President's Monthly Message
December 2007
Be an Advocate for Important Public Policy Measures
A top priority for ASCE is safeguarding the health and safety of the public by supporting public policies that will strengthen and renew our failing infrastructure. If we are to fulfill that mission, we must take part in the legislative process through a variety of forums. We ASCE members can make ourselves visible at all levels, from the town hall meetings of New England to the halls of the U.S. Congress. Our Society provides many opportunities for all members to engage in the public policy debate.
Our government affairs activities figure prominently in ASCE’s strategic initiative on infrastructure. Our message is clear: After years of deferred infrastructure investment and maintenance and the profession’s limited effectiveness in making the case for infrastructure investment and maintenance and the profession’s limited effectiveness in making the case for infrastructure to public officials, public safety has been placed at risk and our nation’s economic growth and competitiveness have been hindered. In adopting this strategic initiative ASCE’s Board of Direction has defined a number of short- and long-term outcomes. These include communicating more effectively with policy makers and the public; making the health, safety, and welfare of the public salient priorities; and defining funding requirements and strategies sufficient to keep infrastructure systems safe and properly maintained.
The collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge this past summer in Minneapolis and other recent natural and man-made disasters have given infrastructure issues a much higher profile. Tragically, it takes a disaster to focus public and political attention on the condition of our nation’s infrastructure. ASCE’s 2005 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure has loomed large in the public discussions and media coverage in the aftermath of the bridge disaster.
After the catastrophe, ASCE reintroduced its infrastructure action plan (formally entitled Raising the Grades: Small Steps for Big Improvements in America’s Failing Infrastructure) to the 110th Congress. (See “Members Deliver Action Plan to 110th Congress, ASCE News, April 2007.) The four-week campaign to “raise the grades” focused on a different area each week and included grassroots and media components. Each Monday in September, members of Congress received background material from ASCE on a particular aspect of the nation’s infrastructure, including bridges, roads, drinking water, wastewater, and dams. They also received e-mails from participants in ASCE’s Key Contact Program asking them to support items included in the action plan. To amplify our message on Capitol Hill, ASCE ran radio and print ads in the Washington, D.C. area emphasizing the need to address the infrastructure crisis. ASCE and our key contacts have been instrumental in developing and advancing a number of federal legislative initiatives, including the National Infrastructure Improvement Act, the Water Resources Development Act, the Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act, and the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program. On most of these efforts ASCE works in coalitions with other professional and trade organizations, among them the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, the Associated General Contractors of America, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Our government affairs effort is based in our Washington office, which is located on Constitution Avenue directly across the street from the U.S. Capitol, but the Society’s success in the arena depends on assistance from our sections and branches. These local bodies can help to focus the attention of politicians and the public on infrastructure needs. In a number of states, among them New Jersey, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Delaware, our sections and branches have issued their own infrastructure “report cards.” ASCE has a state legislative tracking process that singles out legislative initiatives that have a bearing on infrastructure or our profession. In presentations at section and branch meetings, ASCE staff members outline ways of developing effective relationships with legislators and playing an active role in the formulation of public policy.
In an effort to better focus and better deploy our government relations resources, the Board of Direction, at its recent meeting in Orlando, Florida, approved a list of national and state priorities assembled by key contacts and our Committee on Government Affairs. The six priorities for the second session of the 110th Congress, which begins in January, will be clean water, drinking water, and wastewater; math and science education; natural hazards mitigation and infrastructure security; qualifications-based selection for engineering services; “smart” growth and sustainable development; and transportation infrastructure. The Committee on Government Affairs also set new priorities for state government relations. These include infrastructure issues; licensing; math and science education at all pre-college grade levels; the way in which professional services are to be procured; smart growth; and transportation infrastructure.
ASCE needs the help of every member of the Society if we are to accomplish our priorities and improve the condition and resilience of our infrastructure. One of the most important ways you can take part in public policy is by becoming a key contact. Visit www.asce.org/keycontacts to sign up online. As a key contact, you will be informed when particular steps are needed to support civil engineering issues at the federal or state level. You will also receive weekly updates on both national and state issues. From www.asce.org/advocacy.html you can send a message to your federal and state elected officials with just six mouse clicks and encourage them to support infrastructure issues. You can also view the latest information on public policy topics to stay current on the issues.
For those interested in a hands-on experience, ASCE hosts the Leadership Training in Government Relations Program every spring in Washington, D.C. This intensive two-day program provides participants with an inside look at the political process beginning with briefings on the civil engineering issues being considered by Congress. Participants then head to Capitol Hill to discuss the issues with their representatives and senators. Visit our Web site, www.asce.org, and click on “Government Relations” for details on how to participate in the 2008 program, which will be held March 5-6.
ASCE also offers public relations training for civil engineers. Our workshops teach civil engineers how to incorporate public relations in both their ASCE and their professional activities. During this highly interactive one-day workshop, ASCE’s communications department shares techniques for more effective communication, including media relations and outreach, through presentations and hands-on public relations activities. Use is also made of the reference guide PR Toolkit. To learn more about the workshops, visit www.asce.org and click on “Inside ASCE” and then on “Sections/Branches.”
As civil engineers in our stated and local communities, we must all speak out, write letters to the editor, and visit our elected officials to encourage them to adequately address infrastructure needs at the state and local levels. We must also make our voice heard on issues that have a bearing on the health, safety, and welfare of the public. We can do this in our everyday lives by being part of community associations, our PTA’s, and our local scout groups. Our personal commitment to improving our communities will serve to buttress our efforts to improve our infrastructure as well. ASCE is here to help us all take an active role in public policy at every level.