Last week, ASCE held the first meeting of a new group, the Industry Leaders Council. This group consists of invited leaders in the civil engineering industry, representing public and private entities. Their purpose is to bring ASCE the best insights into what is happening in the profession.

Our goal is to make certain that we always keep the big picture on ASCE’s agenda. The elected leaders of ASCE do an amazing job of establishing strategies and policies that benefit our members and the society as a whole. The ILC allows us to add the perspectives of some of the most insightful employers and leaders to our priorities.

As we deal with the important issues of advocacy, infrastructure, education, sustainability, energy, etc., we will benefit from those who form as well as interpret public policy. The list of members is a Who’s Who of civil engineers. The ILC will give us more opportunities to serve as the stewards of infrastructure.

[Learn more about the Industry Leaders Council and the monthly series of podcast interviews it conducts with civil engineering leaders, Insights.]

Today is Columbus Day. I still remember “in 14 hundred and 92, Columbus sailed the ocean blue …” History has revealed that the discovery of the New World may not have been exactly according to the old rhyme. Today, we remember it mostly as a federal holiday, except for people in consulting firms who are working today.

In one sense, Columbus’ trip was a failure because he failed to find a passage to India. Imagine how Fox News might have covered the trip if the person who sent Columbus to India had been named Obama instead of Isabella. In many other senses, the trip changed the world forever.

Today, we have many new frontiers to explore. These frontiers are technological instead of geographical. Engineers are modern day explorers. We stand at the beginning of a new day in bio-medicine, energy, sustainability, and materials. We are not certain where the exploration of these fields will lead us. What we do know is that our lives will be changed dramatically over the next decade or two. Today, cheer Columbus and hug an engineer!

In August, ASCE participated in a joint ceremony with Canadian and Spanish engineers recognizing the significance of the mapping of North America’s west coast by Captain George Vancouver in the 1790s. We designated the maps an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. You would have to see the rugged coast of the northwest U.S. and Canada to get a feel for the enormity of the task that was accomplished. The created maps were so accurate that they were used for decades afterward as settlement occurred. [Learn more about ASCE's landmark designation.]

As I listened to the explanation of the effort, I began to wonder what our contribution would be. What are we working on today that will be a turning point for society over the next 100 years? I firmly believe that infrastructure is the foundation for modern civilization. However, foundations must continue to change to reflect the ever-increasing demands of a growing society.

Let us agree that we should view our role as civil engineers with aspirations to make our communities better places. Who knows? Maybe someone will call your name at a ceremony in 2109.

Did you see the recent press release from the EPA? Administrator Lisa Jackson announced that the EPA is beginning the process of declaring carbon dioxide to be a pollutant. Do not miss the significance of this process. Making carbon dioxide a regulated substance will have a huge impact on civil engineers.  [Here's a story on the proposed action from the San Francisco Chronicle.]

Over time, everything that we design, construct, and operate will be placed under yet another set of rules and regulations. Everything that uses energy will be subject to new standards. None of us can predict how rapidly regulations would promulgate or how significant they would initially be to our daily practices. What we do know is that we have a large supply of attorneys, scientists, and politicians who have agendas that do not include engineering as a criterion.

ASCE and civil engineers have a large stake in making certain that the reality of engineering is injected in the hearings process. Please get as many engineering organizations, both public and private, involved in these important considerations.

Doubtless you remember the ARRA, affectionately dubbed the Stimulus Act. The nation was sold on the idea of infrastructure playing a significant role in building our way out of the recession. However, only 10% of the money allocated in ARRA went to infrastructure.

Lately, we’ve been hearing about a “jobless recovery.” That description is not entirely correct. The stimulus dollars that were dedicated to infrastructure have put people to work. Construction workers were the early recipients as DOT’s released contracts in May. Design engineers got in on the act a little later as the EPA released the money designated for water projects. Many people forgot that the ARRA funds are slated for spending over a two-year period, so we will still see this money in the construction industry into 2010.

What cannot be forgotten is that the money designated for infrastructure has and will create jobs. Infrastructure is a proven economic development tool. Encourage your elected officials to build. It works everywhere it is tried.

We are in the height of hurricane season in the U.S. All you landlubbers that do not live on the coasts should keep reading. The U.S. coastline from Baltimore to Brownsville is at risk of a major hurricane strike every year. (I know they sometimes strike farther north, but that messes up my literary style.)

The strategy for dealing with these natural disasters is to pour billions of dollars in federal money into the area after the fact. Those billions of dollars come from everyone, not just coastal residents. Perhaps it is time to discuss whether there is a better way. People in south Louisiana are trying to recreate the great Mississippi delta marshlands as an additional layer of protection. Texas is now considering the Ike Dike as a possible means to protect the nation’s largest petrochemical complex and several million people. The cost to harden our infrastructure and provide protection will be astronomical. The cost of continuing along our current path of disaster recovery is already astronomical. Which one is correct? The answer will likely vary based on the local situation.

What does not vary is the need for civil engineers to participate in the discussion. Congress is considering additional funding for permanent protection of New Orleans. What frequency should we build? State legislatures are working to create disaster mitigation plans. What standards will they use? Coastal communities are often overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the problem. Civil engineers have a major role to play in all of these discussions.

