(Photo: USACE)
Accelerating Infrastructure is making its debut as a breakout session at the 2023 California Economic Summit being held October 11-13 in Indian Wells. It comes on the heels of California’s commitment to a historic infrastructure action plan that has the potential to fund $180 billion worth of projects. It is a path to a more prosperous and inclusive society that delivers much-needed high-quality, middle-class jobs.
Join session moderator Egon Terplan, a specialist in regional economic development, land use, transportation, government reform and regional policy as he discusses the importance of creating high-functioning infrastructure projects throughout California with his panel of experts including:
- Matt Horton, Senior Advisor, Milken Institute
- Lynn von Koch-Liebert, Executive Director, Strategic Growth Council
- Mayor Oscar Ortiz, City of Indio
- Sarah Jepson, Chief Planning Officer, Southern California Association of Governments
- Betony Jones, Director, Office of Energy Jobs, U.S. Department of Energy
For decades, California’s infrastructure has not always met the needs of its communities or created equitable access, often dividing them in ways that are still visible today. Furthermore, for decades California has under-invested in infrastructure and faces hundreds of billions of dollars in unmet infrastructure investment that current funding cannot meet. Our current infrastructure delivery can be slow and complex, and without a new approach, we may perpetuate historic inequities, delay the shift to carbon neutrality, and fail to make our infrastructure more resilient to the physical threat of climate impacts.
Session Objectives:
- Understand the opportunity to upgrade the infrastructure of California and demystify the range of available funding options.
- Learn how to prepare, propose and secure funding for projects, including exploring what it means to be investment ready and how to develop a pipeline of investable projects.
- Explore the importance of multi-benefit projects (i.e., projects that address multiple goals). These goals include climate resilience, carbon neutrality, high quality jobs, racial equity, affordable housing, and more.
- Build support for a regional prioritization process that results in communities securing and deploying more state and federal funds (especially for projects that align with shared regional priorities articulated through CERF, and other regional plans, etc.).
- Facilitate conversations around specific infrastructure needs and provide a platform for participants to solicit feedback on preparing and implementing projects.
The Accelerating Infrastructure breakout session will take place during the Summit on Friday, October 13. If you would like to participate in this session and other discussions important to California, register for the California Economic Summit today.
