the world has become more connected with people and places that ever before and we can now reach just about any city on the planet in a single day and none of it would be possible without airplanes and airports in fact the national air traffic controllers association says there are over eighty seven thousand flights in the united states every single day at the same time u.s. airports are decomposing before our eyes for an aerial view on the current state of airport infrastructure we handed over to our to correspondent nicholas. most people coming into the u.s. the first thing they see is one of these and their polls and all those america considers itself to be the leader of the developed world the truth is that it's a full on always want passengers from the middle east asia or europe would expect

president trump didn't hesitate in saying the america's airports a third world facilities when i look at airports in china when i look at airports in abu dhabi and qatar and the different places where like a third world country you land in new york at la guardia airport at kennedy airport it's like a third world airport system and its latest report the american society of civil engineers graded the country's aviation infrastructure with a very unimpressive score of d. you know the united states has had. in an aging and. in aging infrastructure for about a generation so we sort of look back and the united states really built out our infrastructure in the fifty's and sixty's and early seventy's and then in some respects we've taken some time off from from from doing a lot of building and we've been somewhat maintaining our infrastructure but probably not as well as we can. says that progress at airports and a traffic can. tro systems is slow unable to keep up with demands of increased

traffic and new technologies and passages of failing the effects of code into sky tracks and based on millions of survey responses there's no us sample in the world's top ten in denver international built in one thousand nine hundred ninety five is the first one on that list in the twenty eighth position the real problem however is that with the explosion of people traveling many airports are operating beyond their design capacity so we have a situation where the airports are crowded they're basically bursting at the seams and they're you know are looking to see traffic is increasing over there in the coming years over and beyond but there are already handling so there's definitely a need. to improve america's infrastructure according to the department of transportation a record nine hundred sixty five million

a line passengers flew in the united states last year that's a three point four percent increase over twenty sixteen and more passengers mean more dollars in fact the federal aviation administration calculated that in twenty fourteen civil aviation generated one point six trillion dollars and supported around ten point six million jobs and not just any jobs because a lot of the jobs that are done at an airport especially when we talk about aircraft maintenance and in other areas you know airport management these are high tech jobs these are jobs that pay very good incomes each employee who is a highly paid skilled worker you know he's going to be part of a chain of a whole bunch of other workers along the way so having a good airport having a well maintained. may get favorable destination is one of the best things you can do for a community the f.a.a. also estimates that. the national cost of

a poll congestion is expected to rise to thirty four billion in twenty twenty before going on to sixty three billion by twenty forty of current funding levels. and this takes us to the issue of funding in america airports are funded in very different ways such as federal grants passenger facility charges bones and state and local grants it's not an easy puzzle to resolve and coordination between different sectors is as important as actually coming up with the money and airports need a lot of that according to a study by a ports council international usa ports need an estimated seventy five point seven billion dollars in infrastructure investment through twenty nineteen but american airports don't only need an upgrade they require a deep comprehensive plan if that doesn't happen the country that saw the birth of aviation will struggle to compete in the twenty first century nicholas o'donovan

r.t. . oil and natural gas are driving forces behind much of the nation's energy and the transport behind it lies in our country's pipeline infrastructure for a closer look are to cya tab in your report. the u.s. currently the largest consumer of oil consuming twenty million barrels a day just in two thousand and seventeen but that wouldn't be possible without pipelines that transport the feel from its source to the market and although the u.s. has fallen behind internationally and seen every decline and its infrastructure when it comes to telecommunications transportation. and water there one critical bright

spot has been on energy thanks to what has come to be known as the shale revolution the u.s. is now growing closer to becoming a net exporter of crude oil and natural gas and is projected to bypass russia and saudi arabia the current global leaders in energy but this dramatic spike in energy production has created a dilemma in that existing pipelines are not equipped to deal with such an influx as there are already operating in full capacity let's take the cost of transporting natural gas by train a cost that's nearly five or six times that of transporting by pipeline as economist kevin gillen explains first of all take train transportation by train is sniffing more expensive than transportation by pipeline just to give you some numbers it costs about ten to fifteen dollars a barrel to transport a barrel of natural gas by train and had only five dollars a barrel to transport a pipeline so the cost of transportation by train is to just retires transportation

