In addition to the budget crisis, state legislators must deal with aging infrastructure, such as old oil rigs along the coast in the Gulf (click here for story). More critically, sewage treatment plants, stormwater conveyance systems and drinking water systems have all aged to the point that many will need to be replaced at the same time. For more info, click here.

State legislators will also have to come to terms with increasingly unpredictable climate events, including sea level rise, storm surge, flooding, drought, melting permafrost, depending on the region of the country they serve. (For story, click here.)  The number one environmental concern for most Americans is clean drinking water, so naturally the costs and supplies involved with running water quality and drinking water programs will factor into state legislators’ overall budget needs.  For blog post, click here.