PRESIDENT’S REPORT – Scott Bowers

As you read this article I hope the cold of winter is only a memory and spring is in full bloom.  I hope everyone’s holidays were just great.  As you all know, 2008 is a National Electrical Code (NEC) code change year.  The new version of the 2008 NEC is in print and I hope everyone has had a chance to familiarize themselves with some of the important changes that are to take place.  If you have not, the League is offering classes on 2008 NEC Code Change.  Please see the back page of this News and Notes for class dates or call the league office to inquire or register for one. 

My questions to everyone who has familiarized themselves with the new 2008 NEC are: Are you happy with the changes?  Are they too much?  Are they too little?  Do you feel left out and upset at the new rules?  Did you shrug your shoulders and say “What can I do about it, I just follow the rules the code people write” I suppose you think there is nothing you can do to make a change.  I am here to tell you that you are WRONG!  Everyone can help change the NEC.  It is obviously too late to change anything for the 2008 NEC, but never fear, there is time to help make changes for the 2011 NEC.

I know what you are thinking, the 2008 NEC has just published, how can I think that far ahead for the 2011 NEC?  I am here to tell you that NOW is the time to make the proposals for changes in the 2011 NEC.  The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) is the agency who is responsible for writing the NEC (along with hundreds of other safety codes).  Their timeline is very strict as to when and where proposals to change the NEC are submitted.  Everyone who wants to make a change must submit their proposal and have it received by the NFPA (at their offices) by November 7, 2008.  I know this sounds like a long time away, but time has a tendency to speed along and before you know it,  November 7^th, will be here and gone.

Now that I have “sparked” your interest, I bet you want to know how you can help write the 2011 NEC.  There are 2 ways to make a proposal to the NFPA.  The 1^st is to follow the specific guidelines that appear in the back of the new 2008 NEC.  There are specific directions and forms you can copy, fill out and send in by US Mail as long as they get to the NFPA by the November 7^th deadline.  Copies of these forms will be available at our office for faxing and on our website for download in PDF format for anyone interested. 

The 2^nd way to submit changes to the 2011 NEC is via the internet.  The address is http://www.submissions.nfpa.org/onlinesub/onsubmain.php  We will also have this link on our website for anyone interested. 

I strongly suggest everyone associated with the electrical industry (including all our sponsoring and participating organizations and of course members) get involved and submit proposals for changes to the 2011 NEC.  There were sweeping changes to the 2008 NEC and I think these changes took a LOT of our industry by surprise.  These changes are forcing higher prices throughout all aspects of the electric industry and we of course, are passing these costs along to our end users. 

In my opinion, some of the changes I am familiar with in the 2008 NEC are pushing the limit of codes oriented toward the safety scope of the NEC, yet seem to be an avenue for Mega corporations to sell their products to meet this demand, without sufficient research and development (R&D) time to get all the “bugs” out of the products being offered.  I hope the manufacturing industry supplying products to meet NEC codes, are not trying to live by the Microsoft philosophy of “Beta Testing” using our money and possibly public safety to make the next generation of their product better.  Only time will tell if this continuing trend will subside.  With everyone’s help submitting as many proposals as possible to change the 2011 NEC, we might keep some of the new as I call them “product sale driven” codes to a minimum in the future.