Washington alert.

AFS Government Affairs Representative

Waterman & Assoc.

Washington, D.C.

Democrats Take Control of Senate--Sen. James Jeffords' (Vt.) decision to leave the Republican party and become an Independent not only gives Democrats control of the Senate for the first time in more than six years, but significantly alters how Congress will deal with OSHA and environmental issues. All 20 committee chairmanships have changed hands. Most notably, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) is now at the helm of the Senate Committee on Health, Education and Labor, which has jurisdiction over key OSHA, workplace and health care matters. Meanwhile, Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.) chairs the Employment Subcommittee and has announced that his top agenda items include measures to encourage a new ergonomics standard and minimum wage bill. Jeffords is the new chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee where President Bush's environmental agenda and clean air and clear water issues will be debated and modified.

Dept. of Defense Releases $2 million for Metalcasting--In 2000, Congress used bipartisan support to approve $4 million for technology to enhance metalcasting productivity and efficiency as part of the American Metalcasting Consortium (AMC) program. However, the U.S. Dept. of Defense withheld half the program funds until just last month. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and Sen. Fritz Hollings (D-S.C.) received grassroots support from AFS' Government Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Surtees, Citation Corp., as they persuaded the Defense Dept. to release the metalcasting funds and devote them to the AMC program as originally directed. AFS was a founding member of the AMC in 1994. Since 1995, AMC has successfully demonstrated that by converting inefficiently designed metal parts to effective castings, lead times can be reduced by more than 60%, with cost sayings of up to 80% against non-cast products. This win-win program is regarded as a model government/industry partnership by metalcasting supporters in Congress.

AFS to Sponsor DOE Industry Showcase in Utah--The Dept. of Energy (DOE) Metalcasting Industry of the Future (IOF) program is reaching across the nation through the efforts of AFS and the DOE's new state IOF initiative. This vital partnership has dramatically enhanced metalcasting R&D and technology through millions of dollars of energy efficiency research co-funded by industry and the DOE. In August, AFS will co-sponsor a technology showcase in Salt Lake City with the mining, aluminum and petroleum industries. AFS Executive Vice President Dwight Barnhard will participate and a technology session on aluminum melting will be presented. For more information, call 877/OIT-7967 or visit "Showcase Information" at www.oit.doe.gov.

AFS and EPA to Launch SI Pilot Project in Indiana--As part of the Sustainable Industries Program compliance assistance efforts, AFS and EPA are preparing to launch a pilot program in Indiana to assist foundries with the adoption of environmental management systems (EMS) and to prepare them for ISO 14000 certification. Specifically, AFS and EPA are working with the Indiana Cast Metals Assn. and the Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management on a program that will walk 5 to 8 Indiana foundries through the entire process for adopting an EMS, including preparation, evaluation, application and review. In addition, the effort will prepare the participating facilities for ISO 14000 certification if they choose to hire a registrar. The pilot program, slotted to get underway this summer, will not only facilitate the adoption of EMSs by the participating facilities in Indiana but also will provide the foundation for an industry-wide program. EPA and AFS will use the lessons learned throughout the project to produce EMS adoption tools that are tailored to the foundry industry and provide information on what to do, as well as instructions on how to do it.