SGER: Material Requirements for Rebuilding New Orleans

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Graedel0609858In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, New Orleans has become a major construction site and shall continue to be for months and years to come. Refurbishment and replacement activities will address buildings of various types and sizes (commercial, residential, industrial, institutional), infrastructure (water supply, natural gas supply, roads, energy delivery systems, etc.), transportation (rail and motor vehicles), and various miscellaneous equipment and furnishings. In the short term, the activities will largely consist of interim projects needed to assess and stabilize the current situation, together with planning to develop and implement a comprehensive approach to reconstruction. In the longer term, it will be important to look at this pulse of materials-related activities in the context of the United States as a whole, and, in some cases, of the world as a whole.Reconstruction cannot occur, of course, without considering the accessibility and cost of the very large amounts of materials that will be needed. Although the involvement of materials in this activity is obvious, we have surprisingly little information about the quantities that are currently in use, the amounts likely to be required for large-scale re-development, or the potential for materials acquisition as a function of time. As decision-makers consider possible scenarios for rebuilding New Orleans and the surrounding areas, it is important to seek quantitative information on several key issues including:What amounts of key materials could be required?Are the amounts that will be needed significant on a regional, national, or global scale?Are such amounts even available?If they are, will their availability come at a price that will have a strong impact on other parts of the economy, as is currently the case with oil prices?To what degree does the US rely on imports for the most important materials?