Earn PDHs At Fall Conference With ACEC's New Lineup Of Practical, How-to Courses! ACEC Fall Conference attendees may earn Professional Development Hours (PDHs) in many subjects to meet licensing requirements. Sessions are available in six conference tracks: transportation markets and issues; water, wastewater and environmental markets and issues; buildings and industrial process markets and issues; project management and project delivery; business management; and technology leadership. Examples of Conference sessions include: Green Building Initiatives and LEED Case Study Overhead Rates and Executive Compensation: Strategies for Contracting with DOTs IT Communication and Design Information Workflow Building Information Modeling (BIM)—Be on the Cutting Edge New Trends in Context Sensitive Design Designing for Safety and Security The PDHs may fulfill state engineering requirements, but it is necessary to check with one's state board of registration to ascertain whether individual courses meet its requisites. Conference participants will find a PDH form in their on-site registration packets. For more information and to register for the Fall Conference, click here. The early bird registration discount ends on August 25.

ACEC, Industry Reps Brief Hill Staff On Water Legislation ACEC and its Water Infrastructure Network (WIN) partners conducted a briefing on Capitol Hill this week that focused attention on the significant water infrastructure needs around the country. The Council and its industry allies briefed congressional staff on the merits of H.R. 4560, the Clean Water Trust Act, introduced by Congressman John Duncan (R-TN), chairman of the House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee. The bill creates a dedicated trust fund to pay for water infrastructure improvements. ACEC was joined by representatives from the Associated General Contractors of America and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, as well as Jonathon Pawlow, Counsel to the House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee. The briefing was part of a larger industry effort to build support in Congress for more federal investment in water infrastructure. ACEC members lobbied their House and Senate members on this issue during the Annual Convention in May. Adoption of a long-term water infrastructure funding solution remains a key priority for the Council. In related news, leaders from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) will be conducting an education session at ACEC's Fall Conference in Charleston, S.C. The session, scheduled for Wednesday, September 20, will focus on current challenges facing wastewater treatment facilities. NACWA Executive Director Ken Kirk and Dick Champion, the director of the Independence, Missouri Water Pollution Control Department, will lead a discussion on a range of issues, including increasing energy costs, workforce issues, and weather-related supply disruptions. The session will also review public funding issues, including innovative funding proposals such as a national clean water trust fund. Click here for more information and to register for the Conference.

Environment And Energy Leaders Meet In Colorado Callie Ridolfi (left), president of Ridolfi Inc., Seattle, WA, and a member of the ACEC Environment and Energy Committee, met with Jim Mattern, engineering manager, of the Trapper Mining Inc., of Craig, CO, during the committee's summer business meeting recently in Steamboat Springs, CO. The committee met with officials from the Colorado Association of Stormwater and Floodplain Managers, the International Erosion Control Association, and the Western Governors Association. They discussed water and environmental issues, including the Water Resources Development Act and water infrastructure funding, and energy issues with a focus on coal mining and related reclamation issues. The committee also met with representatives from the Trapper Mine, a major surface mine west of Steamboat Springs, where they discussed environmental restoration and reclamation issues that affect the coal mining industry. Mark Your Calendars Now For ACEC's Program On Complex & Adaptive Leadership For A/E/C Professionals! Co-sponsored by ACEC and AIA, Incorporating ACEC's former CEO Retreat December 6-8, Coconut Grove Sonesta Hotel, Miami, FL This summit is designed for facility and infrastructure A/E/C firm leaders interested in gaining a better understanding of how global economic shifts and environmental fluctuations will affect the industry of the future. Titled Complex & Adaptive Leadership for A/E/C Professionals, the two-and-a-half day summit will prepare practitioners for the next one-, three- and 10-year industry cycles. Early Bird Registration Fee (before 11/17): Members $895/Non-members $1,095 On or after 11/18: Members $995/Non-members $1,195 Click here for more information and to register. New Course: Fifty Legal Principles That Every Engineer Should Know—A Two-Day Design And Construction Law Immersion Course Faculty: Michael Loulakis, Esq., Wickwire Gavin November 9-10, Washington, D.C. Fifty Legal Principles That Every Engineer Should Know explores critical legal issues, developments and relationships in the A/E arena, and examines the relationships of stakeholders in various project delivery systems. This course covers what A/E professionals need to know to capitalize on business opportunities while optimizing risk management. Early Bird Registration Fee (before 10/20): Members $895/Non-members $1,095 On or after 10/20: Members $995/Non-members $1,195 Click here for more information and to register. August Online Seminars August 23: Top 10 Business Trends from ACEC's 2006 Industry Survey Paul Haglund, Greeley and Hanson; Jill Holcomb, ACEC Learn about business performance, markets and industry forecasts, which are based on a recently-released comprehensive survey of engineering firms. Click here for more information and to register. August 30: Design and Delivery: Using Technology for Better Teamwork Jonathan Knowles, Autodesk, Inc. Discover how to leverage technology to manage information and workflows better across the lifecycle of projects. Click here for more information and to register. Copyright © 2006 by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). All rights reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced, stored in any form of retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, photographic, or other means without the prior written permission of ACEC. Click here to review past editions of the Last Word. Click here to subscribe to the Last Word.