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Public Private partnerships
PI Original
by Ashlee Rezin
5:07pm
Tue Apr 2

Major Infrastructure Needs Along Mississippi & Illinois Rivers Prompt Bipartisan Legislation

Congress

Outdated and deteriorating locks and dams along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers have contributed to a backlog of projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), amounting to $60 billion in unfunded, but necessary, upgrades. Prompted by this statistic, Illinois congressional delegates sponsored bipartisan legislation earlier this month that would encourage private investment in improving the nation’s water infrastructure.

PI Original
by Ashlee Rezin
4:37pm
Wed Feb 13

Obama Calls For Congress To Act On Progressive Issues In SOTU Address

Politics

With a promise to fuel economic growth but not add “a single dime” to America’s deficit, President Obama’s State of the Union address focused on creating middle-class jobs and encouraged bipartisan support for initiatives such as raising the minimum wage.

Quick Hit
by Brandon Campbell
9:08am
Wed Aug 29, 2012
3 comments

Environmentalists Warn Private Investors Could Hike Illinois Water Fees

Local residents could begin to feel a financial pinch at the kitchen sink as more private investment firms take aim at public water utilities.

That’s according to a new report from a citizen’s advocacy group that shows some major financial players, like JPMorgan Chase, Australian bank Macquarie and the Carlyle Group, are taking advantage of the public sector’s slow recovery from the recent recession by buying up public utilities.

Emily Carroll, Midwest regional director at Food & Water Watch, said Chicago’s water infrastructure system isn’t “at risk of being sold, per se.” But Carroll warned that Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s controversial Infrastructure Trust will smooth the path towards public-private ownership of some Chicago utilities. Read more »