May 2014   FLORIDA SECTION What could Highway Trust Fund insolvency mean for Florida? Florida’s Secretary of Transportation Ananth Prasad recently gave an in-depth, exclusive interview to Steven Lubinski, chair of the Miami-Dade Branch’s Government Relations Committee, on the potential effects that a failure to renew the federal Highway Trust Fund could have on Florida transportation infrastructure. The federal aid provides 30 percent of Florida Department of Transportation funding.  Congressional gridlock could make insolvency a reality in three months or less if it doesn’t act. “We could survive an insolvent federal Highway Trust Fund for 3 to 6 months without any negative impact, but beyond that you’re going to have a tangible impact that you can’t avoid,” Prasad said. Read the Q&A >>  ALABAMA SECTION, BIRMINGHAM BRANCH Branch members conduct cleanup at wildlife refuge Photo courtesy Birmingham Branch Members of the Alabama Section’s Birmingham Branch staged a cleanup day at Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge, a 3,577 acre facility at the southern end of the Appalachians in Bibb County. It is home to a threatened plant species known in Alabama as the Cahaba lily. Its abundant presence in the refuge was one of the reasons for its creation. View photo gallery>> ALABAMA SECTION, BIRMINGHAM BRANCH Branch joins in support for creation of state dam safety program ASCE Government Relations and the Association of State Dam Safety Officials recently cosponsored an information session for Birmingham Branch members to discuss dam safety issues and give a tutorial on how to become an advocate for creation of a dam safety program in Alabama. The state is the only one in the nation without such a program. Hundreds of aging and uninspected dams with no emergency response plan unnecessarily place the citizens, infrastructure and environment of Alabama at risk from the catastrophic effects of a dam failure. To address this public safety need, Alabama State Rep. Mary Sue McClurkin has introduced legislation in the state House that would establish a dam safety program. Learn more about the program and the Branch’s efforts.  Read Branch newsletter>> Outreach event? Successful activity? Announce it here! If you’re a local ASCE leader and your Section, Branch, Younger Member Group, or Student Chapter has staged any special events, engaged in outreach from grade-school kids to lawmakers, or anything of the sort, let ASCEnews Weekly know and we may include it in next month’s Region report. You may already have written about it and posted pictures in your newsletter, website, or social media. Share the details and any photos at asce.org/localnews. Got questions? Write to submissions@asce.org. See the other Region reports for May If you live adjacent to a Section in a different Region, or are merely interested in the other Region reports for May, click on each to view them:   Region 1   Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section, Buffalo Section, Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers Section, Ithaca Section, Maine Section, Metropolitan Section, Mohawk-Hudson Section, New Hampshire Section, New Jersey Section, Puerto Rico Section, Rhode Island Section, Rochester Section, Syracuse Section, Vermont Section Region 2   Central Pennsylvania Section, Delaware Section, Lehigh Valley Section, Maryland Section, National Capital Section, Philadelphia Section, Pittsburgh Section Region 3   Akron-Canton Section, Central Illinois Section, Central Ohio Section, Cincinnati Section, Cleveland Section, Dayton Section, Duluth Section, Illinois Section, Michigan Section, Minnesota Section, North Dakota Section, Quad Cities Section, Toledo Section, Wisconsin Section Region 4   Arkansas Section, Indiana Section, Kentucky Section, North Carolina Section, South Carolina Section, Tennessee Section, Virginia Section, West Virginia Section Region 5   Alabama Section, Florida Section, Georgia Section, Louisiana Section, Mississippi Section   Region 6   New Mexico Section, Oklahoma Section, Texas Section Region 7   Colorado Section, Iowa Section, Kansas City Section, Kansas Section, Nebraska Section, South Dakota Section, St. Louis Section, Wyoming Section Region 8   Alaska Section, Arizona Section, Columbia Section, Hawaii Section, Inland Empire Section, Montana Section, Nevada Section, Oregon Section, Seattle Section, Southern Idaho Section, Tacoma-Olympia Section, Utah Section Region 9   Los Angeles Section, Sacramento Section, San Diego Section, San Francisco Section Region 10   All International Sections, Branches, and Groups Missed last month's debut Region 5 update? See the April edition of News Around Region 5 Share this page via social media and email: