ASTM International Government Interface & Corporate Outreach Anthony Quinn Director, Public Policy Sarah Petre Manager, Federal and Industry Affairs 1
Mar 21, 2016
ASTM InternationalGovernment Interface &
Corporate OutreachAnthony Quinn
Director, Public Policy
Sarah PetreManager, Federal and Industry Affairs
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ASTM International About ASTM International
• Non-governmental, not-for-profit organization
• Develops voluntary, consensus standards
• Provides certification programs on limited basis
• Does not provide accreditation services
ASTM’s objectives• Promote public health and safety, and the overall quality of life
• Contribute to the reliability of materials, products, systems and services
• Facilitate national, regional, and international commerce
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Role of Standards Standards in the Public and Private Sector
• Impact global trade, innovation and competition
• Guide product design, development, market access
• Used by companies, research labs, government agencies
ASTM International Standards• Voluntary consensus standards
• Regularly reviewed
• Meet World Trade Organization (WTO) principles for international standards
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I. Government Interface
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ASTM in Washington, DC Government Affairs
• Congress• Federal government agencies
Stakeholder Outreach• Companies• Embassy officials based in Washington• Industry associations• International Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
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ASTM in Washington, DC Connects ASTM’s work and builds awareness among
policymakers.
Represents ASTM before Congress, federal agencies, ANSI, other SDOs, and trade associations.
Engages in legislative, regulatory, and trade matters.
Strengthens relationships with ASTM stakeholders
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Advancing ASTM’s Mission
• Remove barriers to the worldwide acceptance and use of ASTM standards.
• Ensure proper recognition of ASTM standards in laws and regulations.
• Address government policies that duplicate or conflict with the interests of ASTM.
• Identify opportunities for new ASTM activities • Government legislation, regulation, and research initiatives
create the need for new standards.
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U.S. Standards System
Voluntary and led by the private sector Requires cooperation among stakeholders
• Standards organizations
• Industry, consumers, and users
• Government representatives
• Academia
Meets stakeholders’ needs• Protect safety, health, and environment
• Improve industry competitiveness
• Facilitate global trade and market access
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U.S. Legal and Policy Framework National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995
(NTTAA)
• Requires federal government agencies to use standards developed by voluntary consensus standards organization when possible
• Encourages federal government agencies to participate in standards development organizations
OMB Circular No. A-119
• Reinforces goals of National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act
• Discourages federal agencies from using government-unique standards
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National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA)
“…all Federal agencies and departments shall use technical standards that are developed or adopted by voluntary consensus standards bodies,
using such technical standards as a means to carry out policy objectives or activities determined by the agencies and departments….
and shall, when such participation is in the public interest…participate with such bodies in the development of technical standards.”
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Other U.S. Laws of Interest Consumer Product Safety Act
• 15,000 different types of consumer products
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Modernization Act of 1997
• Food safety, drugs, and cosmetic products
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970• Workplace safety and health
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U.S. Government Use of Voluntary Consensus
Standards Procurement and Contracts with the Federal Government
• Standards are furnished to ensure that materials and services are obtained in an effective manner and in compliance with the provisions of applicable Federal statutes and executive orders
Regulation that incorporates standard by reference• An agency may adopt a voluntary standard (without changes) by incorporating the standard in a
regulation by listing (or referencing) the standard by title.
• This approach eliminates the cost to the agency of creating a new standard
Regulation based on existing standard• An agency reviews an existing standard and makes changes to match its goal or need.
• Agency conducts rulemaking process to solicit public opinion and stakeholder input
Public Notification and Comments• An agency must publish a notice in the Federal Register when making a new rule or incorporating a
standard by reference
• When creating a new rule based on an existing standard, an agency may change the proposed rule in response to public comments12
Federal Agencies & ASTM Standards
U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)• 6,500 voluntary consensus standards
incorporated by reference in federal law
• About 3,000 ASTM standards listed in CFR for regulations and procurement
U.S. Federal Register• Public notification of standards adoptions
• Instructions for public comments
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Congress & ASTM Standards in Law
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Congress may adopt consensus standards by reference into regulation
If law is approved, the standard then becomes a mandatory requirement
Top 10 Regulatory SDOs in US
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Standards Developing Organization Standards in US CFR
1 ASTM International ASTM 22272 American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME 599
3 American National Standards Institute ANSI 576
4 Society of Automotive Engineers SAE 418
5 National Fire Protection Association NFPA 380
6 American Petroleum Institute API 270
7 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA 242
8 State of Illinois IL 206
9 Association of Official Analytical Chemists AOAC 199
10 Insulated Cable Engineers Association ICEA 192
Source: http://standards.gov
Benefits to the U.S. Government
Eliminate/reduce costs of developing standards
Decrease costs of good purchased • Commercial off the shelf procurement
Promotes efficiency and economic competition
Relies on the private sector to meet needs• Access to industry experts and technology
• Process is faster and more dynamic
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U.S. Government Participation in ASTM
U.S. Government is a partner and key stakeholder• Active U.S. Government participation in 93% of ASTM committees
• Broad range of federal agencies represented on ASTM committees
• 1400 units of U.S. Government participation in ASTM
• Government participants serve in leadership roles on ASTM Board of Directors
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U.S. Government Participation in ASTM
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U.S. Federal Agency
ASTM Members
Agriculture 17
Commerce (incl. NIST) 190
CPSC 39
Defense 308
Energy 135
EPA 108
FAA 12
HHS (incl. FDA) 136
HUD 4
U.S. Federal Agency
ASTM Members
Interior 27
Justice 21
NASA 52
NRC 16
OSHA 13
Transportation 90
Treasury 13
VA 12
ASTM Initiatives with U.S. Government
Ensure reference to current standards
• Regular review of the Code of Federal Regulations and Congressional Record
• Coordinate technical committee communications to policymakers
Understand procurement and regulatory standards needs
• Review of Regulatory Plan and Agenda
• Encourage government liaison with and participation in committee activities
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Facts and Challenges
Standards are not always a top priority
• Constant educational process Agencies must use lengthy rulemaking process to update or revise
references Roles and attitudes vary across federal agencies At the U.S. state-level, no NTTAA-like policy exists
ASTM Strategy
Understand agency needs, concerns and goals, and how ASTM fits into their agenda.
