September 26, 2012 From September 26 to October 26, U.S. EPA will accept applications from communities for technical assistance to foster sustainable growth in their areas via Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program. Up to 44 communities will be selected to work with experts during 2-day workshop, which will explain application of specific tools – smart growth and economic development, green street and land use strategies, community design – applicable in rural, suburban, and urban areas.

September 26, 2012 NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons issued statement in support of the Stop the War on Coal Act. According to Timmons, manufacturers fully support this important bill as it will halt costly and burdensome regulations. Coal is one of the nation's most abundant energy resources and generates a significant percentage of nation's electricity. Legislation will also require EPA to do comprehensive analysis of onerous Utility MACT and Boiler MACT regulations that would harm manufacturers.

September 25, 2012 At 25th NREL Industry Growth Forum (October 23–24 in Denver, CO), 30 clean energy companies will present their business cases to panel of investors and industry experts. These 30 companies were selected through application and review process and will compete for 2012 NREL Clean Energy Venture Awards. In addition to business case presentations, 2-day forum will highlight clean energy technology and business developments with agenda of speakers and panels.

September 25, 2012 ASABE has initiated a project that will consider enhancements to ANSI/ASABE AD8759-1:1998 JUN2012, Agricultural wheel tractors – Front-mounted equipment – Part 1: Power take-off and three-point linkage. Changes being sought would permit Type 1 PTOs with 35 mm diameter, 540 rpm, and anti-clockwise rotation as viewed from front of tractor. They would also specify same anti-clockwise rotation for Type 2 and Type 3 PTOs; the rotation orientation that dominates globally.

September 25, 2012 ASABE has initiated project to develop standard for evaluating landscape irrigation sprinkler and emitters and invites those with relevant interest and expertise to participate in its development. Tentatively titled S626, Evaluating and Measuring the Performance of Emission Devices in Landscape Irrigation Systems, document will standardize repeatable methods for evaluating sprinkler and emitter installation and measuring performance.

September 25, 2012 NAM joined 8 other business organizations in urging President Obama and congressional leaders to extend Permanent Normal Trade Relations with Russia. On August 22, Russia joined WTO, but due to outdated legislation, every other WTO member—except the United States—is guaranteed lower tariffs and ability to defend its rights in Russian market. Swift passage of bipartisan bill when Congress returns in November will help boost exports and create jobs.

September 25, 2012 National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and Manufacturing Institute announced they will serve as co-producers for first annual Manufacturing Day, which will take place on October 5 to highlight importance of manufacturing to U.S. economy and showcase available jobs. Manufacturers across USA will be invited to participate in Manufacturing Day as sponsors, hosting open houses, public tours, career workshops, and other events.

September 25, 2012 To help electronics manufacturers understand recent changes and trends in environmental regulations and customer requirements, IPC will hold symposium, "It's Not Easy Being Green: Regulations and Industry Trends Update," on October 30–31, 2012 in CA. Attendees will gain up-to-date information on global regulations and customer requirements that affect all links in supply chain. Experts will share perspectives on and experiences with various directives, regulations, and rules.

September 25, 2012 U.S. EPA is adding 12 hazardous waste sites that pose public health and environmental risks to the National Priorities List for cleanup under Superfund program. EPA is also proposing to add another 8 sites to the list. Superfund is the federal program that investigates and cleans up most complex, uncontrolled, or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country. For each of the 20 sites announced, EPA has received letters of concurrence from state officials supporting NPL listing.

September 25, 2012 ASTM Subcommittee G01.05 on Laboratory Corrosion Tests has approved ASTM G205, Guide for Determining Corrosivity of Crude Oils. This standard provides methodologies for evaluating crude oils under conditions normally occurring in oil and gas production, storage, and transportation in pipelines. Examined methods/properties within this standard include emulation of oil and water, wettability of pipeline surface, and corrosivity of water phase in presence of crude oil.

September 25, 2012 ASTM workshop, "Standards and Measurements for Tissue Engineering Scaffolds: What Do We Have? What Do We Need?," will be held May 21, 2013. Purpose of workshop is to identify highest priority items for future standards work for scaffolds for TEMPs. Event will bring together government, academia, and industry to discuss how standards for tissue engineering scaffolds are currently being used by the community and what opportunities exist for developing new scaffold standards.

September 25, 2012 Sponsored by Titanium Metals Corp. (TIMET), World Industry Supply Trends session at TITANIUM 2012 will feature TIMET VP of planning and materials Henry Seiner as moderator. Other discussions will include factors influencing supply and demand fundamentals of molybdenum and vanadium markets; commercial production of titanium sponge in India; titanium feedstock market; investments in Ukraine's titanium future; and closed-loop processing of titanium scrap.

September 24, 2012 An ongoing study of biodegradation rates of polymers has led to development of ASTM D7473, Test Method for Weight Attrition of Plastic Materials in the Marine Environment by Open System Aquarium Incubations. Standard is under jurisdiction of Subcommittee D20.96 on Environmentally Degradable Plastics and Biobased Products, which is part of ASTM International Committee D20 on Plastics. It will be used by companies that make biodegradable polymers or items that will be disposed at sea.

September 24, 2012 American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) launched its Twitter presence to public during GlassBuild America (September 12–14 in Las Vegas, NV). As expressed by AAMA president and CEO Rich Walker, "Twitter will allow us to virtually connect with our members anytime, anywhere, cultivate stronger relationships, and expand our reach across the industry, as well as provide pertinent information in real time to a diverse online community."

September 24, 2012 Scheduled for October 29, 2012 at World Trade Center Stockholm, Sweden, CES® Unveiled STOCKHOLM will feature senior executives from CEA®'s market research team presenting holiday sales and hot tech trends forecasts as well as CES news announcements and Nordic region exhibitors. CES Unveiled LONDON will take place November 15, 2012 at Inmarsat Conference Centre in London, UK. Exhibitors will showcase groundbreaking technology products to key UK and European media and analysts.

September 24, 2012 NIST researchers developed computational method for identifying candidate refrigerant fluids with low global warming potential (GWP) as well as other desirable performance and safety features. This method identified 1,234 promising, low-GWP chemicals for further study among 56,203 that were considered. Validated against available literature data, method is accurate and fast enough for virtual screening applications.

September 24, 2012 In recognition of his support of aerospace and defense industry, AIA will present Rep. Howard P. McKeon (R-Calif.) with Wings of Liberty Award. He is Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and also serves as senior member of House Education and the Workforce Committee. AIA's David Hess said McKeon knows value of aerospace and defense industry to national security and economy. AIA President and CEO Marion C. Blakey noted McKeon's leadership on efforts to overturn sequestration.

September 24, 2012 To be held in Las Vegas, NV from November 12–14, FABTECH metal forming, fabricating, welding, and finishing event will be run alongside education program featuring 100+ sessions that offer insights from industry experts on manufacturing topics. FABTECH is expected to attract 25,000+ manufacturers to view 1,100 exhibits covering 400,000+ net ft² of floor space. Education program features technical, operational, economic, and managerial sessions.

September 24, 2012 Hydraulic Institute and Pump Systems Matter announce start of upcoming 3-part Understanding the Slurry Standard webinar series, which will be led by slurry pump expert Robert Visintainer of GIW Industries. Session 1 will be held November 6 and will cover Slurry Basics, while Session 2 will take place November 7 and will address Slurry Pump Design and Testing. Session 3, scheduled for November 8, will discuss Slurry Pump Wear and Application.

September 24, 2012 During his keynote presentation on January 22 at Automate 2013 Show and Conference in Chicago, IL, Steve Forbes – Chairman of Forbes Media and former Presidential candidate – will address impact of President Barack Obama and his administration on future of U.S. economy and business growth. Future of Robotics keynote, to be given on January 21 by Dr. Henrik Christensen, Director of Robotics at Georgia Tech, will look at results of his work on U.S. Robotics Roadmap.