- 05 January 2007 -
Industry Meets with Bush Administration Manufacturing Czar

The industry's Government Relations (GR) office met with the Bush Administration's manufacturing czar, Al Frink, to discuss surface finishing industry competitiveness issues, the recent industry-OSHA Chrome PEL settlement, and the role of the U.S. Department of Commerce in assessing manufacturing competitiveness on the regulatory front. 

As part of the industry's effort on the OSHA rulemaking on the new workplace exposure standard for chromium, the industry had discussed with the Department of Commerce finishing industry economic impacts and global competitiveness issues with OSHA and the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

The discussion with Mr. Frink and the other Commerce officials focused on how Commerce can play a credible role in analyzing future impacts of rulemakings on U.S. small manufacturing. GR will be meeting again with Mr. Frink and other senior Commerce officials later this year on regulatory costs and global competitiveness issues.  Moreover, GR will also be eliciting the support of other industry trade groups to weigh in on this effort to improve the federal regulatory process and ease the burden on U.S. manufacturing.