State News for NSPE Members
March 2021
Report Details State’s Road Troubles
New Mexico roads are in terrible disarray, according to a new report by TRIPS, a national transportation research nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. The study found 56% of all highways and major roads in the state are in poor or mediocre repair due to a lack of funding, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. Poor roads cost each driver about $767 annually in additional vehicle operating costs.
State lawmakers are considering a bill to increase gas taxes in the state, which has some of the lowest tax rates in the region, to raise funds for repairs.
Bill Paves Way for More Solar Power Use
A bill that would provide electricity for New Mexico residents using local solar power infrastructure passed in the state Senate earlier this month, according to the Carlsbad Current Argus. Under the Community Solar Act, lower-income residents and renters could use energy generated by arrays known as solar gardens, which are smaller than utility-scale but larger than residential arrays. The bill is now in the House.
Senator Gay Kernan noted progress in solar energy use in the state, pointing out that Xcel Energy has already increased renewable energy by 50% to the New Mexico grid, 10 years earlier than is stipulated in New Mexico Energy Transition Act.
Stay up to date on legislative issues through the NSPE Advocacy Center.
FAA safety engineer goes public to slam the agency’s oversight of Boeing’s 737 MAX
Haunted by the two deadly crashes of Boeing 737 MAX jets and his agency’s role in approving the plane, veteran Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety engineer Joe Jacobsen is stepping forward publicly to give the victims’ families “a firsthand account of what the truth is.” In a detailed letter sent last month to a family that lost their daughter in the second MAX crash in Ethiopia two years ago this week, and in interviews with The Seattle Times, Jacobsen gave the first personal account by an insider of the federal safety agency’s response to the MAX crashes. Jacobsen should have been among the FAA specialists who reviewed the MAX’s critical new flight control software during its original certification, which was largely controlled by Boeing. He’s confident that he and other FAA engineers would have flagged its serious design flaws.
Interested in article summaries like this one? Be sure you’re subscribed to NSPE’s Daily Designs newsletter, delivered to your inbox each morning, Monday through Friday.
Wanted: 2021 NSPE Emerging Leaders
NSPE is fostering a new generation of engineers who can think strategically, build effective teams, and lead successfully through its Emerging Leaders Program. This intensive seven-month, professionally facilitated, the virtual program is now accepting applications until May 31.
Early-career professionals with 5-8 years of experience who are just beginning to lead and think strategically in the profession are encouraged to apply. The program graduated its first class of diverse, super achieving professionals in February.
Between August 2021 and February 2022 participants will learn how to be successful at higher levels of leadership responsibility. Participants will engage in 90-minute leadership training sessions each month with learning discussions and mentoring on topics such as ownership, team development, communication skills, giving/receiving feedback, and presentation skills. There will also be ample networking opportunities with peers and national NSPE national leaders.
Ethics Webinars for PEs and Those on the Licensure Path
Don’t miss NSPE’s upcoming ethics webinars on truthfulness and fidelity to employers and clients, with insight from Rebecca Bowman, P.E., Esq., NSPE’s senior director for ethics and professional practice and NAFE executive director, and other NSPE ethics experts.
April 7
Engineering Ethics–Canon III–Truthfulness
Learn from a variety of situations in which circumstances can tempt (and even encourage) engineers to dance around the edges of Canon III.
Presenters: Hugh Veit, P.E., Susan Sprague, P.E., F.NSPE, and Rebecca Bowman, P.E., Esq.
May 5
Engineering Ethics–Canon IV–Fidelity to Employers/Clients
Examine the duties to employers and clients, and circumstances under which those duties can be pre-empted by higher duties, especially to the public health, safety, and welfare.
Presenters: David Kish, Ph.D., P.E., Jeff Greenfield, Ph.D., P.E., F.NSPE, and Rebecca Bowman, P.E., Esq.