Robert Puentes
The Hill
Washington, DC, United States
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Past articles by Robert:
The CDC's wrong-way approach to contact tracing
Widespread contact-tracing efforts should be collected, verified and maintained by a single, governmental entity, not airlines. → Read More
The shutdown's effect on air traffic control — and how to end it
The modern American economy literally could not function without controllers’ eyes on the skies. → Read More
Our air transit system is overloaded — is privatization the answer?
Several barriers limit the usefulness of private capital on public airports. → Read More
How historic would a $1 trillion infrastructure program be?
How historic would a $1 trillion federal infrastructure program be? Trump's proposed plan comes up short when compared to other major infrastructure investments in recent history. → Read More
Pathways to opportunity: Linking up housing and transportation
Although the U.S. economy experienced 71 consecutive months of job growth, many people and households are not better off. This is particularly true if you are poor and physically isolated from jobs and good schools. The barriers facing many Americans are multiple, and creating effective pathways to opportunity requires action on a wide range of issues, from early childhood education, to… → Read More
Don’t dismiss Obama’s clean transportation plan
President Obama recently unveiled an ambitious new plan to pump $32 billion more annually into sustainable 21st century transportation infrastructure. With a dual focus on jumpstarting economic investment and reducing carbon pollution, the plan aims to drive innovations in public transit, intercity rail, and electric vehicle technology, and other clean fuel alternatives. In short, the kind of… → Read More
Flint’s water crisis highlights need for infrastructure investment and innovation
Flint’s water infrastructure has reached a crisis point, as residents cope with high levels of lead pollution and questions mount over contamination and negligent oversight. Aiming to cut costs in a state of financial emergency almost two years ago, the city began drawing water from the local Flint River rather than continuing to depend on traditional sources linked to Detroit, almost… → Read More
What the presidential candidates need to know about infrastructure: issues and options
In spite of the current political and fiscal environment, presidential candidates should suggest a reallocation of infrastructure responsibilities within our system of federalism to help close the infrastructure gap, which has been plagued by underinvestment and is in dire need of upgrading and modernization, according to Brookings Senior Fellows William Galston and Robert Puentes. → Read More
While Congress trumpets new transportation bill, real leadership lies outside Washington
After years of repeated short-term extensions, Congress is finally hammering out the details of a new long-term surface transportation bill. Earlier this month, the House passed a six-year, $325 billion bi-partisan measure—the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform (STRR) Act—aiming to provide greater certainty for future highway, transit, and freight investments while increasing… → Read More
Shortage of truck drivers and air traffic controllers a challenge and opportunity for many regions
From transportation and water to trade and logistics, America’s infrastructure sector faces an enormous gap in worker hiring and retention, sorely needing a new generation to fill the shoes of an aging workforce. Collectively, more than 2.7 million workers are expected to retire or permanently leave infrastructure jobs over the next decade, threatening to hold back a variety of long-term… → Read More
Shortage of truck drivers and air traffic controllers a challenge and opportunity for many regions
From transportation and water to trade and logistics, America’s infrastructure sector faces an enormous gap in worker hiring and retention, sorely needing a new generation to fill the shoes of an aging workforce. Collectively, more than 2.7 million workers are expected to retire or permanently leave infrastructure jobs over the next decade, threatening to hold back a variety of long-term… → Read More
Wisconsin water woes part of larger story
As the historic drought in the Western U.S. continues unabated and as communities in Louisiana and New Jersey face their own water shortages, seemingly local challenges in the Great Lakes region are also part of this bigger national story. The city of Waukesha, Wisc. is seeking permission to build a $200 million, 20-mile pipeline from Lake Michigan to pump clean water to its residents and… → Read More
Wisconsin water woes part of larger story
As the historic drought in the Western U.S. continues unabated and as communities in Louisiana and New Jersey face their own water shortages, seemingly local challenges in the Great Lakes region are also part of this bigger national story. The city of Waukesha, Wisc. is seeking permission to build a $200 million, 20-mile pipeline from Lake Michigan to pump clean water to its residents and… → Read More
As summer construction winds down, transportation jobs challenge still looms large
Labor Day unofficially marks the end of summer and the end of the construction season for many infrastructure projects across the country. The nation’s infrastructure needs, though, will last long after the holiday weekend, with significant implications for the labor market in particular. After all, more than 14 million people, or one out of every ten workers nationally, are involved… → Read More
Rethinking urban traffic congestion to put people first
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute recently unveiled their semi-regular report on urban traffic congestion. Chances are you read about it in your local news outlet. While the focus and themes of the report are largely the same as previous years, big changes are underway in how we study, think about, and address metropolitan traffic congestion. This new, modern approach calls into… → Read More
Seattle isn’t the only metro bracing for another big earthquake
A recent New Yorker article highlighting the likelihood of a massive earthquake near Seattle has reverberated across the country, from seismologists to policymakers to business leaders. Similar to the highly destructive earthquake and tsunami off the coast of Japan in 2011, it appears to be only a matter of time before a more serious disaster strikes the Pacific Northwest, displacing thousands… → Read More
In flood-prone areas, a rising tide of population
Recently, we highlighted how the population is surging in some of the most drought-stricken areas of the country, straining water infrastructure in California, Nevada, and other parts of the Southwest. Yet, many flood-prone regions are also seeing an uptick in population as well, leading to additional concerns over the resilience of their existing water systems in the face of greater climate… → Read More
Water systems everywhere, a lot of pipes to fix
From burst pipes in Syracuse, N.Y. to chemical contamination in West Virginia and Ohio, America’s drinking water systems face a growing list of maintenance and investment challenges. Perhaps surprisingly, one big challenge is simply the sheer number of systems. → Read More
The Problem with the Gas Tax in Three Charts
A recent U.S. House Ways and Means Committee hearing focused on the long-term sustainability of the nation’s transportation program. Most of the attention went to the federal gasoline tax, its role in supporting the overall program, and the fact that it hasn't been raised—even to keep pace with inflation—in two decades. → Read More
What the new clean water rule means for metro areas
In May, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) finalized a long-debated clean water rule to limit pollution in a variety of streams, tributaries, and wetlands. Aiming to clarify what types of waters receive protection under the 1972 Clean Water Act, the rule offers greater regulatory certainty concerning upstream resources—critical to water… → Read More