In politics, ashovel readyconstruction project (usually larger-scaleinfrastructure) is where planning andengineering is advanced enough that—with sufficient funding—construction can begin within a very short time. The term was popularized by then-U.S. president-elect Obama in 2008.
In 2010, then-U.S. president Obama declared he had come to realize that there is "no such thing as shovel-ready projects."[1][2]
The term was first used in print in 1995.[3]
Writing forThe Washington Post, writer Manuel Roig-Franziasardonically suggested that the phrase did not exist and had never before been used until President-ElectBarack Obama used it during an interview withMeet the Press on 6 December 2008.[4][5] Obama used the phrase to describe infrastructure projects that were ready to immediately receive stimulus funding of theAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[6]
Later, other commentators suggested the phrase denoted projects which were able to begin construction within a specific time-frame ofthree or four months[7] on ause it or lose it basis.
Having originated in theUnited States, the term is now used generally in reference to projects which are candidates foreconomic stimulus spending: money put into a shovel ready project will have a more immediate impact on the economy than money spent on a project on which a great deal of time must elapse for architecture, zoning, legal considerations or other such factors before labor can be deployed on it.[citation needed]
InIowa, theSeven County Corridor Alliance (Benton County,Cedar County,Iowa County,Johnson County,Jones County,Linn County andWashington County) established aShovel Ready Certification Program to certify projects asshovel ready that will beadded to a local, regional and statewide inventory of sites with similar qualifications and will be strongly marketed.[8]
TheGeorgia Department of Transportation has established specific criteria projects must meet to be consideredshovel ready includingNational Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) clearances and relevantproperty acquisition requirements.[9]
InAustralia, the term is also used in relation to stimulus funding, specifically funding programs like theBuilding the Education Revolution (BER) program.[10] In 2009, the termshovel-ready won theMacquarie DictionaryWord of the Year award.[11]
In theUnited Kingdom, the phrase has been used on a number of occasions byVincent De Rivaz, the Chief Executive ofEDF Energy, in the context of a proposed new nuclear power station inSomerset.[12][13][14]
As in the rest of the United Kingdom, inScotland, the phrase is used in a similar context. For example,Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment,Alex Neil, used the term in March 2012 to describe the status of 36 infrastructure projects on a list handed to thegovernment of the United Kingdom for potential funding.[15]
He realized too late that "there's no such thing as shovel-ready projects" when it comes to public works