January/February 2017

PE Report
Training Helps PE See Through Capitol Hill’s ‘Political Fog’

After years of serving as an engineer and forester with Mid-South Engineering in Hot Springs, Arkansas, NSPE member Bruce Westerman, P.E., decided that he needed to use his professional engineering expertise to make a difference in his community. This experience started with serving as an elected local school board member in 2006 and later winning a seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives. With both minority and majority leader experience under his belt, Westerman opted to take his service to the national level and has served in the US House of Representatives since 2015.

Westerman has backed NSPE’s effort to advocate for the critical role of the professional engineer on federal projects, particularly following the Gold King Mine pollution disaster in Colorado in 2015. He believes that the disaster could have been significantly mitigated if the Environmental Protection Agency had followed Colorado’s engineering practice laws, which were established to protect the public. He recently shared his perspective on the disaster and why more PEs should get involved in the legislative process.

PE: You played a critical role in advocating for the PE’s role in protecting the public health, safety, and welfare on EPA projects, following the Gold King Mine disaster. What are your thoughts on the progress on this issue?

Westerman: EPA Administrator McCarthy has yet to provide Congress with transparency with regard to the design, planning, and execution of this project. I filed a complaint in September 2015 with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Professions and Occupations, in order to get answers from the agency. One of the key questions is, was a licensed engineer engaged in the execution and planning of this project? Private practice engineers must follow professional standards, and I am simply asking if the EPA followed the same standards and, if not, why? The agency should be held accountable for this failure that has polluted waterways in multiple states. Instead, the Justice Department recently announced that no one would be held criminally liable for the Gold King Mine disaster.

PE: What’s your perspective on why more PEs should run for political office positions on the local, state, and national levels?

Westerman: From my time on the local school board, I know how important an engineer’s perspective and expertise is. In my case, it was constructing a new building in my children’s school district. That led me to seek office as a state representative and finally as a member of Congress. My engineering background has proven valuable in many areas, but perhaps the most important is simply looking at a problem with a different perspective. Problem solving is important in all fields and no more so than government, whether on the school board or in a broken federal government. If you have an urge to serve, consider all areas from serving on a licensing board to school board, and yes, even Congress. Your skills will be easily transferrable in a way that will help your fellow citizens in ways you could never imagine.

PE: How can PEs be more effective in providing input into the legislative process?

Westerman: First and foremost, professional engineers should become members of NSPE and other professional organizations and be active members. Through these memberships, many PE members are engaging with their congressmen/women and senators. With so few engineers in Congress, it is difficult for legislators to know how policies implemented in Washington will impact business on the ground. The input of PE members helps to inform elected officials from discussion to writing legislation to passage and implementation.

PE: You have been serving in Congress since 2015. What are some important leadership lessons that you’ve learned during your tenure? How has your professional engineering background assisted you?

Westerman: Before you can lead, people have to be convinced there is reason to follow. The case for leading is built through vision, experience, qualifications, and hard work. An engineering background provides excellent qualifications, life experiences, and a disciplined work ethic to draw from in building support for the vision of a better future. I’ve learned to look through the political fog to see the real issues and rely on my background and training to develop vision and solutions to real issues.

NSPE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MARK GOLDEN (TOP LEFT) AND OTHER NSPE LEADERS MET WITH REP. BRUCE WESTERMAN P.E., (R-AR) IN THE US CAPITOL IN 2016.