by pipeline the u.s. currently has more than two point six million miles of pipeline that transport more than sixteen billion barrels of crude oil and natural gas through the pipelines annually making it the world's largest network and over that network are more than two hundred thousand miles of liquid pipelines over three hundred thousand miles of gas transmission pipelines and more than two point one million miles of gas distribution pipelines that move energy and raw materials that fueled his nation's economic engine but currently major ports like boston still rely on foreign oil from russia via the united kingdom as the region's high and unstable energy prices are rooted would inadequate natural gas pipelines to meet its demands or oil industry's top lobbyist jack straw to highlight at how resistance to infrastructure development has led new englanders but some of the highest electricity costs in the

nation particularly so through extreme winters recent cold snap highlighted the difference between policymakers and regions and embrace america's energy abundance and those that do not. for example new englanders have been subject to some of the highest electricity costs in the nation well above national average because of resistance to infrastructure development but the trump administration's infrastructure plan release earlier this year is set to change all of that with an aggressive one point five trillion dollar plan that includes a sophisticated energy pipeline but an unexpected hurdle has been president tromps recent twenty five percent tariff on steel and ten percent tariff on aluminum as terrorists on pipeline materials could be especially problematic for the industry since a large share of these products are imported at another major development and holding

back the building of new pipelines has been funding we did grow through american shale in recent years the industry estimates that roughly one trillion dollar is needed in infrastructure costs over the next two decades in order to keep pace with increasing oil and gas production demands with one third of that being spent on new pipelines but good news is that direct capital investment for the construction of new pipelines will average fifty five billion dollars through twenty twenty five so while the ultimate outcome is unpredictable the intention remains clear for the trump administration and the industry to put the u.s. as a top net export or of natural gas and oil and move not possible without infrastructure to support the pipelines sayyid have enter r.t. washington d.c. .

and we can we bridges out of that talk about infrastructure and we won't here's. corresponded. with more. fifty four thousand bridges similar to the one behind me that are structurally deficient here in the u.s. that's according to report released by the american road and transportation builders association their report states americans cross these deficient bridges one hundred seventy four million times a day potentially placing their lives at risk according to the report deficient bridges are defined as safe to drive but show signs of age and decay and are in need of regular inspection last year the american society of civil engineers gave us and from structure plus greet the group estimates the us government will need to spend two trillion dollars over the next ten years in order to keep american and

from structure from falling apart the group says over the last ten years there has been a two a trillion dollar gap and which roads and bridges and mass transit transit systems were neglect it turns one point five trillion dollars plan would include a congress three directing two hundred billion dollars of federal funds to amtrak and transit programs over the next ten years while calling for millions of dollars to come from cities states and the private sector the downside is that public private partnerships usually work and urban areas but require projects that generate money like toll roads and airports now only thirty five states allow that democratic congress men and ranking member on the house transportation committee peter de fazio believes trumps and from structure plan will fall apart if there isn't any substantial federal funding adding quote cutting other already

underfunded transportation programs to fund a new program is not going to happen experts believe the likelihood of congress focusing on infrastructure this year is slim to none and washington eisley banks are. time for a brief pause but hang here because when we return we'll look at the all important electrical grid and as we go to break here's a quiz question for you how many cars trucks buses motorcycles and other vehicles are there in the united states is it one hundred sixty eight million two hundred eighteen two hundred sixty eight million or three hundred eighteen the answer straight ahead when we return. more people feed the economy because they buy scratch tickets scratch off lottery tickets they you know when i was living in the ghetto in new york you know the red apple grocery store uptown had the highest prices in town and the liquor stores are

open and you buy you know more expensive in the ghetto and that's how you build an economy it's almost built on the backs of the poor america was built on the slave market america was built on prison labor to give them it looked at the good times of america the ne'er do wells it's all very swishy and swell that's over we got to go back to basics. i had a great education a good job and a family that loved me. i never had to worry about how i would eat some where i would sleep. but i'm facing christmas alone on the streets of london. well you know to go to. the war you like going to. the you know to simulate it to still give up food for the so. you don't really feel like a human being you know. and then. the guy just came over to me you saw me and gave me

a change of this book. welcome to unique edition of cross talk we answer questions from you the viewers some of the sentiment very interesting question. welcome back to our quiz question how many cars trucks buses motorcycles and other vehicles are there in the united states is it one hundred sixty eight million to

