We All Must Have a Shared Sense of Urgency
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large part of UCANE’s advocacy is about creating an awareness and an urgency about the need to replace and/or repair our underground infrastructure. Whether it is our #InvestInWaterMA campaign, promoting underground utility infrastructure with our federal and state leaders, or working with local officials, we must make sure that “out of sight not be out of mind.” We must also create the necessary urgency to ensure that these vital projects to upgrade our outdated infrastructure are put out to bid and completed as soon as possible. It is especially important right now, as supply chain and price escalation issues continue, which could make it easier for awarding authorities to consider delaying projects. This would be short-sighted, however. We are presented with a once in a generation opportunity with an influx of funding from the Federal Infrastructure Bill and stimulus funds including incentivized matching funds. The additional mon-
ies will not be here indefinitely, municipalities and authorities need to act now to ensure that they have access to the funds and additional incentives being provided. We are fortunate to have many great allies at the federal, state, and local levels who share our sense of urgency. One such friend is Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod and Chair of the Mashpee Select Board. We have worked with Andy for several years, back to when he worked at MassDEP. He has been a tireless advocate for clean water and protecting the environment, and I came across something he wrote recently, (which is reprinted below) that does a great job of conveying the need to act now. I want to thank Andy and all of our partners who we have worked with over the years, and I look forward to continuing working together with them in the months and years ahead.
“It’s Not All About the Benjamins” By Andrew Gottlieb
Sitting through a recent discussion about a town’s assessment of wastewater management options, I heard a lot about cost effectiveness of competing approaches. The adequacy of this approach is limited in a few ways, particularly the deference often given to the option that has the lowest first cost. Public sector managers often behave as if the overall life cycle cost of an option is not ultimately fully borne by the public and consumes any perceived short-term savings from the cheapest option. Another limitation is the failure to adequately value time and ignoring that living with degraded water quality is a cost to society and the environment. Wastewater management options that have long phasing horizons, or rely on waiting until some new septic technological silver bullet emerges, force residents to live with degraded resources for longer. That time delay is almost never monetized and applied to the cost benefit analyses. Also ignored are the present costs of a degraded environment, let alone the implications of JULY, 2022
worsening conditions that inevitably accompany delayed action. Were either or both societal costs considered, different decisions would be made. The societal value of the speed and certainty of nutrient reduction that comes from collection and treatment would be differently considered if the delayed benefit of sole reliance on as yet approved or proven septic technologies were properly monetized and factored into decision making. While the universe will be around a long time, our individual life spans are brief. Management plans that delay the start of implementation for a decade or more that then do not result in environmental improvement for years after that on the premise that it’s cheaper, do us all a disservice. It is often said that time is money. In this case that is partly true, but I would suggest it is more valuable than money. Governments can print money. My time, yours too, is finite. I, for one, would like to enjoy a cleaner environment while I am alive rather than stuff a few fake savings in my pocket that I won’t ever be able to spend. n
“BUY FROM THE ADVERTISERS IN CONSTRUCTION OUTLOOK”
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