July/August 2006 | The Aluminum Association | Washington
The Aluminum Association applauds the U.S. House of Representatives' passage of the Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act. H.R. 4761 is a milestone for U.S. industries, consumers, and manufacturers that depend on natural gas for global competitiveness.
"The U.S. House of Representatives has scored a major victory by passing H.R. 4761,"said Steve Larkin, president of the Aluminum Association.
"After a quarter century, Congress is sending the message to consumers that help is on the way to lower energy costs which have been hurting manufacturers and industries, including aluminum. The leadership of those House members who supported the bill can be measured by the relief provided by lower energy costs for all Americans." The Outer Continental Shelf has enough natural gas to heat 100 million homes for 60 years, and enough oil to fuel 85 million cars for 35 years. H.R. 4761 gives states new authority in how energy exploration is conducted and allows them to benefit from revenues derived from those resources off their coast. The U.S. needs a balanced energy portfolio, including a robust, domestic natural gas supply. Passage of H.R. 4761 is a vital step toward reaching that objective, and now is the time for the U.S. Senate to act.
More than 60 ministers representing a third of the 149-member World Trade Organization (WTO) came together in Geneva after months of failed discussions and missed deadlines, but conceded on July 1 that their efforts had yielded no progress. WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy had warned the June talks were the last real chance for countries to agree on lowering barriers in trade and manufactured goods. The U.S. holds that agricultural-goods tariffs must come down sharply; on that issue, its strongest adversaries are the wealthier nations of the European Union and Japan. The Bush administration wants to give U.S. farmers new opportunities to ship their products abroad to offset losses some would suffer from cuts in government subsidies that would be part of a final Doha-round deal. U.S. officials argue that tariff cuts benefit the developing world, as over two-thirds of those levied by developing countries are on products from other developing countries. They make no apology for seeking deeper cuts from countries with higher tariffs to begin with; while the average legal ceiling on U.S. tariffs is 3.6 percent, the figure for developing countries is about 43 percent, WTO data show.
Leaders of the aluminum associations of Australia, China, and the U.S. signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Beijing agreeing to work to support the objectives of the Asia Pacific Partnership (AP6). The MOU was signed at an Environment, Health & Safety Conference sponsored by the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, the (U.S.) Aluminum Association, and the International Aluminium Institute. India and Korea could not attend the signing but had previously approved the MOU. "Aluminum can help solve many environmental challenges, said Patrick Franc, president of ARCO Aluminum and chairman of the Aluminum Association. [This] signing is a signal that the aluminum associations of Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, and the U.S. will work together to leverage the advantages of aluminum to address the goals of the Asia Pacific Partnership," Franc said.
MOU signatories will share information on environmental control best practices, energy efficiency, health/safety education, recycling, and measurement and reporting.