eight hundred two hundred sixty eight million or three hundred eight million and the answer is c. two hundred sixty eight million vehicles in the united states. another key component of our infrastructure system is our electrical grid for more on this we turn to our key correspondent natasha sweet. increase in renewable energy like wind and solar are soaring it only accounts for roughly sixteen percent of the u.s. is electricity so the question remains on what's the best method to modernize our grid electric car rebates. and gas tax. are all examples of the government stepping in hoping to either promote a certain type of energy or discourage it and now is more households are utilizing

solar energy surprisingly enough it's still an even close to being the majority just to be clear solar is not still more expensive and robert murphy with the institute for energy research says that according to the federal gov. it's predictions even by the year two thousand and fifty seventy eight percent of the u.s. is electricity will likely still be made up of fossil fuels wind suffers from intermittency issues so there are certain areas where niches a wind source can be very effective but in general you know there's only certain areas where the wind blows more than one point seven million solar energy systems are installed nationwide with a capacity of over forty gigawatts a solar energy industries association estimates that one megawatt of electricity can power one hundred sixty four homes so forty gigawatts is reportedly enough to power more than six and a half million u.s. households but whether we're noble or more traditional sources of energy might coal murphy believes the federal government shouldn't be in the business of picking winners and losers in the energy sector i've been consistent on that i don't think

that the obama administration should have been favoring wind and solar and i also don't think the trumpet ministration should be trying to implicitly subsidize nucular and coal fired plants either i think that the government's role is just have a neutral playing field and let the consumers and producers decide but one place where people desperately do need help is in puerto rico unfortunately while they have made significant progress rebuilding capabilities there are still communities in puerto rico's without power congressman randy weber of texas revisited the natural disasters of twenty seventeen in an energy some committee hearing this month if much work still needs to be done hurricane harvey in texas devastated much of the state however the points out the use of smart meters actually help pinpoint which areas were without power. but it's a much different story for puerto rico even nine months after hurricane maria hit the island for months more than half of the island remain without power especially

during those in medical care a category four storm caused an estimated one hundred billion dollars in damages and now there are at least eight hundred homes with temporary roofs still in the replacement. line. well. as impotent what you call impotence because i don't have the power the power to say look please how much are those when panels here take it. with an unemployment rate of nine point six percent the lowest in almost thirty years there are signs of economic recovery but the island still has a long way to go the grid is evolving rapidly and threats are changing the country's top energy researchers are agreeing that energy alone can't move forward without also taking national security into consideration u.s. power systems are potentially vulnerable to large scale impacts from complex threats including disturbances and electronic pulses from my altitude nuclear detonation while national security remains on the forefront of energy technology

industry leaders say that finding the most efficient batterer storage been able the us to utilize real energy at a better capacity at the coachella valley suites artsy. over half of all public schools in the u.s. are barely making the grade a d. plus is all they get according to the american society of civil engineers infrastructure report card the document shows fifty three percent of all schools need improvements to reach good condition this includes investments to make repairs renovations and modernization what's especially concerning here is that half of us schools are at least fifty years old and with that comes a number of problems such as poor air quality lead pipes for drinking water and heating and cooling systems failures all these factors can affect the health of

people who use the facilities more than twenty years ago the u.s. government accountability office put out a report that showed that as many as twenty eight million students attended schools with significant structural problems including fifteen thousand school. with unsafe indoor air quality more recently news headlines have featured some massive issues at schools for example philadelphia schools with lead paint flaking from the walls schools in south west virginia that are falling apart and baltimore schools which had to be closed for weeks during the cold months due to failing heating systems with the situation across the country dire at best many were shocked when the president left school's out of the state of the union address earlier this year. and i'm calling on congress to produce a bill that generates at least one point five trillion dollars for the new and structure investment that our country so desperately needs the exemption of schools had nothing to do with forgetfulness but instead seems to be quite deliberate since

congress has historically shot down the idea of giving federal money to public schools usually pushed by the republicans the logic has been that investing in public schools is the responsibility of states and local governments and recently u.s. secretary of education betsy device suggested a european education for americans by merging the department of education and department of labor to reduce the federal footprint in education and make the federal government more responsive to the full range of needs faced by american students and workers right now nearly fifty million kids from kindergarten to grade twelve go to public school each and every school day in america in addition another six million adults are also using the facilities for learning that's almost one hundred thousand schools across the country filled with people young and old looking for an education when you take infrastructure spending into consideration it looks like the people powered future is being neglected schools currently spend about fifty billion annually on maintenance and operations and another forty nine

billion on new school construction and capital development according to a two thousand and sixteen report by the twenty first century school fund the center for green schools and national. council on school facilities it would cost roughly one hundred forty five billion annually to maintain and modernize school buildings and this deficit is bound to grow because the number of students is growing between one nine hundred ninety four and two thousand and thirteen the student population grew by nearly five million requiring an additional thirteen thousand k. to twelve schools by two thousand and twenty six in rome and is projected at fifty one point four million students that's about one point five million more than right now with the problem obviously getting bigger and the many recent stories of school will some are hoping that the president will be persuaded to make an investment in education infrastructure sooner than later reporting for r.t. i'm alex mileage and.

