207. Fix This: Infrastructure & Environment | Gregg Hurwitz and Rick Geddes

This episode was recorded on November 9th, 2021. Jordan Peterson, Gregg Hurwitz, and Rick Geddes meet to discuss the debate surrounding the multi-billion dollar infrastructure bill currently going through the US congress. Rick Geddes is a professor in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell University and a well-recognized expert in American infrastructure policy and development. He has done extensive research on infrastructure, including but not limited to the funding, financing, operation, and maintenance of major projects with a focus on new technologies. Gregg Hurwitz was today’s co-host. Gregg is a former student of Jordan’s at Harvard. He is now a bestselling scriptwriter, producer, and novelist. In the years leading up to the presidential election, Gregg has been working with an independent team of Hollywood writers, producers, and directors to design a moderate, far-reaching political message for the democratic party. Find more Rick Geddes online here: https://aei.org/profile/r-richard-geddes Find More Gregg Hurwitz on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GreggHurwitz Check out Gregg’s bestselling books: https://amazon.com/Gregg-Hurwitz/e/B001IXPXTG [00:00] Intro [00:30] Jordan introduces this week’s guests to discuss the newly-proposed infrastructure legislation (winter '21)—a crucial bill for the American people [03:28] Geddes gives an overview of infrastructure and his background therein [07:46] The monumental accomplishment of the US interstate highway system. Could it be built again today? [11:10] “You've heard the adage that time is money. [That's] certainly the case with infrastructure. When a project gets delayed by the NEPA process for say 5 years, the amount of extra money spent... is enormous, it can sometimes double" Rick Geddes [14:42] Gregg Hurwitz highlights the unsophisticated way the media and most politicians are currently handling the infrastructure bill [16:02] “It seems like we can get very little sane discussion in the media on the role that regulation plays in building a renewing infrastructure" GH [16:40] Extra delay and cost in federally funded projects is a regressive tax that hurts the poor and middle class [22:02] Pressure on the infrastructure bill from climate change. Looking at the evolution of new technologies to improve the efficiency of current infrastructure [25:49] “If infrastructure development means replacing inefficient use of resources with efficient use of resources, that should be a net gain on the economic side, so it helps poor people, and it should also have environmental benefits" Dr. Peterson [26:07] What are our current top infrastructure priorities? What needs to be addressed and fixed ASAP? [35:31] We need to capitalize more on the utility of combined public and private ventures in infrastructure projects [52:32] The importance of defining and communicating what a successful infrastructure project looks like [55:36] Given our systemic problems, how can we give politicians and private firms a positive incentive for meaningful participation? [01:03:14] You can only focus on so many projects before outsourcing becomes a necessity [01:12:19] You'd be extremely naive to believe that the people sustaining our infrastructure systems are only in it for personal gain [01:16:48] The extraordinary reliability of the societal infrastructure system [01:18:47] “The idea that it's just power that drives people to the top of organizations isn't true because, if it were, we would have many more psychopaths and they would be way more successful" JP [01:23:15] What about infrastructure projects that should be started immediately? [01:25:44] “This is the ultimate bipartisan thing because it will reduce greenhouse gases, diesel emissions, improve the efficiency of our infrastructure, and it's right there on the table" RG [01:26:21] Outro #InfrastructureBill #Bipartisan #PublicVentures #ClimateChange #Infrastructure