Various forms of PPPs have been used throughout the entire history of the USA. The Transcontinental Railroad, built in the 1860s, is a classic example. Federal government owned lands served as part of the assets upon which private company stocks were issued for the funding of the railroad. As tracks were completed, the government deeded adjacent five square mile parcels of land to the private developers. These parcels were in turn developed by the private owned railroads as farmland and towns, to provide the customer base for the railroad. An underutilized federal asset (the land) became the key to the private sector's ability to finance a major public works project. And this is only one example. Over the centuries, but particularly during the last two decades, combinations of public and private resources have been utilized to build water/wastewater systems, education services and facilities, transportation terminals, public safety systems, and many more projects. And efficient business practices of the private sector are increasingly used in operation of a variety of public services.