July 3, 2008 On May 26-30, over 125 representatives from 30 countries gathered to advance committee's goals in nanotechnology standardization. Significant outcomes included finalization for Technical Committee to publish technical report out of Working Group 3, health and safety practices in occupational settings relevant to nanotechnologies. TC 229 also agreed to move forward with publication of technical specifications from WG 1, Terminology for Nano-objects: Nanoparticles, Nanoplates, and Nanofibres.

July 3, 2008 At ANSI's 2008 Open Forum for Standards Developers, on June 24-25 in Washington D.C., nearly 99 participants gathered, including 54 that were attending for the first time. Addressing the future of standardization in the U.S. and abroad, it included a panel called Coop-etition, which discussed the need for interoperability of healthcare standards. Several other panels took place with featured speakers that included Mary Saunders of NIST, James H. Turner, and Robert Noth of ANSI.

July 2, 2008 Stakeholders have until August 1, 2008 to submit comments on an Association Francaise de Normalisation proposal for a standard on performance requirements for purpose-built anticounterfeiting tools. The standard would strive to achieve market transparency regarding the reliability and robustness of these systems and would facilitate integration and processing of anticounterfeiting measures in product design.

July 2, 2008 The High Performance Building Council (HPBC) has released its final report, entitled Assessment to the U.S. Congress and U.S. Department of Energy on High-Performance Buildings. Publicly available, the report provides a detailed assessment of current voluntary consensus standards and rating systems for high-performance buildings, how they can be used, and what other standards are needed. It was prepared in response to Section 914 of the Energy Policy Act.

July 2, 2008 The APPA and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) announced a joint initiative, uniting APPA's 1,300 member utilities and NRDC's 1.2 million members and activists, to support improvements in electricity efficiency standards for buildings and equipment. The initiative also aims to develop and promote rate-setting policies and programs to achieve efficiency, strengthen the nation's energy efficiency infrastructure, and help APPA members pool resources to take advantage of best practices.

July 2, 2008 Part of 2008 FABTECH® International and AWS Welding Show, AWS Skills Competition Weld-Off requires welders to demonstrate their skills by completing standard test weldments, sheet metal projects in aluminum and stainless steel, and pressure vessel welding. Three students will qualify to advance to SkillsUSA U.S. Open Weld Trials in 2009, where winner will receive 4-year scholarship worth $40,000, 4 year AWS membership, AWS Certification, and up to $1,000 in AWS publications.

July 2, 2008 In June 2008, the ANSI welcomed 12 new members into the federation, which represents more than 125,000 companies and over 3.5 million professionals. Said Brian Meincke, director of membership development, "Not only will they gain access to information and business intelligence that is not available elsewhere, but they will also receive discounts on many products and services." He also said members will have a voice and influence over standardization and conformity assessment decisions.

July 1, 2008 In an NBC Nightly News interview by correspondent Savannah Guthrie, AASHTO Executive Director John Horsley, when asked about state financial difficulties, said "We're experiencing the perfect storm in terms of maintaining the nation's highways." It was also reported that states are being hit hard by a 63% price jump of diesel fuel in the past year, which runs most of the trucks and equipment state DOTs use for transportation construction.

July 1, 2008 At Pacific Rim Summit, scheduled for Sept 10-12 in Vancouver, research scientists and industry leaders will present progress in developing advanced biotech fuels and chemicals through genomics, synthetic biology, and genetic engineering. Scheduled plenary speaker, Drew Endy, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University, will discuss how new understanding of genomic information is leading to development of new applications for biotech fuels and chemicals.

July 1, 2008 On July 8, AAMA Door Component Interchangeability Task Group is hosting all-day open discussion to further development of guidelines for side-hinged entry door component structural substitution/interchangeability. Guidelines will be used by industry to craft procedural guides, certification, and other programs. In addition to members of Task Group, representatives of Association of Millwork Distributors and Window and Door Manufacturers Association have been invited.

June 30, 2008 After Congress failed to fix 3.3 billion dollar deficit in Highway Trust Fund, estimated 380,000 jobs and hundreds of construction projects are in jeopardy. House and Senate dropped provision from 3-month aviation tax extension bill that would have provided $8 billion to keep nation's transportation account solvent. Failure to act sets stage for last minute effort in September and if that does not occur, federal-aid highway program will be reduced by $13.5 and $20 billion.

June 27, 2008 According to David Huether, report from U.S. Dept of Commerce that orders for durable goods held steady in May is warning sign that domestic economy remains stuck in low gear. Only reason orders did not fall for 3rd consecutive month was 10.2% rise in non-defense aircraft orders. New orders for motor vehicles and parts fell for 6th consecutive month in May, and are down 16.6% since last November. However, machinery, along with fabricated and primary metals, has experienced upswing in demand.

June 27, 2008 Industry leaders, representing key segments of electronics supply chain, came together at IPC workshop in Brussels on June 18, 2008, to address industry concerns about Oko-Institut report on proposed expansion of RoHS substance restrictions. In draft report to commission, Oko-Institut recommended restriction of Tetrabromobisphenol A, the flame retardant used to protect more than 80% of PCBs. IPC is concerned that Oko-Institut's recommendations are arbitrary and lack sound scientific basis.

June 27, 2008 According to Jim Greenwood, BIO President and CEO, CBO report shows that developing pathway to review and approve follow-on biologics will result in cost savings to public and private purchasers of biologic products over 10 year period. Report finds that most savings will be obtained several years after follow-on pathway is established, reinforcing need for Congress to develop and pass responsible pathway this year that protects patient safety and preserves innovation.

June 27, 2008 Agreed upon by major business organizations in 8 countries, joint statement outlines standards by which WTO Doha Round will be judged a success. According to John Engler, NAM President, we need to see real market access in developing countries that are charging bulk of world tariffs through tariff-cutting formula, avoiding exempting entire industries from trade liberalization, obtaining strong participation in sectoral tariff liberalization agreements, and seeing reduction of non-tariff barriers.

June 27, 2008 With 100,000 copies in the Advanced Energy Design Guide series in circulation, savings of up to 9 million tons of CO₂ and up to $600 million in energy costs are possible. More than 88,000 of the publications have been obtained via free download since January. The books provide guidance on how to achieve 30% energy savings over building code minimum based on ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-1999 and are available at www.ashrae.org/freeaedg.

June 26, 2008 The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) submitted comments to the U.S. EPA opposing Texas Gov. Rick Perry's request for a waiver of 50% of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) mandate for production of ethanol from grain. According to BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood, abandoning the RFS would send a signal to the market that could undercut ongoing research and development in biotechnology that is vital to achieving sustainable production of advanced biofuels.

June 26, 2008 Aviation Fatigue Management Symposium, which ran from June 17-19, brought together 325 experts from industry, government, and academia to share most current information on fatigue and discuss possible fatigue management strategies and best practices. Conference included review of factors contributing to fatigue in flight by researchers from NTSB. Participants looked at issues affecting flight and cabin crews, air traffic controllers, technicians, mechanics, dispatchers, and ramp workers.

June 26, 2008 At its 2008 Annual Meeting held June 21-25 in Salt Lake City, ASHRAE named William Harrison of Trane Arkansas as President. Officers installed for a 1 yr term are President-Elect Gordon V. R. Holness; Treasurer Lynn G. Bellenger; and VPs Jim Fields, Andrew Persily, Vincent Tse, and Thomas Watson. ASHRAE also installed several regional directors as well as a Region-at-Large Director and 3 professionals to serve as Director-at-Large, all to hold 3 yr terms.

June 25, 2008 As part of its continuing commitment to developing accreditation program for greenhouse gas verification bodies, ANSI has signed Memorandum of Understanding with The Climate Registry. ANSI and TCR commit to jointly coordinate and implement pilot program for accreditation of GHG VBs, which will evaluate competency of candidate VBs against international standards dictated in ISO 14065. Through ongoing assessments, ANSI will ensure that VBs continue to follow guidelines set for accreditation.