ASCE Policy Statements

In order to promote the goals of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Board of Direction has adopted official Policy Statements, Position Papers and Resolutions on major technical, professional and educational issues of interest to the civil engineering community and the nation. Listed here are the complete texts of the Society's 172 current policy documents. These statements reflect the Board of Direction actions through July 20, 2012. 

You can download a PDF copy of the 2012 ASCE Policy Book here.

For more information about ASCE Policy Document and the Policy Development Program, Contact Martin Hight, Senior Manager, Government Relations at mhight@asce.org.

Coastal Zones, Off Shore and Waterways  

• Coastal Development (PS 162)  - REVISED
• Coastal Data Collection Programs (PS 330)  - REVISED
• Coordination of Beach Erosion Control with Channel Maintenance (PS 349)
• Improvement and Maintenance of Ports, Harbors and Waterways (PS 218)
• Louisiana Coastal Wetlands (PS 498)  - REVISED
• Offshoring Facilities Development (PS 533) - REVISED
• Restoring and Maintaining America's Beaches (PS 507) - REVISED
• Waste Assimilative Capacity of Ocean and Coastal Waters (PS 286) - REVISED

Dams, Flood Control and Levees  

• Dam Repair and Rehabilitation (PS 470)  
• Flood Plain Management (PS 421) - REVISED  
• Levee Certification (PS 529)
• National Levee Safety Program (PS 511)  
• Responsibility for Dam Safety (PS 280)

Disaster Mitigation and Response  

• Cooperation with Government for Failure Investigation (PS 294)  
• Earthquake Engineering Research Funding (PS 359) - REVISED
• Earthquake Hazards Mitigation (PS 390) - REVISED
• Emergency Preparedness and Response (PS 499) - REVISED
• Emergency Responder Legislation (PS 536)
• Media Interaction Following Catastrophic Failures or Natural Disasters (PS 300)  
• Mitigating the Impacts of Natural and Man-Made Hazards (PS 389)  
• Wind Hazards Mitigation (PS 475)  
• Wind Storm Hazards Impact Reduction Funding (PS 530) - REVISED

Diversity  

• Achieving Diversity and Equity (PS 417)

Education  

• Academic Prerequisites for Licensure and Professional Practice (PS 465)  
• Civil Engineering Education (PS 140)
• History and Heritage (PS 463)  
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education (PS 377)  - REVISED

Energy  

• The Advanced Hydro Turbine (PS 442)  
• Electricity Generation and Transmission Infrastructure (PS 484)  
• Energy Policy (PS 489)  
• Hydraulic Fracturing (PS 539) - NEW
• Hydropower (PS 379)  
• Nuclear Power (PS 490)  

Engineering Practice  

• Aesthetics (PS 117)  
• Combating Corruption (PS 510)  
• Defining the Civil Engineering Team (PS 535)  
• Engineering Surveying Definition (PS 333)  
• Professional Ethics and Conflict of Interest (PS 502) - REVISED
• Risk Management (PS 437)  
• Use of the Term Engineer (PS 433)  

Environmental Issues  

• Acid Rain (PS 285)  
• Comprehensive Pollution Management (PS 362)  
• Consultation on Environmental Regulations (PS 403)  
• Endangered Species Act Reauthorization (PS 438)  
• Greenhouse Gasses(PS 488) - REVISED  
• Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Program (PS 482) - REVISED  
• Impact of Climate Change (PS 360) - REVISED
• Recycling of Electronic Wastes (PS 527)  
• National Wetlands Policy (PS 378)  
• Transportation and General Conformity Under the Clean Air Act (PS 327)
• Voluntary Environmental Auditing for Regulatory Compliance (PS 356)  

Government  

• Government Engineering Management (PS 416)  
• Post Public Sector Activities (PS 393)  
• Professional Grade Salary Structure for Government Engineers (PS 346)
• Recruitment and Retention of Qualified Engineers for Government Service (PS 386)  

Hazardous Waste  

• Hazardous Waste Reduction and Management (PS 331)  
• High-Level Nuclear Waste Management (PS 491)  
• Radioactive Waste Management (PS 262)  
• Revitalization of Brownfields (PS 485)  
• Superfund Reauthorization (PS 305)

Infrastructure  

• Endorsement of Infrastructure Projects (PS 404)
• Federal Capital Budgeting (PS 453) - REVISED  
• Growth and Development (PS 131)  
• High-Performance Buildings (PS 528)  
• Infrastructure Investment Policy (PS 299) 
• Infrastructure Security and Survivability Research (PS 493)
• Investing in America's Schools (PS 452) - REVISED
• Life-Cycle Cost Analysis (PS 451) - REVISED
• National Infrastructure Bank (PS 532)
• National Parks Infrastructure (PS 503) - REVISED
• Infrastructure Security (PS 500) - REVISED  
• Public-Private Partnerships (PS 526) - REVISED
• Reconstruction of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast (PS 514)  
• Regulatory Process for Infrastructure Development (PS 427)
• The Role of the Civil Engineer in Sustainable Development (PS 418)  
• Unified Definitions for Critical Infrastructure Resilience (PS 518)

International  

•  Building Engineering Capacity (PS 506) - REVISED
• Millennium Development Goals (PS 517)  
• Relationships with International Engineering Organizations (PS 146) - REVISED

Legal Reform  

• Alternative Dispute Resolution (PS 256) - REVISED
• Indemnification for Pro Bono Service (PS 443) - REVISED
• Prevention of Frivolous Lawsuits (PS 364)  
• Professional Liability/Tort Reform (PS 318)  
• Sole Source Workers Compensation Statue (PS 508)  

