SOCMA Commends Administration's Bold Trade Initiative

WASHINGTON, April 3, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Thursday, April 3, 2014, the House Ways and Means Committee heard testimony from United States Trade Representative Michael Froman on the President's Trade Policy Agenda.  Bill Allmond, Vice President of Government and Public Relations for the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA), issued the following statement in support of the Administration's commitment to move forward on the pending international free trade agreements:  

"The seven percent increase in funding to the U.S. Trade Representative, paired with USTR Froman's testimony, indicates this Administration's commitment to working with Congress to pass much-needed free trade agreements.  Currently, chemical manufacturers in the U.S. are facing challenges in many foreign markets because of costly and burdensome regulatory barriers.  A bold trade agenda, like the one highlighted in today's testimony, will help unleash trade flows between domestic and foreign manufacturers, and will give American businesses strong footing in the global marketplace.  SOCMA looks forward to our continued work with the USTR in an educational capacity to shed light on the concerns of the specialty chemical industry."

SOCMA continues to work with its government partners to pursue policies that will help the U.S. specialty chemical industry expand its markets and remain competitive in the global marketplace.  The association supports the ongoing negotiations via the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with economies in the Asia Pacific region and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the EU.  SOCMA also supports Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation and renewal of the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB). 

About SOCMA
SOCMA is the only U.S.-based trade association dedicated solely to the batch, custom and specialty chemical industry. Since 1921, we have represented a diverse membership of small, medium and large chemical companies, making us the leading authority on this sector. SOCMA has a global membership of more than 200 companies. For more information: www.socma.com.

ChemStewards® is SOCMA's flagship environmental, health, safety and security (EHS&S) continuous performance improvement program. ChemStewards was created from industry's commitment to reducing our environmental footprint.  Industry created ChemStewards to meet the unique needs of the batch, custom and specialty chemical industry. As a mandatory requirement for SOCMA members engaged in the manufacturing or handling of chemicals, ChemStewards is helping participants reach for superior EHS&S performance. To learn more:  www.chemstewards.com.

Contact:
Jennifer Drogus
Senior Manager, PR and Media
(202) 721-4182
[email protected]

SOURCE Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates