This Just In - PM Engineer

Construction Officials Hope To Prevent the Worst as Unemployment Rises Associated General Contractors of America CEO Stephen Sandherr urges Congress to continue investing and move on with its infrastructure stimulus plan before it’s too late.

	Miodonski Named Plumbing Group Publisher, PM Editor As group publisher, he assumes the administrative, staffing and strategic responsibilities for PM, Supply House Times, PM Engineer and related e-media.

Wayne D. Moore Recognized by NFPA for Codes Contributions The National Fire Protection Association recently presented Wayne D. Moore with the organization’s 9009 Standards Medal award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to fire safety in the development of codes and standards and his dedication to the cause of fire safety worldwide.

Credit Managers' Index Improves Again — Is The Recession Ending? As discussion grows on whether or not the recession is ending, the Credit Managers’ Index continues to improve. CMI data began to show some upward movement in February 2009 and now has carried forward those gains for four straight months through May.

	LEED-Seeking Buildings To Provide Performance Data Energy and water usage reporting to become a precondition of LEED certification.

New Federal Grant Program For Alternative Energy Assets The Treasury Department will begin accepting grant applications this July for investments by businesses in alternative-energy-generating assets.

Crane Plumbing Recalls Whirlpool Tubs Due To Entrapment, Drowning Hazards The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Crane Plumbing announced a voluntary recall of about 5,500 Crane whirlpool bathtubs — the drain covers in the tubs can entangle a bather’s hair in the openings, causing the bather’s head to be held under water, which can result in drowning.

New Tests Detects Artificial Sweetner Traces In Water A study by the Water Technology Center in Karlsruhe, Germany, found that a number of commonly used artificial sweeteners are present in German waste and surface water.

2009 National Standard Plumbing Code Now Available The National Standard Plumbing Code Committee announced the release of the 2009 National Standard Plumbing Code and the 2009 National Standard Plumbing Code–Illustrated. The NSPC Committee recently voted to change the annual print cycle to include one supplement in an 18-month period between print editions.

Four Water Heater Companies Partner With Consortium for Energy Efficiency Four leading water heater manufacturers — Bradford White Water Heaters, Rheem Water Heating, Rinnai America Corp. and A. O. Smith Water Heaters — have joined forces with the Consortium for Energy Efficiency to become part of the Coalition for ENERGY STAR® Water Heaters.

WaterSense Revises Draft Specification For Single-family, New Homes

The EPA’s WaterSense has refined its draft labeling specification (initially released in May 2008) for single-family new homes based on comments received from the public and additional research. The revised specification will ensure that future WaterSense-labeled homes still use 20% less water than similar new homes, while reducing the burden and cost to the builders.

	NAOHSM Names First ‘Tech Of The Year’ The National Association of Oil Heating Service Managers has named Steve Vachon, a lead technician with Lamprey Brothers in North Hampton, N.H., and the current president of the Greater Seacoast Chapter of NAOHSM, as its first-ever “Technician of the Year.”

CEO of SyncroFlo, David Hanson, Passes Away David Hanson, CEO of SyncroFlo died on June 6, 2009.

1.4 Million Construction Workers Unemployed Since Early ’07 Unemployment in the construction sector climbed to a “horrendous” 19.2 percent (not-seasonally adjusted) as an additional 59,000 construction workers lost their jobs in May according to new federal data.

Green Mechanical Council Partners With GreenPlumbers USA For Efficiency Advocacy

The Green Mechanical Council and GreenPlumbers USA recently announced a collaborative partnership to speed up the installation of green educational programs to the construction industry and more effectively communicate the plumbing and mechanical contracting industry's efficiency programs to utilities, businesses and consumers.

Survey Says…Fire Protection Engineers Still In Demand One profession has been left virtually unscathed by the current economic slowdown: fire protection engineering—according to a recent survey by the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.

WaterSmart Innovations Conference Garners Support From Major Organizations

An array of high-profile private- and public-sector organizations have lent their support to the second WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition, slated for Oct. 7-9, 2009, in Las Vegas.

Presented by the Southern Nevada Water Authority in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense Program and the American Water Works Association, WaterSmart Innovations is one of the largest and most comprehensive conferences of its kind.

Other major organizations supporting WaterSmart Innovations are the Alliance for Water Efficiency; Audubon International; GreenPlumbers USA; International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials; International Center for Water Technology; Irrigation Association; and California Urban Water Conservation Council. The partnering organizations have a combined 72,000 members.

“We expect to expand upon last year’s success in creating an event that facilitated the exchange of water efficiency ideas and experiences. These partnerships are invaluable in assuring we reach a diverse group of important stakeholders,” said Doug Bennett, SNWA conservation manager and the conference’s strategic relations coordinator.

Conference sponsors to-date include Rain Bird Corp.; Caroma; Parsons; Ewing Irrigation; AECOM Inc.; Black & Veatch; Water Management Inc.; and Hunter Industries Inc.

For more information, visit www.WaterSmartInnovations.com.

Water Research Foundation Launches Climate Change Information Library

The Water Research Foundation recently launched a beta version of its Web site dedicated to providing scientific information and practical advice about climate change’s impact on water. The site, www.theclimatechangeclearinghouse.org, is part of the Foundation’s sustained, multi-year effort to evaluate the impact of climate change on water and help solve the challenges it poses to our nation’s water suppliers.

UL Announces Certification Program for Annex G of ANSI/NSF 61 Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has announced it is now providing manufacturers of plumbing-related products certification to Annex G of ANSI/NSF 61. Annex G is an optional evaluation method for products to demonstrate less than 0.25 percent weighted average lead content.

A.O. Smith Offers 3D Revit Models Online For Specifying Engineers A. O. Smith Water Products Co. is the first in the water heater industry to offer specifying engineers and architects complete access to 3D building information modeling (BIM) of its commercial water heater and boiler products with Autodesk® Revit® software.

Potty Parity at New York’s New Baseball Stadiums? If nothing else, $2 billion worth of baseball ballparks should buy shorter waits for the restrooms, at least for women, reports the New York Times.

PMI Updates Mission Statement to Highlight Environmental Sustainability of Member Products The Plumbing Manufacturers Institute has updated its mission statement to recognize the critical and growing importance of environmental sustainability in the products its members produce.

IAPMO R&T Lab Opens Testing Laboratory in China IAPMO R&T Lab has formally opened a new testing laboratory facility in Guangzhou, China, to better serve existing and prospective clients in the Asia Pacific Region.

Construction Ahead: Highlights From the 2009 Spring Update McGraw Hill Construction estimates construction starts at $463.1 billion, which is down 15% from 2008.

ISH China Returns to Beijing in 2010 The eighth ISH China is scheduled to run from March 10-12, 2010, in Beijing at the China National Convention Center, according to Messe Frankfurt. The fair will debut a sanitation and services platform to keep up with heavy market demand.