In a statement issued in November, NCEES commended the National Transportation Safety Board for recommending that Massachusetts eliminate the PE license exemption for public utility work and require a PE seal on engineering drawings for public utility projects.

The NTSB recommendation was included in its report, Natural Gas Distribution System Project Development and Review, in response to a series of explosions and fires on Sept. 13, 2018, that killed one, injured at least 28 others, and damaged more than 130 structures in Merrimack Valley, Mass.

“While we cannot go back and prevent what has already happened, we can work to ensure that proper steps are taken to prevent similar accidents,” the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying said in the statement. “Public utilities is one of the many areas in which professional engineers can be called on to ensure that business activities adequately protect public welfare. As an organization committed to advancing licensure for engineers and surveyors, NCEES and its member licensing boards from all U.S. states and territories continue to focus on the fundamental goal of safeguarding the public.”

Read the full statement, signed by NCEES President James J. Purcell, PE, and Chief Executive Officer B. David Cox, on the NCEES website.