while we already took a look at roads in a previous episode we get back on the road another way our due diligence as. you see them all over the road on highways freeways and squeezing through tight streets with precision often you're probably annoyed when stuck behind one but the reality is trucking is the lifeblood of the u.s. economy around eighty percent of all freight tonnage moved around the us is delivered on trucks around ten and a half billion tons of freight gets trucked all across the country dwarfing all other modes of transport combined trucking move everything from the bed you sleep on the car you drive in the food you eat all the way to the clothes on your back at

almost one hundred thirty billion dollars in goods per year that's more than four thousand dollars every second travelling on those big rigs trucking is a six hundred fifty billion dollar a year business which is the proxima. only five percent of america's annual g.d.p. and is the most common job in america the number one job for twenty nine states although there are more than three and a half million professional truckers in the united states according to the american trucking associations america is currently still short nearly sixty thousand drivers every year and that driver shortage seems like it's just the beginning projections show that at this rate the demand will grow to a shortage of over one hundred thousand drivers annually in the next five years i talk to steve the celly fox family pavilion scholar at the university of pennsylvania and author of the book the big rig for his take on the industry this shortage has traditionally been confined to the long haul for hire segment which

are really the toughest jobs out there like the ones i was just describing that you know require you to work seventy eighty ninety hours a week live on the truck for weeks at a time. those jobs of always been tough to so and now we're starting to see it harder for companies that don't have those poor working conditions and also low pay . to fill their jobs these are these are talking jobs that have traditionally been very good jobs. sometimes excellent wages and even some of those companies are now having trouble finding skilled experienced drivers the trucking industry not only has demographics working against it but some might argue that technology will eventually kill the profession altogether the white house council of economic advisors published a report in two thousand and sixteen that found that vehicle automation could threaten up to three point three million jobs industry professionals however argue that trucking will always need

a human if for nothing more than ensuring proper functionality and in case of emergencies such as flat tires system failures or the need to recharge batteries on vehicles like tesla's semi. thomas all electric class eight semi were several decades away from you know trucks that are going to be able to drive themselves in urban areas in particular the technology that we're adding so that it will get less intensive let less labor intensive is far is that a technical skill of the driver but what it is doing is adding safety technology by leaps and bounds incorporated into the truck autonomous vehicles it's great they're fun to talk about they truly are but no matter where you go no matter what autonomous truck you see you generally see a driver seen a steering wheel which means there's going to be a need for a driver to drive it given that the trucking industry accounts for five percent of the u.s. g.d.p. just how much is the u.s. government reciprocating to support the industry dilapidating roads failing bridges

unaccommodating rest in truck stops that are too far and few apart those are just some complaints the drivers say make their already tough jobs even more difficult make no mistake you know our roads and bridges are falling apart and we need infrastructure funding to to fund those repairs and create a safer environment for not only our truck drivers but everybody that drives on our nation's highways americans will continue to demand products food and other goods and the need to fulfill that demand will never cease no matter the capacity whether as a driver or a systems monitor someone will be needed in the cabin of that thirty five thousand pound machine for decades to come in washington manila chan r.t. . rick day on direct t.v. channel three twenty one dish network channel two eighty or streaming twenty four seven on pluto t.v. the free t.v.

show one thirty two or if you missed the first episode of the infrastructure deficit program you can access it and other boom busting shows at youtube dot com pleasure boom bust r.t. thanks for being with us and as a trucker's. might say we'll catch you on the flip flop. please. please. please. come to call russia no one is here but no one has ever heard of and never even

heard about most. q. e two her perfectly please

. please. feel the co-founder of linked in apologizes for a pro-democrat operation to create a fake russian bots during the alabama state election also this hour please oh please. erk washington expresses concern over russia's newly tested hypersonic missile saying there are no effective countermeasures please the french or judges drop a long running probe into the downing of the former london president's plane a key trigger point in the one nine hundred ninety four genocide.