International
industry trade advisory program revamped At core of industry-togovernment trade advisory program is single sector committee—ISAC 3—for all chemicals and allied products The chemical industry is marshaling its trade expertise to participate in a revised and restructured trade consultation program with government. For a few old trade hands in the industry, the new program will seem like business as usual. But not quite. This small, hard core of trade-wise chemical executives served in a similar industry-to-government trade advisory program, set up by the Trade Act of 1974, during the hectic days of the Tokyo round of multilateral trade negotiations. Despite the emphasis placed on nontariff barriers in these negotiations, the big issues for the chemical industry in those days were tariffs and the elimination of American Selling Price. Now, however, the issues that chemical industry trade experts will
have to grapple with will be different and much more diverse. And the trade experts will have to do it within a restructured advisory system. At the heart of the new system, as they were previously, will be the industry sector advisory committees, or ISAC's. The committees, organized along industry product lines, will provide "nuts and bolts" advice on trade problems and trade policy. During the multilateral trade negotiations, four individual ISAC's handled chemicals and chemically related products. There was one for industrial inorganic and organic chemicals, agricultural chemicals, and fertilizers. Another covered rubber and plastics. A third handled drugs and pharmaceuticals, and the fourth was for formulated and compounded products. This time, there will be only one such committee—ISAC 3—for all chemicals and allied products. This may create problems. With about 40 members on the committee, each with different interests and problems, getting things organized and running smoothly could be a tough task. One possible solution: Organize subcommittees along the lines of the old ISAC's. In addition to the ISAC's, the pro-
gram again will have an industry policy advisory committee, (IPAC). This committee, composed of topranking company executives, will provide general advice on trade policy. Two other committees, the socalled functional committees, will focus on customs valuation and technical standards. Rounding out the advisory network is a committee made up of all committee chairmen to help coordinate the work of the consultations program. The program, sponsored jointly by the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, has the broad mandate of advising government on operations of trade agreements and other matters relating to trade policy. But for the chemical industry, the really pressing problems are more specific. Heading the list is the rapidly deteriorating chemical trade relations with the European Economic Community. Not far behind are the issue of exporting hazardous substances and the possibility that some sort of North American free trade arrangement in chemicals may yet develop. Earl Anderson, New York
Chemical trade group, ISAC 3, has 43 members Richard L. Alsager Dry Color Manufacturers Association Ezra L. Bixby Goodal Rubber Edward H. Boll Carus Corp. John A. Borgerding Eli Lilly International Sam H. Boyd Jr. Du Pont Richard M. Brennan Union Carbide Donald G. Brotzman Rubber Manufacturers Association John J. Carlin Gould Inc. John A. Casey Work Glove Manufacturers Association R. N. Chadha Carrol Product Inc.
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C&EN Nov. 3, 1980
W. R. Clearwater Schenectady Chemicals Francis E. Cook Stauffer Chemical Z. W. Fazekas American Cyanamid Joe W. Febel International Minerals & Chemicals Myron T. Foveaux Chemical Manufacturers Association Claurus Galloway Salsbury Laboratories Theodore H. Glenn Rohm & Haas Julius Goldman American Color & Chemical John L. Gray Chemical Products Corp. Carolyn Hansen Schering-Plough
Kevin M. Higgins Avon Products Francis M. Hunt Dow Chemical Stephen J. Kasprzak Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association Morris Katz Katz Bag W. Gilbert Kayser Jr. Pennwalt Howard Klbbel Society of the Plastics Industry Hedi Klnnard Great Lakes Chemical George F. Kirby Merichem Co. Paul L. Kohnstamm H. Kohnstamm & Co. G. P. LeRoy Inmont International Robert F. Loughridge Goodyear Tire & Rubber
George M. Mackle Crompton & Knowles Corp. R. F. Morris Abbott Laboratories Clarence M. Sonne Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association G. Montgomery Splndler Uniroyal Richard D. Stanley Gelatin Manufacturers Institute Max L. Turnipseed Ethyl Corp. E. Paul van Heek Hercules William C. White Fertilizer Institute Rolande C. Widgery Gulf Oil Chemicals Louis P. Wiener Standard Chlorine Chemical W. P. Wilke III Hammond Lead Products R. E. Wllkins Firestone Tire & Rubber