Communicate
Seek advice from agency reps and other committees
No one size-fits-all approach
• Be flexible to meet the needs of agencies
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II. Corporate Outreach
ASTM Objective
“Promote a greater corporate awareness regarding the importance of standards and the
value of ASTM.” • ASTM 2006 objectives approved by the Board.
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ASTM Engages Decision-makers
Raise awareness of standards and ASTM
Identify opportunities for collaboration on policy (regulatory and trade) issues of mutual interest
Seek industry feedback on activities and challenges
• including the removal of global barriers to the acceptance and use of ASTM standards
Ensure ASTM is meeting stakeholder needs
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Challenges
Executives lack standards knowledge
• Casual knowledge of international standardization
• View it as technical issue instead of trade barrier
Preconceived notions and misinformation
• Confusion about what makes an ‘international standard’
Often make quick standards decisions
• Easiest or cheapest rather than strategic
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Benefits to Industry
Minimize safety hazards
Manage liability while reducing risk
Satisfy regulations and laws
Facilitate global trade
Cost savings by procuring readily available equipment at lower costs
Reduce internal company specifications
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ASTM Standards Impact the Global Economy
Standards facilitate trade and boost GDP
• The U.S. Commerce Department estimates that standards-related issues impacted 80% of world commodity trade.
• In 2000, a German study found the direct economic benefit of standardization was 1% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
ASTM standards impact the global economy
• 84 countries from every region of the world reference ASTM standards in laws or codes
• Over 400 ASTM standards references in European legislation since 2001
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Helping Industry Meet Global Challenges
ASTM’s MOUs with 76 developing countries• MOUs facilitate the use of ASTM standards directly into the
national portfolios and technical regulations
ASTM standards open doors and open markets
• Easier to export products made and tested to ASTM standards
• Technology transfer improves infrastructure for sourcing
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MOU Agreements by Region
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ASIA EUROPE LATIN AMERICA CARIBBEAN MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
AFGHANISTAN ALBANIA* BOLIVIA BELIZE BAHRAIN BOTSWANA
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM BOSNIA CHILE CROSQ EGYPT CONGO
CHINA BULGARIA COLOMBIA DOMINICA GCC (GULF STATES) ETHIOPIA
INDONESIA CROATIA COSTA RICA DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
IRAQ GHANA
KOREA KAZAKHSTAN ECUADOR GRENADA ISRAEL KENYA
MALAYSIA ROMANIA* EL SALVADOR GUYANA JORDAN MAURITIUS
MONGOLIA RUSSIA GUATEMALA JAMAICA MOROCCO MOZAMBIQUE
NEPAL SERBIA HONDURAS ST. LUCIA OMAN NIGERIA
PAKISTAN PANAMA ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES
PALESTINE RWANDA
PHILIPPINES PERU TRINIDAD & TOBAGO QATAR SADC
SINGAPORE NICARAGUA SAUDI ARABIA SOUTH AFRICA
SRI LANKA URUGUAY TUNISIA SWAZILAND
TAIWAN TURKEY TANZANIA
VIETNAM U.A.E. UGANDA
YEMEN ZAMBIA
ZIMBABWE
ASTM Message to Industry
ASTM standards meet World Trade Organization (WTO) criteria for “international standards”
• No WTO list of international bodies
• WTO recognizes multiple approaches to international standardization
ASTM supports industry needs to choose the best standard, regardless of the source
ASTM makes it easy to participate in international standards development
• Technology drives efficiency
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WTO Principles for Standards
ASTM International principles:
• Transparency
• Openness
• Impartiality and consensus
• Effectiveness and relevance
• Coherence
• Consideration of developing nations’ views and concerns
WTO principles:
• Transparency
• Openness
• Impartiality and consensus
• Effectiveness and relevance
• Coherence
• Consideration of developing nations’ views and concerns
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ASTM Corporate Outreach
ASTM is connecting to the business and manufacturing community
ASTM Board and Staff completed meetings with industry, trade associations, consumer groups, and other stakeholders around the world
• Washington, Stockholm, New York City, Moscow, Mexico City, Brussels, Beijing
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III. Questions and Discussion
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Contact Information Anthony Quinn,
Director, International Trade and Public Policy [email protected], 202 223-8484
Sarah Petre,
Manager, Federal and Industry [email protected], 202-223-8399
1850 M Street, NW, Suite 1030
Washington, DC 20036 USA
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