David Hurder Elected Board of Governors Chairman
The Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA) recently announced that David Hurder was elected as chairman of its board of governors. Hurder, vice president of the privately held specialty chemical company McGean, said the stagnant economy, coupled with the paralysis in Washington, has made chemical companies realize they need their trade association more than ever before.

"Companies are turning to us to help them find new business and send the message to Washington that Congress needs to create a regulatory climate in which businesses can grow and flourish," he added. Hurder succeeds Dr. Larry Brotherton, president and CEO of Ortec, who completed a two-year term as board chairman. SOCMA members also elected the following slate of officers to the Board of Governors for one-year terms:

Vice chairman - David DeCuir, Albemarle
Vice chairman and treasurer - Steel Hutchinson, GFS Chemicals
Secretary - Andy Harris, Syrgis
Immediate past chair - Dr. Larry Brotherton, Ortec

Additionally, the following SOCMA members were elected to serve three-year terms:
Brian Denison - Emerald Performance Materials
Craig Huffman - Ashland
Eric Neuffer - Cambrex
Gene Williams - Optima Chemical Group

CFATS Implementation Improvement
As a key U.S. congressional panel examined the implementation of the nation's chemical security rules, SOCMA expressed its support for stronger federal oversight of the regulatory program while warning against overreaction in pursuit of improvements. The association said it believes more congressional oversight of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) will ensure that federal resources steered toward securing facilities against terrorism are used effectively.

The Department of Homeland Security, which administers the program, recently identified several challenges in implementing the program.
Despite these hurdles, CFATS has produced positive results, such as driving facilities to reduce hazards. For example, more than 2,000 facilities since 2007 have changed processes or inventories such that they are no longer considered high-risk under CFATS.

SOCMA said regulatory certainty over the program provided through long-term reauthorization by Congress will help protect against repeat problems in program implementation. Reliance on temporary extensions and one-year appropriations riders is not a responsible substitute for oversight, which is why the association said it strongly supports the 112th Congress' efforts to date to ensure such regulatory certainty.

Concerns About Chemical Manufacturing Area Sources Rule Remain

SOCMA recently said it acknowledged improvements to proposed changes to the chemical manufacturing area sources rule, but said serious concerns remain over the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) failure to completely exempt "synthetic minors" from a key Title V provision in the rule. The new proposal addresses several of SOCMA's concerns, such as fixing the "family of materials" concept in a way that gives chemical companies certainty regarding the reach of the rule.

On others, however - especially the Title V provision - SOCMA said it is concerned about EPA's logic and the rule's cost impact. This rule has been a top environmental priority for SOCMA members over the last few years, leading SOCMA to file a petition for reconsideration of the final rule with EPA in February 2010.

EPA originally proposed to exempt all chemical manufacturing area sources from the requirement to obtain a costly Title V permit, but reversed course in the final rule. The requirement that synthetic minors get a Title V permit - which is currently stayed - would limit the speed and flexibility with which those units can respond to market opportunities.

This is a major issue for SOCMA members, whose batch and specialty businesses have diverse and rapidly changing product mixes.
The agency also did not address the urgent need for an extension of the October 2012 compliance deadline, which SOCMA said it has repeatedly raised with EPA.
Given the uncertainty about what the end result of the reconsideration process would look like - including confusion about how the concept of "family of materials" would affect the scope of the rule - SOCMA said its members have been hesitant to begin investing significant sums of money to comply with a rule that is still a work in progress in many significant respects.

New Online Chemical Services Directory and Networking Tool

SOCMA recently launched its online chemical services directory and networking tool, modernizing the way chemical companies market their products and find new business. SOCMA's Marketplace and Chemical Services Directory allows users to search a vast network of chemical companies based on more than 400 different types of reactions and chemistries.

Users can further narrow their search by choosing from more than 200 various capabilities and services, as well as equipment and markets served. Users can even verify a company's certification in SOCMA's ChemStewards program, as well as other performance improvement programs such as ISO and OSHAS 18001.
Plans are currently under way to create a version of the directory for mobile device users.