Editor: 
 
We thank Keith Crain for raising the issues he did in his Aug. 4 column, "We, and our infrastructure, are
getting older." At the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments and Metropolitan Affairs Coalition, these
are top-of-mind regional issues that we are grappling with right now. 
 
In fact, we convened a task force made up of local elected leaders, businesses, labor and energy providers
that resulted in a recently published report, Creating a Sustainable Infrastructure System in Southeast
Michigan. The report exposes the emerging infrastructure crisis that Mr. Crain described in his column,
components of the solution to addressing the crisis, and specific actions that the public and private sector
must take to help secure our quality of life and economic prosperity. Services addressed in the report include
transportation, water, sewer and energy.
 
The report acknowledges that continuing the status quo will result in further deterioration and higher costs to
residents and businesses in the region. Some problems with the status quo are legal or institutional in nature.
Others are a result of our collective expectations of service and the cost of service. 
 
Both must change. This will not be easy, nor will it be quick. What is certain is that change is necessary and,
therefore, we must continue this dialogue. We invite your readers to read SEMCOG's report. Find it at
www.semcog.org under "Recent News" or "Reports" on the home page. 
 

Paul Tait

Executive Director, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments
President, Metopolitan Affairs Coalition Detroit