when making decisions which has weakened the effectiveness of existing regulations.

THE TOP 10 FOR JUNE 17

A tough task - As President Obama gets ready to unveil a slate of major initiatives on climate change in July, the task before him won’t be easy. (Washington Post)

Celebrate – Worldwide, wind energy is set to pass 300,000 megawatts of power. (Clean Technica)

Carbon tax interest – The chair of the Senate Finance Committee — Montana Senator Max Baucus — says the interest in a carbon tax is “creeping up.” (The Hill)

On the shelf – The Obama administration has a tool to use to fight climate change — the National Environmental Policy Act — sitting on the shelf. (Reuters)

Shifting priorities? – An Associated Press pieces says that efforts to curb climate changes have shifted more and more to adapting to it. (ABC 15)

Chemicals concern – The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a list of 109 for inclusion in the Endocrine Disruptor Screen Program — a battery of tests designed to identify substances that have the potential to interact with estrogen, androgen, or thyroid hormones systems. (BNA)

Efforts to protect kids stalled – The Maine Department of Environmental Protection — overseen by a former chemical industry lobbyist — is stalling efforts to regulate chemicals that put kids at risk. (Portland Press Herald)

Addressing climate – The Washington Post Editorial Board asks what we should do about climate change. (Washington Post)

Changing food – New research looks at the impact climate change will have on the UK’s food supply. (BBC)

Dirty river, green jobs – Cleaning up a river in the Seattle area is creating green jobs. (Earth Fix)

The following post is from Ashley Haugo, Policy Advocate for Climate for the BlueGreen Alliance and Mollie Cox, Communications Intern for the BlueGreen Alliance.

As climate change continues to progress relatively unabated, we will increasingly pay the cost of inaction. For many, this warning isn’t new, but it has come into stark reality with two recent announcements about the importance of addressing carbon emissions.

On Monday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report, Redrawing the Energy-Climate Map that outlines how meaningful action now, particularly through the use of energy efficiency measures, can significantly curb the disturbing trend in global temperature rise without jeopardizing economic growth. Our current trajectory predicts a temperature increase of 3.6-5.3 degrees Celsius, and one of the biggest culprits of this trend is the energy sector. With this, addressing energy efficiency within several areas of production, such as building efficient transportation systems and reducing energy use in buildings, is an essential factor in preventing global temperatures from rising to catastrophic and unpredictable levels. Further, if we fail to act now, we will end up paying at least three times the price it will take to move to clean energy and become more energy efficient after 2020, according to the report.  

THE TOP 10 FOR JUNE 14

July – Sources are saying the rollout of President Obama’s second-term climate strategywill happen next month. (Politico)

Under pressure – The Obama administration is being pressured to confront climate change now by Senators representing the states that were hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. (The Hill)

Fix or expect the worst – Senator Patty Murray says we can expect more disasters like the I-5 Bridge collapse in Washington if we don’t take bold steps to improve America’s infrastructure. (Land Line)

EPA efforts on climate – Even with a Congress stuck in the mud, the U.S. is making progress on climate change because of the efforts of environmental groups and the EPA.(National Journal)

Climate change skyrockets flood risk – A new study says that rising seas and extreme weather are expected to increase the areas of the U.S. at risk for flooding by 45 percent by the end of this century. (Mother Jones)

Destructive and deadly – The Colorado wildfire rages on. About 360 homes in Black Forest, Colorado have been destroyed and two people have been found dead. The fire has caused 38,000 people to flee their homes. (New York Times)

Chemical explosion – An explosion in a Louisiana chemical plant killed one worker and injured dozens of other workers. (Baton Rouge Advocate)

House hearing on toxics – The House yesterday held a hearing on the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, in which supporters of toxics reform described the need to fix the broken current law. (Hill)

Electric cars measuring up – New analysis shows that the lifetime cost of own an electric car is within 10 percent of competing vehicles — that's great news for a sector of vehicles that basically started being mass produced only a couple years ago. (Green Tech Media)

Carbon tax – A Senate committee will hear a proposed carbon tax bill as part of a broader hearing on climate change next month. (The Hill)

The following post is from Ashley Haugo, Policy Advocate for Climate for the BlueGreen Alliance and Mollie Wagoner, Legislative Intern for the BlueGreen Alliance.

