January/February 2017

PE Report
Societies Urge Wyoming Board to Preserve FE Requirement

NSPE and the Wyoming Society of Professional Engineers urged the Wyoming licensing board in November to preserve the state’s Fundamentals of Engineering Examination requirement for licensure. Legislation has been proposed by the board that would waive the requirement for taking the FE exam for individuals who have engaged in the practice of engineering for at least 20 years.

In a joint public comment submitted to the Wyoming Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors and signed by NSPE President Kodi Verhalen, P.E., Esq., F.NSPE, and Wyoming Society President Kelly Hafner, P.E., the societies challenged the legislation on the grounds it would weaken professional licensure requirements.

“To waive the FE exam for an applicant who has not met the critical academic competence standards, weakens requirements and lowers standards potentially endangering the public health, safety, and welfare,” the letter reads. “The passage of the proposed legislation would seriously undermine a critical foundation of professional engineering practice. These standards have served as the backbone of the profession and public safety for decades.”

The letter goes on to say that waiving the FE exam would make sense in cases where academic competence has already been clearly established, such as through earning a doctorate or serving as an engineering faculty member in higher education, but to waive the exam solely because of professional experience undermines the critical requirements of licensure as a professional engineer—education, examination, and experience.