The next few months present the perfect opportunity for the revival of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) trade program – and ACD is urging Congress to finally get the decision over the line.
Since the GSP program expired on December 31, 2020, some of the world’s poorest countries have been unable to benefit from advantaged tariff rates and access to the American market. GSP was first introduced in the Trade Act of 1974 and is the largest – and oldest – U.S. trade preference program.
Tuesday night’s election was certainly a night to be remembered. Former President Trump, now being deemed the comeback kid, won his second term to the Oval Office in impressive fashion. As I write this blog, things have not totally settled out, but it is very likely that President-Elect Trump will secure 312 electoral votes and win the popular vote by nearly 5 million. In today’s world, this victory is a clear mandate from the American people.
The chemical industry often takes center stage in Hollywood, with directors sometimes getting it right—but more often providing a stark reminder of the importance of safeguarding against the varied threats these portrayals bring to life.
Users of our dedicated training portal, ACD U, now have access to a powerful new companion app, giving them full access to their courses while on the move.
In today’s digital era, tools like the internet, mobile devices, and social media platforms enable constant global communication. However, these technologies also present new opportunities for malicious actors to target businesses, steal sensitive information, and disrupt operations. As the world becomes more interconnected, the chemical distribution sector must remain vigilant against evolving cybersecurity threats and fraud attempts.
Haven’t secured your spot for our Annual Meeting yet? Registration is now open, but don’t wait too long– spaces are filling up quickly for North America’s largest gathering of professionals in the chemical distribution industry!
At the stroke of midnight on October 1, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) began its strike, effectively shutting down the ports from Maine to Texas. This followed a disappointing negotiation process with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), the group representing the ports, as both sides were unable to agree on a new master contract. For months, the ILA and USMX exchanged statements back-and-forth accusing each other of refusing to negotiate in good faith and declining to meaningfully revise their respective offers. This remains unchanged even as we sit three days into a strike, with the American people and small businesses about to start feeling the pain.
The supply chain has seemingly been in ‘crisis mode’ since early 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Since then, we have experienced a series of significant disruptions: multiple rail strikes (including one this past summer and another narrowly avoided two years ago), labor disputes at West Coast ports, a drought in the Panama Canal limiting movement of containers, the ongoing turmoil in the Red Sea due to the Houthis, and the list goes on.
As leaders in the $27 billion chemical distribution industry, members of the Alliance for Chemical Distribution (ACD) not only uphold the highest standards of regulatory compliance and safety, they are also meeting the evolving demands of our supply chain partners through commonsense sustainability initiatives.
I write this blog today with a heavy heart and an immense amount of frustration. For the last 14 months, we have fought to re-establish a critical program governing security for our industry, the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program, which was created in response to the devastating attacks on September 11, 2001, to protect our nation from similar threats.