At a desert summit this past weekend in California, President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached an agreement on a plan for the reduction of hydroflourocarbons (HFCs), an environmentally harmful set of chemicals commonly used in air conditioners and other refrigerants. While the bilateral agreement is just the beginning of what needs to be accomplished, the announcement was met with surprise and excitement that this could mean significant progress in the phase-down on HFCs, and may even indicate a step forward in international action on climate change as a whole.

At this time, the impact of the deal can be seen as twofold. First, under the agreement, the U.S. and China have pledged to wind down the production of HFCs within their own countries and to encourage other countries to do the same. Since these countries are the two largest economies and the largest consumers of HFCs, this agreement, combined with a global push against HFCs, could cut over 90 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050. That is equivalent to two years’ worth of greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists also believe this reduction could shave 0.5 degrees Celsius from the projected increase in global temperatures over the next 100 years.

THE TOP 10 FOR JUNE 13

Grinding to a halt – Republican Senators are doing whatever they can to grind the nomination process for EPA Administrator nominee Gina McCarthy to a halt. This obstruction is part of a much wider effort by the Senate GOP to stall progress on nominees to the National Labor Relations Board and other vital appointments. Five organizations in the BlueGreen Alliancetoday issued a statement that called on the Senate GOP to stop blocking progress, and BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director David Foster said, “We need leaders in these vital positions to move our country forward, and these delay tactics put workers, the environment, and our economy at risk.” (E&E News)

Talks suspended – United Nations climate talks in Bonn were suspended after Belarus, Russia and the Ukraine put forward a proposal that was rejected by the other counties representatives in the meeting. (Business Green)

Efficiency to the floor? – The Senate may take up bipartisan energy efficiency legislation after immigration reform, according to Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski. (Fuel Fix)

Chemicals reform – Senator Susan Collins of Maine offers her perspective on the bipartisan bill to reform U.S. toxic chemicals laws. The BlueGreen Alliance offered recommendations to make the bill better earlier this week. (Sea Coast Online)

Meanwhile in the House – Two more-of-the-same GOP energy bills are moving to the House floor. A third bill actually may have a shot to pass the Senate. (The Hill)

Heavy weather – A huge string of thunderstorms battered the Upper Midwest yesterday with hail, rain and strong wind gusts. (New York Times)

Evacuate – A forest fire in Colorado has already destroyed 92 homes, caused the evacuation of 9,500 people and burned 8,500 acres. Now, more people are being evacuated. (Denver Post)

Wildfires fueled by climate change – The fires in Colorado are likely being fueled by extreme weather caused by climate change. (Mother Jones)

Slowdown hampers efficiency rules – The White House is slowing down several Department of Energy regulations that would require lighting, buildings and appliances to be more energy efficient. (New York Times)

Carbon price – The U.S. government is now accounting for carbon emissions, and that could have wide-ranging implications. (Bloomberg)

The following blog post is from Molly Cox, Communications Intern for the BlueGreen Alliance.

The hurricane season is upon us. Tropical Storm Andrea, that pounded the East Coast last weekend, is sure to be the first of many storms this season which officially started June 6th. The storm initially made landfall in Florida and made its way north eventually. Although it  was not predicted that Andrea would evolve into a hurricane, this year’s hurricane season is predicted to be worse than others in the past. This is a reminder that whether we’re prepared or not, hurricane season is here.

The sooner we make the long-term preparations including strengthening and raising sea walls, reinforcing bridges and dams and much more, the better off we will be. Making these preparations will not only fortify communities from severe weather including hurricanes and tropical storms, it’s also an opportunity for economic growth. Additionally, our infrastructure and water and energy usage are all related. Fixing water infrastructure systems, for instance, can help prevent worse effects from climate change by cutting electricity usage and carbon pollution.