Earth Day Insights: Engineering's Role in Sustainability
- administration478
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
To the ACEC Community,
Today is Earth Day, and it’s somewhat fitting that this celebration of environmental sustainability and stewardship comes on the heels of last week’s Engineering Workforce Consortium workshop. Much of the discussion centered around how we must do a better job as an industry conveying to our prospective workforce that engineering exemplifies a rare harmony of ideals: the ability to forge a career that is both responsible and rewarding, principled and profitable. As the world commemorates Earth Day, it’s essential that we spotlight the pivotal role America’s engineering industry plays in shaping a healthier, more sustainable planet. On Saturday, we held an Engineering and Public Works Roadshow in Athens, GA on the 45th anniversary of R.E.M.’s first live show as a band. The event celebrated the culturally and structurally significant Murmur Trestle, which also graced the back cover of R.E.M.’s first album, aptly titled Murmur. The event brought out engineers from Kimley-Horn who restored the trestle, along with a mix of local officials and R.E.M. fans. Speakers included Bertis Downs, the band’s manager, and we even had R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck in the audience. It was a great celebration of engineering’s role in preserving history and culture. You can watch the replay here.
Next up, the Roadshow travels north to spotlight the EEA award-winning Minnesota Zoo Treetop Trail on May 1, followed on May 7 in Texas at the largest mass timber academic building in the country, the Anderson Ball Classroom at San Jacinto College. I recommend following the Roadshow on X to keep up to date on its schedule and to watch the livestreams as they happen.
Congress is still in recess this week, but politics never take a break. Expect a flurry of activity on Capitol Hill when lawmakers return. With the budget resolution approved, the Ways and Means Committee is expected to draft the tax bill in May, with House leadership hoping to pass the entire reconciliation package by Memorial Day. What this means is that there is a very real possibility Congress will be in the thick of the tax debate during our Annual Convention and Legislative Summit. In advocacy, as in life, timing is everything – and the stars may be aligning for issues like extending the 2017 tax cuts and fixing R&D amortization to be top of mind for lawmakers when we head to Capitol Hill in May.
The stakes are high and our firms are feeling it. Preliminary results for the ACEC Research Institute’s Q2 Engineering Business Sentiment Report show that business confidence is slipping. Current sentiment remains positive, but declined across the board, especially for the U.S. economy (net rating down 38 points to +11). Future outlooks dropped sharply, with sentiment for the U.S. economy falling into negative territory, and recession fears climbing to the highest since tracking began. Backlog and hiring expectations also weakened, while inflation concerns surged.
With that, I do want to reiterate how important it is for you to join us here in Washington next month for the Convention. I know that many of you are watching the market and awaiting the next move on tariffs and you may be loath to make expenditures right now that are not absolutely essential. I get it. But I truly believe that what we do – right now – as an industry and as a council has the potential to make a real difference, and the more voices (and VOTERS) we can bring to this effort, the better we will be. There is nothing more compelling to a lawmaker than a constituent standing in his or her office and recounting how the decisions they make and the votes they cast impact their business and community. Your attendance next month is an investment in our industry’s future. I hope you’ll join us. Have a great week,
Linda Bauer Darr
President & CEO
American Council of Engineering Companies | ACEC