Public Utilities

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Loose-Fit Infrastructure Can Better Account for Climate Change

As climate change accelerates there is a growing disconnect between what our infrastructure systems can do and what we need them to do. Policymakers should view infrastructure investments as not simply hardware fixes and upgrades, but as efforts to close this gap.

Mikhail Chester, Constantine Samaras

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The USPS Is a Public Service, Not a Business

As Congress and the White House debate how to assist the Postal Service, it will be important to understand the effects of proposed cost-cutting measures on mail delivery of vital services, smaller and rural communities, low-income communities, and the USPS's broader public safety and security functions.

Michael S. Pollard @MichaelSPollard, Lois M. Davis @LoisMDavis

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The Pentagon Could Help Improve Resilience of the U.S. Electric Grid

The resilience and robustness of the U.S. electric grid needs to be improved, especially given the likely increased occurrence and magnitude of natural disasters due to climate change. This is where government entities that operate large facilities in the United States, such as the Department of Defense, can potentially play a role.

Beth E. Lachman, Aimee E. Curtright @ACurtright

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Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Are Important Tools to Improve Cost Estimation for Natural Disasters in Electric Utilities

Natural disasters in the United States cause billions of dollars of damage to electric infrastructure every year. Applying artificial intelligence and machine learning in a disaster-recovery context for electrical utilities might significantly improve cost estimating capability and responsiveness.

Ismael Arciniegas Rueda, Parousia Rockstroh

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The Downside of a Lean Electric Grid

The electric grid is central to U.S. national security. Recent disasters provide an example of the downsides of leanness. It's more costly to be less lean, but given our dependence on the electric grid and the increasing prevalence of disasters, safety and resilience may be greater priorities.

Ismael Arciniegas Rueda, Aaron Clark-Ginsberg @aclarkginsberg

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Voting in a Pandemic, the U.S. Postal Service, Defunding the Police: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Americans' views about voting in the age of COVID-19, what makes the U.S. Postal Service so essential, why some in law enforcement may be open to “defunding the police,” and more.

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The United States Postal Service Is More 'Essential' Than You Thought

The U.S. Postal Service is an essential service that delivers mail to every address in the country, connects rural communities, and contributes to public safety. But it is still mistakenly thought of as a private business that should be able to turn a profit.

Michael S. Pollard @MichaelSPollard, Lois M. Davis @LoisMDavis

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The Postal Service, Election Security, Reducing Child Deaths: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the role of the U.S. Postal Service, preparing for the presidential election, reducing child deaths in Nigeria, and more.

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Turning Off Power to Combat Wildfires Could Harm the Very People Who Need Protection

While intentionally shutting off power may be a practical way to prevent power lines from sparking wildfires, is it worth the risks? Until more thoughtful and comprehensive decisions are made, planned power outages need to be planned better.

Joie D. Acosta, Regina A. Shih @ReginaShih

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How to Ensure Quality Drinking Water Service for All? One Option Is Fewer Utilities

California's Human Right to Water Bill declares that “every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water.” One clear barrier to reaching this target is the sheer number of small water utilities that pose service sustainability and public health risks to their customers.

David Catt, Michelle E. Miro, et al.

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Staying Cool—as the Globe Warms

Studies suggest that the heat of the future will exceed humans' capacity to cope. But taking advantage of smart technology, inexpensive traditional methods of cooling that require little energy use, and innovative energy-efficient technologies could provide a sustainable path forward in heat-challenged regions.

Gulrez Shah Azhar

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Austin Bombings Highlight a Potential Vulnerability in the Mail Delivery System

USPS is better than private couriers at identifying and detecting suspicious packages. Given that they are increasingly handling

Lois M. Davis @LoisMDavis, Michael S. Pollard @MichaelSPollard

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How Federal Policy Could Help Water and Wastewater Utilities

A targeted approach could help the federal government address the root causes of infrastructure problems more effectively than a spending initiative that simply spreads money around with the hope that more spending might do some good.

Debra Knopman, David Catt

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Getting (Solar) Electricity Pricing Right

Demand for rooftop solar panels is soaring among U.S. homeowners. Meanwhile, states are struggling to adapt a 20th-century electrical grid—and the corresponding cost structure for electricity rates—to this 21st-century reality. This is causing confusion and uncertainty.

Nicholas E. Burger, Aimee E. Curtright @ACurtright, et al.

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Getting the Lead Out of Pittsburgh's Water

Without an aggressive long-term strategy for replacing service lines, and collaboration among the water authority, public officials, and residents, lead in Pittsburgh's water will persist.

Jordan R. Fischbach, Linnea Warren May @LinneaKWMay

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Investing in Infrastructure? Don't Forget the Electric Grid

Leaving the future of America's electricity grid to chance should not be an option. To maximize the potential benefits of a multibillion-dollar smart grid investment, a closer examination of technology and policy is needed.

Aimee E. Curtright @ACurtright, Kathleen Loa

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What Durban Can Teach Detroit: Getting Customers to Pay Their Water Bills

South Africa is proving that governments in poor cities can provide water and collect payment without turning off the water spigot. Detroit and Baltimore might consider exploring models like this that have been successfully tested in even more challenging settings.

Julia Pollak

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Power to the People: How Smart Grids Can Change the Way We Live

A modernized, 'smart' grid could change how much you pay for electricity, where it comes from, and how likely you are to lose it in a summer storm. But has the reality of the smart grid kept pace with the promise?

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The Clash of Internet Civilizations: Why Neither Side Should Prevail

The debate over net neutrality pits two opposing philosophies against each other — one pushing for the continued evolution of the Internet as an open information superhighway, the other asserting that the Internet's evolution needs to take more account of the many ways it is and will be used.

Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein