March/April 2017

NSPE Today
Updated Position Statements Guide NSPE Advocacy

NSPE recently published revised position statements that place the PE at the center of five issues of critical importance to the profession: licensure, energy, infrastructure and homeland security, project delivery, and professional practice.

Licensure and Qualifications 
for Practice

NSPE’s updated Position Statement 1737: Licensure and Qualifications for Practice now includes expanded detail about engineering education requirements. It also covers topics such as continuing professional development, the need for uniform licensure laws, the prerequisites for licensure, and the role of specialty certification. The updated position statement aligns with Professional Policy 168: Engineering Education Requirements, which was revised by the NSPE House of Delegates in June 2016.

Unified Energy Policy

A unified position statement (No. 1776: Unified Energy Policy) on domestic energy development addresses the important role professional engineers should play in balancing energy needs and environmental impacts. Lawmakers look to the professional engineer to serve as an impartial arbiter, and this statement positions NSPE to expertly address the fundamental questions about the nation’s evolving energy needs and supplies. The statement reads, in part, “While the holistic development of a balanced approach to domestic energy development and delivery will require input from key stakeholders in economics, the law, politics, industry, regulation, science, environmental justice, and engineering, professional engineers must be included in such development given their licensed commitment to hold the public health, safety, and welfare foremost above all other considerations.”

Critical Infrastructure and Homeland Security

Critical infrastructure decay is occurring in this country at an unsustainable rate. Position Statement 1777: Critical Infrastructure and Homeland Security highlights the PE’s integral role in the planning, engineering, design, implementation, construction, operation, and maintenance of our nation’s infrastructure systems. It also calls for reversing infrastructure decline in the next 15 years.

Project Delivery Methods in the Public Sector

Position Statement 1779: Project Delivery Methods in the Public Sector recognizes that more than one project delivery system may meet an owner’s project requirements. NSPE believes that whatever project delivery system is selected, qualifications of the professional engineer must play a significant role in the selection process.

Professional Practice

The updated and unified Position Statement 1778: Professional Practice addresses key principles of professional engineering practice, including licensing, discipline-specific licensure, early taking of the Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam, responsible charge, and attacks on licensure.

The five updated position statements were prepared by NSPE’s Committee on Policy and Advocacy, in concert with professional policies approved by the House of Delegates. The position statements were approved by the NSPE Board of Directors.

Read these position statements and others at www.nspe.org/resources/issues-and-advocacy.