NEMA TO SPONSOR A PRODUCT SAFETY AND LIABILITY CONFERENCE

NEMA will be sponsoring a Product Safety & Liability Conference this September 12-14 at the Palmer House Hilton in downtown Chicago.

All the conference related information can be located by clicking here including the hotel registration link.

The cost is $275.00 for the conference. In addition, NEMA has arranged for a suite at Wrigley Field on September 13th for the Cubs/Reds baseball game. Since the suite only holds 40, it will be first come first served for those who are interested. There is a $75 charge for the baseball game, which includes dinner as well as the ticket to the game that night.

SWEEPING CHANGES TO ADA WORKPLACE ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS ON THE HORIZON

In addition to prohibiting employment discrimination against individuals with disabilities, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), in Title III, establishes accessibility standards for places of public accommodation and commercial facilities (privately owned, non-residential facilities such as factories, warehouses and office buildings) regardless of size.

On 7/23/04, the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board proposed extensively revised and significantly expanded ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). These revised Guidelines would extend coverage of accessibility requirements to non-public areas, including office space and employee work areas, not covered under current standards.

The Guidelines must be adopted and issued by the U.S. Dept. of Justice (DOJ). Recently, DOJ issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) inviting public comment by 5/31/05, on its proposed adoption of the proposed Guidelines.

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR STEPHEN JOHNSON ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY THAT HE HAS SELECTED CHARLES INGEBRETSON AS HIS CHIEF OF STAFF.

Charles has served as EPA’s Associate Administrator for the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations since April, 2004. Prior to joining EPA, Charles served as Government Relations Counsel at Honeywell International, Inc. and spent two years with the law firm of Bracewell & Patterson, L.L.P. From 1990 to 1998, he worked as Minority Counsel for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and as General Counsel for the House Committee on Commerce. Charles is an alumnus of Duke University and the Notre Dame School of Law.

NEMA ACTIVATES AN AD HOC TASK GROUP ON GREEN BUILDING ISSUES.

On May 25, 2005 NEMA had its first meeting of the newly formed Ad Hoc Task Group on Green Building Issues.  The Task Group was formed and is financially support by the High Performance Wire, Outlet and Switch, Lighting Controls Council, Ballast, Emergency Lighting, Luminaire, and Lamp Product Sections. There overall goal will be to track the numerous green building issues which are arising at the Federal, State and Local level throughout the United States and to take pro-active active on issues as appropriate.  Their first project will be to hold two web casts on green building --- one by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and one by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) (see above).  In addition, the Task Group, via NEMA Staff, will also be participating in the USGBC's effort to incorporate Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) into their LEED process.

For additional information on the NEMA program and to view a list of green building references, click here.

NEMA TESTIFIES IN OPPOSITION TO MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATION AIMED AT BANNING MERCURY-CONTAINING PRODUCTS.

Mark Kohorst of NEMA Government Relations testified before a joint committee of the Massachusetts legislature to speak in opposition to a series of bills that would ban or place restrictions on the sale of vitally important consumer and industrial products that contain mercury. The five bills under consideration would have encompassed energy efficient thermostats, high intensity automobile headlamps, x-ray equipment, hearing aid batteries and blood pressure gauges. Kohorst was accompanied at the hearing by Pamela Horner, Director of Industry Relations and Standards at OSRAM Sylvania, which is based in Danvers, MA and is a leading employer within the State. Both Kohorst and Horner stressed the point that minute amounts of mercury are still required in certain products to ensure safety, reliability, or energy efficiency. Kohorst also argued that labeling requirements proposed in the legislation would serve no useful purpose, and that manufacturer "take back" programs are impractical and unnecessary given the small amount of mercury contained in these products. The committee has not yet announced its findings or intentions with regard to this bill.

Mark Kohorst, NEMA’s Senior Manager for Environment, Health and Safety, testified before two committees of New Hampshire lawmakers during May to oppose legislation that would have banned or restricted the disposal of mercury-containing products. HB371 proposed to ban landfill disposal of every mercury-containing product without consideration of mercury content levels, the cost and impracticality of collection, or the existence of alternatives. Kohorst appeared before the state’s Energy & Economic Development Committee to argue that this bill would adversely affect residents and businesses but have no impact on mercury levels in New Hampshire. He was joined by Pamela Horner of OSRAM Sylvania, who sought an exemption in the bill for lamps disposed by households. The committee subsequently voted 4 to 1 against passage of this bill. Earlier in the month, Kohorst spoke before the New Hampshire Senate Environment and Wildlife Committee concerning HB 562. This bill seeks to enact a phase-out of mercury containing products such as lamps, mercury angle switches, button cell batteries, and mercury switch thermostats. Kohorst testified that the total impact of these products on mercury deposition in Rhode Island is negligible and that recycling infrastructure is already in place for mercury containing lamps and thermostats. The committee has not announced its decision on HB 562.

NEMA PARTICIPATES IN FIRST MEETING OF THE UNEP GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR MERCURY REDUCTION.

In February 2005, the 23^rd session of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Governing Council convened in Nairobi, Kenya. The participating governments agreed to further the development of the UNEP Mercury Reduction Program and to support the efforts of countries to take action to reduce mercury uses, releases, and exposure. The key component of this decision was to initiate global partnerships (in lieu of a treaty) to exchange information and to ensure international cooperation on mercury reduction programs. As a participant in this voluntary global program, the United States has defined five key areas of focus, one of which is the use of mercury in products. Mark Kohorst, Senior Manager for Environment, Health & Safety, represented NEMA in Portland, ME at an initial meeting to discuss the US proposal of launching a "Global Partnership for Mercury Reductions in Products." Representatives from Canada, Mexico, India, and other countries attended the meeting, which was chaired by US EPA personnel. The discussions were very preliminary and consisted mainly of attempts to reach consensus on the objectives of the partnership and its initial actions. NEMA will continue to participate in this partnership and keep member companies apprized of its activities.

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