Sustainable Critical Infrastructure SystemsA Framework for Meeting 21st Century Imperatives

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Sustainable Critical Infrastructure Systems-A
Framework for Meeting 21st Century Imperatives
Engineers Forum on Sustainability May 22,
2009 Lynda Stanley, NRC
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National Academies
. . . the Academy shall, whenever called upon by
any department of the Government, investigate,
examine, experiment, and report upon any subject
of science or art . . .
1863 Charter
National Academy of Sciences-1863 National
Academy of Engineering-1964 Institute of
Medicine-1970 National Research Council-1916
The work of The National Academies is reported
through an Annual Report to Congress
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Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed
Environment

• Security of facilities and critical
  infrastructure
• Multi-hazard mitigation methods
• Infrastructure and community building
• Human factors and the built environment
• Construction methods and materials

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Committees Task Statement

• Identify and frame fundamental challenges in
  moving towards critical infrastructure systems
  that are physically, socially, economically and
  environmentally sustainable.

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Critical Infrastructure Systems (Lifelines)
Power, Transportation, Water, Telecommunications,
Wastewater
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Report Committee

• RADM David Nash, Chair, NAE
• Lt. General Henry J. Hatch, NAE
• E. Sarah Slaughter, MIT
• Robert Prieto, VP, Fluor
• Sue McNeil, University of Delaware
• Gary Westerhoff, NAE, Malcolm Pirnie
• Massoud Amin, University of Minnesota
• Mark Eberhart, Colorado School of Mines

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May 2008 Workshop
60 professionals from government, academia and
the private sector asked to look at links between
critical infrastructure systems and 21st century
imperatives

• Globalization
• Climate Change
• Energy Independence
• Disaster Recovery
• Depletion of Natural Resources
• Deteriorating Infrastructure Performance

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Globalization Imperative

• Ensure that the Nations critical infrastructure
  systems are appropriately aligned and perform at
  the level required to effectively support U.S.
  competitiveness in the global economy.

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Energy/Climate Change Imperative

• Develop the critical infrastructure systems
  required to produce and deliver alternative
  sources of energy that will support U.S. energy
  independence and help to reduce greenhouse gas
  emissions.

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Disaster Recovery Imperative

• Improve the reliability and resiliency of
  critical infrastructure systems before, during,
  and after natural and man-made hazards/disasters

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Environmental Imperative




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Infrastructure Performance Imperatives
Upgrade/renew existing infrastructure systems to
meet current and future requirements, to improve
their performance and cost-effectiveness


Cost to Renew 2.2 trillion (ASCE est.)
Congestion
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National Renewal Focus

• Aligned to efficiently move goods and services
• Can produce power from non-traditional sources
• Use technologies and materials less reliant on
  fossil fuels
• Use water and natural resources judiciously

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Deal with the Disconnect

• Regions and markets operate across jurisdictional
  and political boundaries
• Systems are functionally and geographically
  interdependent but,
• Institutional arrangements are highly segmented
• Leads to sub-optimization of resources and
  solutions, and
• Lack of public support

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Additional Issues

• No vision, concept or stated objectives for
• Future configuration
• Level of performance
• No framework for developing policies, procedures,
  and processes

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Framework Components

• A broad and compelling vision
• A focus on
• Interdependencies among systems
• Provision of essential services vs. physical
  components
• Collaborative systems-based approaches
• Performance Measures

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Elements for Moving Forward

• On-going initiatives
• Use of new technologies materials
• Communication education

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Next Steps

• Distribute report
• Enlist support of public and private sectors and
  academia to develop vision, concepts, and
  mechanisms of a new paradigm

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Questions / Discussion
Thank You