•

I extend my hearty congratulations to Kathy Caldwell as the winner of the election for President-elect and to all of the winners of the other contests. Your service is sincerely appreciated. For a complete listing of election results, see the official 2010 election page.

ASCE recently released a document outlining Guiding Principles for the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure. This document grew out of an effort to understand why we have had some major infrastructure failures in the last few years. A group of recognized experts came together to discuss what we should do to prevent this type of failure in the future. Representing both public and private professionals, they created a set of guidelines that we can share with policymakers and practicing engineers.

The Guiding Principles address four primary topics in an effort to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. I trust that you can see the value of these guidelines.
  1. Quantify, communicate, and manage risk.
  2. Employ an integrated systems approach.
  3. Exercise sound leadership, management, and stewardship in decision-making processes.
  4. Adapt critical infrastructure in response to dynamic conditions and practice.

As civil engineers, we should recognize that all infrastructure is not created equal. Some facilities are more critical to our safety than others. We have a responsibility to include these guidelines in conversations related to funding and design standards going forward. Check the ASCE Web site for more details on this important initiative.

The ASCE Board met over the weekend. See, these dedicated members didn’t even miss work to attend the meeting! One of the highlights of our sessions was a presentation from our Sustainability Task Force. We will be publishing a more detailed description of their work, but I am excited to let you know of one major decision. ASCE is creating a certification process for civil works.

Most of you are familiar with the LEED certification program. They rate buildings on a number of criteria based on sustainable design and energy conservation. We believe that ASCE and civil engineers should be the ones who establish good practices related to civil works. Our Code of Ethics calls on each of us to engage in sustainable development. ASCE is issuing a definition of what sustainability means on civil works. We are promoting the use of new materials and techniques as we try to minimize impacts on the natural environment. Civil engineers have always been stewards of the environment. We went green long ago; we just did not take credit for it. Now we want to celebrate the ability of civil engineers to improve the world we live in. We want the public to have confidence that the infrastructure we build will improve their quality of life and the quality of the environment wherever possible.

Some of you may ask why this is so important. The answer is simple. If we fail to act, many other professions will be happy to do it for us and impose their ideas on our practice. We know better than others how to use our skills to benefit mankind by creating energy efficient and environmentally sensitive projects. Now, we will do just that. Civil engineers are the stewards of infrastructure. Certification of sustainable practice will go a long way in communicating that fact to the public.

When we published our 2009 Infrastructure Report Card, we received a high number of accolades. We also received the tired old criticism that we were being self-serving. Critics can be so predictable. Now, we have received independent confirmation of our warnings about poor, inadequate infrastructure.

A national transportation coalition has published a report that states that more than 50% of highway fatalities are caused by poor road conditions. That finding is an indictment for every DOT and elected body in this country. It is also an indictment to civil engineers who have sat silently while the deterioration accelerated. We have allowed our roadways to deteriorate to the point where people are at risk to travel on them. The challenge as always remains funding. We built these roads decades ago and adopted new spending priorities. Now that we need to rebuild, we cannot seem to get any money back from those new priorities. In the meantime, people are getting killed. Congress is now debating a transportation bill with no identified way to pay for it. The Administration wants to defer the discussion for at least six months. State legislatures are just as bad. In Texas, our legislature just voted down a means to get private funds to build toll roads. This decision comes in spite of evidence that 100% of current funding will go for maintenance by 2012.

Our elected officials have become more adept at telling us what they cannot support instead of finding methods that they can support. I think we should promote the new study as visibly as possible. Let the elected people explain why 50% casualties that could be avoided is good public policy. Read the study by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. Download and send a copy to your elected officials. Tell them that enough is enough.

Personal privilege. Happy birthday to my son David. He is 28 today.

ASCE continues to proclaim the need for improved infrastructure. Our 2009 Report Card gives national grades and impacts. An old cliché states that all politics is local. The same could be said for infrastructure. I think people in Texas have a hard time identifying with a collapsed bridge in Minneapolis. The same could likely be said for people in Utah understanding the tragedy that befell New Orleans.

As civil engineers, we need to bridge the “understanding gap.” What is the biggest infrastructure issue where you live? Do people endure flooding on a routine basis? Are you vulnerable to natural disasters? Is your water system held together with chewing gum and baling wire? Are your streets a collection of patches on patches? Does the wind bring a pungent reminder of the local WWTP? Do commuters leave earlier and earlier to accommodate an increase in traffic? Have you noticed more load-zoned bridges? Do you find industry moving out of town to newer areas? Did the CIP get reduced again? Has water rationing been imposed? Do you have building moratoriums? The likelihood is that your community, like almost every community, has major problems with some portion of infrastructure. Your neighbors may not know because the elected officials have no intention of telling them. Out of sight really is out of mind.

Civil engineers have a duty to inform both elected officials and the citizens of the condition of their infrastructure. People rely on infrastructure to provide basic needs and keep them safe. We have the most information and understanding of the true condition of those very systems. Stand up and be counted. Work with your ASCE Section or Branch to spread the word. We have a great opportunity to state our case.