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Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section (BSCES)/ASCE President Bob Stephens sees Civil Engineers as Stewards of Infrastructure
On Tuesday, April 13, 2010, Peter Richardson, Rich Keenan and I met with staffers of the chairs of the Massachusetts House and Senate Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture. The Massachusetts Senate is currently considering Senate Bill No. 427, An Act Relative to Dam Repair, Removal and Replacement, sponsored by Senator Marc R. Pacheco. We had previously met with Senator Pacheco on the Bill, and issued a media advisory supporting ways to correct the exacerbation of dams-related problems in the Commonwealth. On April 13 we met with the staffers to encourage the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture to find favorably for the legislation in its current or derivative form and to present it to the legislature for vote. As stewards of infrastructure we offered to review and comment on it on behalf of the engineering community while in committee, and we have requested to do so. We were very encouraged by their receptiveness to our meetings and comments. Infrastructure sustains us. The lifeblood of any free nation is commerce, and our nation’s commerce requires a network of infrastructure. Recognizing this, the American Society of Civil Engineers has awakened a sleeping nation and media, and in bold fashion, claimed its stewardship. We’re all part of that – stewards of our nation’s infrastructure. Our nation is remembering its essential needs for a functional, healthy critical infrastructure, and awaiting our leadership on it. What will you tell them? How will you lead?
I would mention, as I did in my March President’s Report in the BSCES Newsletter
that Massachusetts experienced a second round of flooding in March, with many of the same issues exacerbated by the already-high groundwater and surface water. Many were surprise by the flooding. The Blue Hill Observatory in Canton, which has recorded weather since 1885, reports March as the wettest month on record. Seven of the 10 wettest months on record at BHO, however, occurred in the last 15 years. The local climate appears to be changing. Over the same period we have seen extensive real estate development. The result has been more flooding. Our governmental leaders and the public are seeing the problems and asking the questions. We must remind them of the need for regulatory and financial commitment to address our critical infrastructure needs. The BSCES Government Affairs & Professional Practice Committee is championing public infrastructure investment as stewards of Massachusetts infrastructure. The signs are there, and the media have caught on, that we are in trouble while we ignore our critical infrastructure. As our country and state awaken to the realities deterioration of our critical infrastructure, their quest for solutions will soon follow. Those solutions provide meaningful employment to those with the right training – some 30,000 jobs per $1B spent; they stimulate the economy by the expenditure, and more importantly provide lasting means for the other sectors of our economy to thrive as it has done since the first railroads crossed the great plains, the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada connecting the coasts.
I believe our members, as steward of infrastructure, should encourage their legislators to support Senate Bill No. 427, An Act Relative to Dam Repair, Removal and Replacement or substantially similar derivative legislation.
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