The profound impact of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) has resulted in arguments about the original intent of Congress in enacting the legislation. The greatest controversy surrounds the requirements of the Act for environmental impact statements (EISs). Although there is no definitive explanation of intent beyond the sparse words of the Act, some of the general expectations of the Congress are evident. The nature of the EIS has been shaped by forces in society which could not be.foreseen by the drafters of the Act. The EIS has been expanded to a general public documentation of a decision. The EIS process also has become a means of subsidizing general environmental data collection and research. The EIS process could be greatly revised and simplified within the original intent of NEPA and without amending the Act.

It is commonly believed that engineering students view general educational requirements (GER) as the useless, uninteresting part of an engineering curriculum. Few students recognize the intent of GER. A survey of civil engineering undergraduates, most of whom had completed the GER, was conducted to evaluate both the engineering students perception of the GER and the effectiveness of the GER in making the students aware of the social responsibility of the engineer. Approximately one‐third of the students did not know why the requirement existed; almost all of the remaining two‐thirds did not believe the GER would have any bearing on their professional career. Approximately one‐fifth of the students would like to see the entire GER replaced with technical electives; approximately two‐fifths would like to see a partial substitution. Many students wanted to retain a GER but not because they thought it would teach them about their social responsibility; instead, they wanted the GER retained because the courses were easier and lead to an improvement of their grade point averages. The survey concluded that students selected courses because of the limited work load and personal interest. In addition to the findings of the survey, a review of possible courses of action to improve the effectiveness of general educational requirements are considered.

Efforts to cure our recurring economic problems have resulted in trade‐offs among inflation, interest rates, and unemployment, and have not promoted economic growth. The failure of these efforts is due to failure to correctly identify the basic problems. As a result, the symptoms rather than the causes of our economic and social problems are treated. A logical framework for identifying and solving these problems is presented and some examples are provided illustrating its application. Engineers, because of unique abilities and interests in solving problems, have social responsibilities for raising economic issues and proposing solutions.

Round numbers are widely used in engineering. Through a process of tacit co‐ordination between the writer and the reader, round numbers help focus attention simply by being round, facilitate agreement, speed review processes, and reduce argument.

The impact of individual and organizational policies concerning liability are reflected in the techniques and procedures followed by an organization. Minimizing liability exposure is the engineering management imperative of the 1980's. Attitudes of engineers and clients must be changed to reduce liability exposure. Attitude changes are reflected in office procedures, and contract procedures. This includes contract documents and contract administration. Improved office procedures include limitation of practice, peer review, independent review, maintenance of records, disposal of records, and timely responses. Improved construction contract procedures include EJCDC contract documents, procedures for changed conditions, delay compensation, and a geotechnical report for construction.