Latest News

July 6, 2016

NSPE has filed a brief before the Maryland Supreme Court to protect professional engineers from certain claims by contractors. The brief supports the economic loss doctrine. The application of the doctrine protects PEs from alleged tort claims by contractors for purely economic damages, such as lost profits and delay damages, when there is no contract between the PE and the contractor. The outcome of the case could influence other court decisions at the federal and state levels.

June 13, 2016

In a major victory for professional engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency’s final rule on emission standards in the oil and natural gas sectors asserts a strong, well- reasoned and well-supported rationale for the need for licensed professional engineers to be in responsible charge on all engineering projects, both in an independent third-party capacity, as well as in an in-house role.

June 8, 2016

On June 7, Congress passed a sweeping overhaul of the Toxic Substances Control Act. The legislation now goes to the president for his expected signature. NSPE is closely monitoring how this legislation will impact PEs.

May 25, 2016

On May 20, NSPE submitted a letter to Ohio House Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Al Landis in opposition to a bill (H.B. 214) on the selection of piping material for use on water, wastewater, and storm drainage projects. The bill prohibits a public authority from preferring one type of piping material over another on state-funded projects unless sound engineering practices suggest a certain piping material is more suitable to the project.

May 11, 2016

Every year, NSPE and ACEC partner to administer the QBS Awards, recognizing public and private entities that make exemplary use of the qualifications-based selection process at the federal, state and local levels. QBS Award winners serve as examples of how well the QBS process works, and they help NSPE and ACEC promote the practice of QBS in jurisdictions that do not use, or underutilize, QBS to procure engineering services. NSPE and ACEC are now seeking nominations for the 2016 QBS Awards.

May 4, 2016

NSPE continues to provide its expertise in the autonomous vehicle discussion, advancing the Society’s mission of protecting the public health, safety, and welfare in the development and deployment of these technologies. On May 3, NSPE President Tim Austin, P.E., F.NSPE, submitted a formal comment for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rulemaking, expected to be finalized this summer.

May 2, 2016

On April 29, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement completed a process six years in the making: developing comprehensive safety regulations in response to the Deepwater Horizon blowout disaster in 2010. The initial explosion aboard an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in 11 deaths and the discharge of more than three million barrels of oil.

April 25, 2016

In an April 13 letter to NSPE President Tim Austin, P.E., F.NSPE, the Environmental Protection Agency requested that NSPE review and provide input to a best practices report and checklist the agency is developing in response to the Gold King Mine disaster. Last year, a blowout at the Colorado mine resulted in the release of more than three million gallons of toxic wastewater that polluted rivers in three states.

April 14, 2016

On April 13, the National Society of Professional Engineers and Alaska Society of Professional Engineers submitted a joint letter regarding comments made by the Rural Utilities Service, an agency of the Department of Agriculture, as part of its final rule for Section 306D Water Systems for Rural and Native Villages in Alaska. NSPE and ASPE recognize that the rule in question is final.

April 11, 2016

On April 8, NSPE Executive Director Mark Golden presented NSPE’s position and provided input on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed rulemaking for autonomous vehicles at a national hearing convened in Washington, DC at the Department of Transportation. In late January, the Department of Transportation announced that NHTSA would develop and publish federal regulations for deployment of fully autonomous vehicles within six months.

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