ALWAYS OPEN
Poutine
What first appeared as a fringe item on mobile kitchens in 1950s rural Québec can now be found everywhere from fine dining menus at top restaurants to fast-food chains. It has become a symbol of Québécois and Canadian cuisine and culture. In some US restaurants a variant of this hearstopping mix of fries, gravy and cheese is called "Disco Fries".
2028 National Electrical Safety Code
Today we review the proposed changes for the 2028 Edition that sets the standard of care for construction, operation and maintenance of power and telecommunication infrastructure on the supply side of the point of common coupling. The pre-print should be availably today but. alas, we're not seeing the package made available yet. Still, there is plenty to pick through ahead of its release. We have until 24 March 2026 to submit comments on proposed changes.
Canadian Parliament Debate on Standards Incorporated by Reference
In administrative law, incorporation by reference is a legislative drafting technique that enables federal agencies to give legal effect to materials that are already published elsewhere. It is most controversially used to incorporate privately authored voluntary consensus standards into health and safety regulations without infringing the standards developers' copyright. We find enlightened debate in Ottawa.
NESC & NEC Cross-Code Correlation
Workspace for drafting a detailed response to this 2018 statement. Open public consultation on the 2028 revision to the IEEE National Electrical Safety Code is very compressed -- only 90 days are open for a standard that is revised every 5 years. Public consultation on the First Draft of the 2028 NESC is open until March 24, 2026.
Quadrivium: Summer
Educational settlements are the closest many people come to feel at home in beautiful surroundings. The catalog that informs the safety and sustainability of these "cities-within-cities" changes 100 to 1000 times per day. Titles are unstable, time-sensitive, copyright protected and land in public law. We explore the action continuously; assign priorities, then schedule a separate teleconference to formulate responses to public consultations. Daily colloquia topics appear on our CALENDAR.
Michigan Electrical Administrative Act §338.883
What is the criteria, and how is it applied, for an electrician who has successfully worked as a journeyman in one state, permitted to work in the State of Michigan. Each state regulates trade practice differently. Ahead of the Michigan Electrical Advisory Board meeting on February 13, 2025 we examine the trajectory of electrical code and standard development relevant to educational settlements generally, and Michigan specifically.
I-Code Group B Committee Action Results
We will sort through the results of last month's standardization action as it applies to health care facilities -- with particular interest in maternity and neo-natal intensive care technologies -- ahead of the follow up technical meetings in Cleveland in October.
Current Issues and Recent Research
Next: Approval by the NFPA Standards Council for release of the 2026 National Electrical Code this week at the Annual Conference & Expo in Las Vegas. IEEE Release of the proposals for the 2028 National Electrical Safety Code on July 1. Sorting the electrotechnology concepts appearing in the recent release of the International Code Council's "Group B Complete Monograph" ahead of the follow up meetings in Cleveland in October.
Electrical Resource Adequacy
FERC's cornerstone legislation is the Federal Power Act of 1935 and thereby enforces energy laws, approves infrastructure projects, and regulates market competition. As an independent agency within the Department of Energy its jurisdiction stems directly from statutory frameworks rather than the executive branch alone. Its standing meetings are linked here; including the next June 26th Open Meeting.