In 1991, Congress appropriated funding for an OMB-approved study of the Nation’s infrastructure. IWR was named the coordinating agency of the Federal Infrastructure Strategy (FIS) program because of its involvement in previous studies relating to infrastructure. Other participants in the FIS included the Department of Transportation, the Department of Energy, a White House Working Group, the Urban Institute, the National Research Council, the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR).
Under the Clinton administration, the activities of the FIS accelerated. President Clinton issued Executive Order No. 12893, “Principles for Federal Infrastructure Investment,” on 26 January 1993, based on findings from the FIS. IWR co-hosted a meeting with President Clinton and ACIR, held in the Indian Treaty Room of the Old Executive Office building, on 1 December 1993 to discuss High Performance Public Works. IWR collaborated with OMB and other Federal agencies to host the National Conference on High Performance Infrastructure.
The FIS complemented the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, which sought to improve government program results and capabilities. The FIS program focused on developing principles for better performance and efficiency in Federal infrastructure investments. The study advocated improved methods of technology transfer between levels of government, streamlined regulations and flexible financing processes as the means to improve the functioning of American infrastructure.
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