The Levin Center at Wayne Law and the Wayne Law Review co-hosted a symposium March 25 that examined oversight of the nation’s infrastructure investments and the effects of our federal system on efforts to ensure transparency and accountability in execution of infrastructure projects.
“Oversight, Infrastructure, and Federalism: Ensuring Transparency, Accountability, and Effectiveness of U.S. Infrastructure Investments” opened with a recorded video message from U.S. Senator Gary Peters who chairs the Senate’s lead oversight committee and then consisted of two panel discussions: one on establishing mechanisms for oversight of infrastructure, and the other on exercising oversight of infrastructure performance.
The Wayne Law Review later this year will publish a special “Oversight Symposium Edition” that will contain articles from several of the panelists as well as other experts on oversight, infrastructure, and federalism. The Levin Center compiled a list of additional resources, available on its website, including information on performance oversight, contracting, equity issues, federalism, and state audits.
“With the enactment last November of a nearly unprecedented level of investment designed to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure,” said Levin Center Director Jim Townsend.
“It has never been more important that we ensure that this money is well spent. Virtually no one doubts the need for additional investment in our roads, bridges, power grids, water and sewer systems, broadband networks, and other essential infrastructure. But many question whether we have the capacity, especially given our federal system, to oversee those investments, detect waste and fraud, and ensure that the goals of the legislation are achieved. Today’s symposium brought together nationally recognized experts, practitioners, and community advocates to explore how well various levels of our federal system function when it comes to oversight of infrastructure,” Townsend said.
The first panel featured a congressional staff member and experts from Transportation for America and the Center for Sustainable Energy providing insights into the kinds of oversight mechanisms that should be established to ensure effective infrastructure investment. The second panel focused on how well federal, state, and local actors perform in overseeing the implementation of individual infrastructure projects and the legacy assets. The panel, which included experts from federal and state audit agencies and practitioners involved with infrastructure projects, discussed two case studies: the construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge Project and the efforts by residents to gain control of two hydroelectric dams in Mid-Michigan which suffered catastrophic breaches in May 2020 after heavy rains.
The Levin Center at Wayne Law is named in honor of former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, Michigan’s longest-serving U.S. senator who retired in 2015 after 36 years in the Senate conducting fact-based, bipartisan oversight investigations. The center’s mission is to promote high quality oversight in Congress and the 50 state legislatures through oversight workshops, research, events, commentary, and other activities. While the Levin Center is affiliated with Wayne State University Law School, its views do not present the institutional views, if any, of Wayne State University or the Law School.
For additional information, visit https://levin-center.org.
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