Licensure  

• Continuing Professional Development for Licensure (PS 425)  
• Licensure Examinations (PS 432)  
• Licensure and Advanced Credentialing within the Civil Engineering Profession (PS 524)  
• Licensure of Professional Engineers (PS 130)  
• Licensure Requirements for Government Engineers (PS 385)  
• Professional Licensure Mobility (PS 464)  
• The Purpose of the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination (PS 369)  
• State Licensure boards for Professional Engineers (PS 450)  

Procurement/Contract Issues  

• Design Build Procurement (PS 400)  
• Design Competition (PS 439)  
• Engineering Services for Government Agencies (PS 138)  
• Off-shoring of Engineering Services (PS 509)  
• Qualifications Based Selection of Professional Engineers (PS 304)  
• Use of Electronic Signatures (PS 492)
• Warranty and Guarantee Clauses for Professional Engineering Service Contracts (PS 388)  
• Withheld Payments Under Fixed-Price Architect-Engineer Contracts (PS 531) - REVISED

Public Involvement  

• Appointment of Engineers to Policy Positions in Government (PS 101)  
• Public Involvement in the Decision Making Process (PS 139)  
• Role of Non-Profit Educational Organizations in the Public Sector, The (PS 460) - REVISED

Quality/Standards  

• International Codes and Standards (PS 365) - REVISED
• Model Building Codes (PS 525)  
• Quality Management Systems Standards (PS 431)  

Research  

• Aviation Infrastructure Research (PS 471) - REVISED  
• Building and Fire Research at the National Institutes and Standards and Technology (PS 319)  
• Incentives for Implementing Construction Innovations (PS 456)
• Infrastructure Research and Innovations   (PS 313)  
• National Science Foundation (PS 336)  
• Publication of Publicly Funded Research (PS 538) - NEW
• Research and Development Tax Credits (PS 455)  
• Research in Civil Engineering (PS 187) - REVISED
• The Role of the Federal Government in Civil Engineering Research and Development (PS 444)  - REVISED

Safety  

• Construction Site Safety (PS 350) - REVISED
• Crane Safety on Construction Sites (PS 424) - REVISED
• Inspection of Existing Facilities (PS 283)  
• Peer Review (PS 351)
• Post-Construction Drawings of Civil Engineering Projects (PS 290)  

Space  

• Access to Space (PS 512)  
• Critical Remote Sensing Information (PS 472)  
• Engineering and Construction in Space (PS 384)  
• National Space Education (PP 392)
• National Space Policy (PS 358)  

Solid Waste  

• Interstate Transport of Solid Waste Management (PS 523)
• Municipal Solid Waste Management (PS 516) - REVISED

Tax Issues  

• Taxation of Employee Paid Educational Assistance (PS 314)  
• Unrelated Business Income Tax (PS 325) - REVISED

Transportation Issues  

• Aviation Transportation Program (PS 445) - REVISED
• Bridge Safety (PS 208) - REVISED  
• Complete Streets (PS 537)  
• High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail (PS 402)  
• Highway Safety (PS 367)  
• Incorporating Bicycle Facilities into Transportation Planning and Design (PS 436)  
• Innovative Financing for Transportation Projects (PS 496)  
• Intelligent Transportation Systems (PS 454)
• Integrated Truck and Highway Design (PS 276) - REVISED
• Intermodal Transportation Systems (PS 149)
• Operation and Management of Transportation Systems (PS 495)
• Public Transportation (PS 494)  
• Rail Infrastructure Investment (PS 521) 
• Rehabilitation of Historic Bridges (PS 504) - REVISED  
• Surface Transportation Research Funding (PS 497) - REVISED  
• Transportation Funding (PS 382) - REVISED  
• Transportation Trust Funds (PS 434) - REVISED  
• Surface Transportation Authorization Policy

Wastewater  

• Clean Water Act Reauthorization (PS 420) - REVISED
• Control of Combined Sewer Discharges (PS 395) - REVISED
• Greywater Reuse (PS 534) 
• Municipal Wastewater Biosolids (PS 429)  
• Non-Point Source Water Quality (PS 461) - REVISED
• Roadway Runoff Water Quality Management (PS 466)  
• Wastewater and Greywater Reuse (PS 332) - REVISED  

Water Resources Management  

• Atmospheric Water Resources Management (PS 275) - REVISED
• Beneficial Use of Dredged Materials (PS 513)   
• Cooperation on Water Resource Project (PS 312)  
• Cost Sharing in Water Resources Infrastructure Programs (PS 302)  
• Desalination (PS 407)  
• Disinfection of Drinking Water (PS 462)  
•  Emergency and Risk Management by Water Providers (PS 348)  
• Evaluation of Federal Water Resource Projects (PS 515)
• Groundwater Management (PS 243)  
• Hydrologic Data Collection (PS 447)  
• Implementation of Safe Drinking Water Regulations (PS 361)  
• Peer Review of Water Resources Projects (R 519)  
• Planning and Management for Droughts (PS 408)   
• Regional Sediment Management (PS 522)  
• Storm Water Management (PS 441) - REVISED
• Water Infrastructure and Facilities Construction Funding (PS 480) - REVISED
• Water Conservation (PS 337) - REVISED
• Watershed Management (PS 422) - REVISED
• Weather Surveillance Technology (PS 409)