Engineering Inc - January/February 2018 - 11

"For a variety of reasons, Congress has not addressed
the market factors affecting liquefied natural gas
exports, as well as gasoline and oil imports and exports,
for a couple of decades."
JAY FARRAR | BECHTEL CORP.

controllers. The latter issue has led to acrimonious debate.
WSP's Connor says that FAA reauthorization is vital. "This is
an issue that has largely been overshadowed by all the controversy
with the proposal to privatize the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. The issue being discussed relates to the ATC system, not to
the controllers," she says. All of this has made it difficult for engineering firms to plan and operate adequately. Businesses in this
industry require more certainty, she explains.
ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

RICH LASALLE / GETTY IMAGES

The energy/environment sector is another area where ACEC is
advocating important changes.
ACEC seeks smart, resilient and sustainable energy and water
infrastructure including more efficient, yet effective, environmental permitting to enable timely investment, design and construction. Where lack of funds is an issue, such as with stormwater,
water supply and treatment facilities, ACEC advocates for more
appropriations, loans and loan guarantee programs.
During his campaign, President Trump promoted energy
independence, then hit the ground early in revising U.S. policy,
starting with actions to greenlight major pipeline projects delayed
by the previous administration. In March, President Trump then
signed an executive order directing federal agencies to review their
regulations to enable more efficient permitting decisions. Many
agencies have since issued reports on their plans to expedite NEPA
and other reviews. The administration has also repealed Obama

climate rules, including the Clean Power Plan as well as the rules
defining the Waters of the United States.
Major energy legislation that passed with broad, bipartisan support in the last Congress is back this year-Energy and Natural
Resources Act-which addresses a variety of issues, ranging from
long-term energy supplies and modernizing power grids to conservation efforts and energy efficiency standards.
More controversial environmental bills have passed the House,
such as the Ozone Standards Implementation Act. The bill would
delay implementation of the Obama administration's 2015 rule
lowering the acceptable level of ozone and would require the
Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider the ozone rule
every 10 years, rather than on the current timetable of every
five years. Ozone standards can pose a major obstacle to energy
infrastructure investments in some parts of the country, including
pipelines, power generation, refineries and chemical facilities.
One problem, says Farrar, is the lack of a predictable framework
for energy. "There's not as much certainty in the marketplace
as companies would like. For a variety of reasons, Congress has
not addressed the market factors affecting liquefied natural gas
exports, as well as gasoline and oil imports and exports, for a couple of decades," he explains. Alternative technologies such as solar,
wind and wave action should be viewed as opportunities rather
than just liabilities, he says. "The reality is they create different
types of jobs that then create different types of opportunities."
The issue, for now, is that alternative energy sources are not a

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc - January/February 2018