SOLEDAD: I'M SOLEDAD O'BRIEN. WELCOME TO "MATTER OF FACT." IF YOU ARE TRYING TO KEEP TRACK OF THE CONGRESSIONAL MANEUVERING AROUND THE INFRASTRUCTURE BLIL HERE ARE THE CLIFF NOTES. THEIPAR BTISAN BLIL PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST AND NANCY PELOSI IS PROMISING TO PASS IT BY THE END OF THE MONTH REQUEST AFTER PROGRESSIVES IN HER PTYAR FORCED AROGRESSIVES IN HER PTYAR FORCED DELAY. THEN ACTION ON A SEPARATE BILL ATTH INCLUDES SPENDINGOR F CHILD CARE AND CLIMATE CHGEAN. CO MMUNITIES ACROSS COUNTRY ARE WITHOUT FUNDS TO PAYOR F NEEDED REPAIRS DUE TO AGE AND MADE WOTRS BY EXTREME WE'RE. IOWA WITH MORE STRUCTURAL DID I DEFICIENT BRIDGES THAN ANY OTHER STETA INSPECTORS ARE DISCOURAGED WITH THE LACKF O FUNDING. STKWRAOURBGS IT CAN BE FRUSTRATING SOME DAYS WHEN YOU VEHA A LIMIT BUDGET AND YOU SEE YOU HAVE MORE TO DO THAN WHAT YOU HAVE THE BUDTGE FOR. SOLEDAD: IN BOSTON COMMUTERS ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE CONDITION OF THEIR TRAIN STATIONS SOME PLATFORMS AN STAIRS ARE SO WNOR RUS RUSSED PORTIONS ARE GIVING AWAY. >> I HEARD A CRACKINGOI NSE AND LOOKED LIKE THAT A AND A PCEIE CAME DO.WN SOLEDAD: IN NEW YORK MORE THAN 400 SUBWAY ENTRANCES ARE AT RISK FROM EXTREME RAIN. A THINK TAKE IS PROPOSING A KACANAL SYSTEM. JOSEPH SCHOFER IS PROFESSOR EMERITUS, CIVILAND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, NORTHWESTERN HE IS ALSO THE HOST OF A PODSTCA CALLED "THE INFRASTRUCTURE SHOW". SO NICE TO HAVE YOU. YMA I START BY TALKING ABOUT YOUR PODCAST. IT IS 11 SEASONS. I'M CURIOUS WHAT YOU TALK ABOUT AND WHO DO YOU THINK YOUR AUDIENCE .IS PROF. SCHOFER: I TALK ABOUT INFRASTRUCTU.RE ELEMENTS OF INFRASTRUCTURE SPECIFIC TOPICS THAT FEED MY CURIOSITY. I LIKE TO KNOW HOW THINGS WORK. A NUMBER OF PROFESSNAIOL COLLEAGUES LISTEN AND GIVE ME GOOD FEEDBACK. I GET FEEDBACK FROM HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO SAY THAT WAS SO INTERESTING AND I WANTED TO KNOW AND HOW CAN I LEARN MORE. SOLEDAD: I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE NUMBER FROM THE A ISN'T CE. EYTH SAWT ATHE FAMILY LEVEL THE COST IS ABOUT $3300 OF INADEQUATE INFRASTRUCTURE. I'M ASSUMING THAT IS SOME AVERAGE BUT EXPLAIN THAT NUMBER ROUGHLY TO ME. PROF. SCHOFER: SEOM OF THAT IS COST TO FUNCTION THINGS THAT BREAK BECAUSE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOT WORKING WELL. AUTOMOBILE REPAIRS THAT MAY OTHERWISE BE UNNECESSY.AR SOME OF THAT A LOT OF IT IS DELAYS BECSEAU INFRASTRUCTURE DOESN'T HAVE THE CAPACITY. THERE'S DAMAGE TO WE INFRASTRUCTURE FAILS. IF THE LOOKRID G FAILS OR A STORM THAT IS A LOSS TOHE T CONSUMER AND PRESUMABLY SOME INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT COULD REDUCE THAT. SOLEDAD: COULD YOU TELL ME SPECIFICALLY THE WAYS WCHHI CLIMATE CHANGE IS CREATING THIS. PROF. SCHOFER: A STRONG PARTNER OF DROUGHT FROM THE MIDWEST TO THE WEST COT.AS IT MAKES IT MEOR LIKELY YOU WILL HAVE WILDFIRES. TH AT IS ARGUABLY ATTRIBUTED TO CLIM BCHANGE. THE MEOR DIRECT ATTRIBUTION IS FLOODS DUE TOEA S LEVEL RISE ON TE EAST COAST PARTICULARLY AND SOMERE A NUISANCE FLOODS THAT DON'T DO A HUMAN AN AMOUNT PROPERTY DAMAGE AND AOLS STORM DRIVEN FLOODS IN THE MIDWEST DUE TO HVYEA RAINFALL OR UNEXPECTED MELTING OF SNOWFALL IN THE MIDWESTAS H BEEN SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLOODS FOR MANY DECADES AND THAT IS GETTING WORSE AND WATER DAMAGE AND STORMUR SGES ON THE GU LF OF MEXICOMENT SOLEDAD: 25% OF ALL CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE U.S. IS AT RISK OF FAILURE DUE TO FLOODING. DO YOU THINK THAT NUMBER IS ACCURATE? THAT SOUNDS HORRIFYING TO ME. PROF. SCHOFER: IT IS INTDEEND TO SOUND HORRIFYING TO YOU MAYBE IT WILLET G YOU AND THE RESTF O US TO TAKE ACTION. WHAT IS CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE? IT IS STUFF YOU AND I NEED TO FUNCTION ON A DLYAI BASIS. SO, WAY I WOULD CHARACTERIZE IT IS WHEN YOU GET UP IN THE MORNING AND TURN ON THE LIGHTS AND HEAT AND RUN THE HOT WERAT YOU EXPECT TSEHO SYSTEMS TO WORK SO YOU ARE DEALING WITH NETWORK SYSTEMS, GRIDS OF ENERGY AND WATER AND THEY ARE ALL DEPENDENT ON INFRASTRUCTURE TO BRING THE RESOURCEO T YOUR HOUSE SO WE NEED DATA, SCIENCE AND MONEY. SOLEDAD: I'M CURIOUSBO AUT THE JOBS CONNECTED TO INFRASTRTUUCRE. PROF. SCHOFER: IN ARE LOTS OF WAYS TO CREATE JOBS BY BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE. WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS BUILD THE RIGHT INFRASTRUURECT SO THERE IS LASTING VALUE. THE JOB BENEFIT AND ECONOMIC BENEFIT IS FROM IMPROVING MOBILITY OF PEOPLE BECAUSE ROADS ARE BETTER OR TRANSIT IS BETTER OR BRIDGES HAVE MORE CAPACITY OR HAVING MORE RELIABLE ELECTRIC GRIDS SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO BUY A GENERATOR FOR YOUR HOUSE OR OFFICE OR HOSPITAL TO KEEP ACTIVITIES GOING. THAT IS THE LONG-TERM VUEAL AND IT A VALUE THAT EXCEEDS THE VALUE SRTHO T