Data released today by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirms what U.S. plastics manufacturers have been seeing firsthand of late – solid growth in plastics production and exports, combined with improved efficiencies, which allow their businesses to draw less energy from our nation’s abundant natural gas supply. The graph above tells the story. The […]
Tag Archives: Exports
In 2013, America’s chemical industry put the pedal to the metal, fueled by shale gas
It’s a new year and America’s chemical industry is ready for lift off, thanks to the competitive advantage provided by natural gas from shale, which is driving domestic investment and creating jobs. Check out ACC’s Year End 2013 Chemical Industry Situation and Outlook if you haven’t already. Kevin Swift, ACC’s chief economist, summarized the good […]
Regulatory cooperation under T-TIP: Greater efficiency, strong health and environmental protections
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) is a historic opportunity to promote economic growth and job creation, enhance U.S. competitiveness and expand consumer choice. But it’s also a junction through which U.S. and EU regulators can join together to secure efficiencies and enhance their ongoing efforts to protect human health and the environment. Eliminating […]
President promotes exports in the Big Easy, a boomtown for chemical shipments
President Obama chose perhaps the perfect venue to deliver recent remarks focused on growing the U.S. economy by increasing exports. As the president said of the Port of New Orleans: In New Orleans, exports are growing at one of the fastest rates in the nation, powered in part by a shale gas boom that has […]
Rising tide of natural gas boosts chemical exports and cargo transport industry
What’s good for the chemical industry also appears to be good for the cargo transport industry. The boom in natural gas supplies from shale is dramatically cutting the cost of chemicals, which were exported to China and beyond at a record pace in 2013, subsequently driving increased demand for large containers delivering everything from plastics […]
Rising tide of natural gas makes the U.S. a ‘magnet’ for chemical industry investment
Plentiful, affordable and long-lasting supplies of natural gas from shale have created a decisive competitive advantage for America’s chemical manufacturers that is attracting billions in potential new investment to the United States, increasing exports of manufactured goods and creating jobs, American Chemistry Council (ACC) President and CEO Cal Dooley said Tuesday on Capitol Hill. The […]
3 reasons U.S. chemical manufacturers would welcome Japan to TPP negotiations
“This is our last chance. If we don’t seize it, Japan will be left out,” declared Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Able in a televised address last Friday, calling for his country’s support in joining the U.S. and 10 other parties in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. The American Chemistry Council is among several business groups […]
Two more lessons learned from GlobalChem 2013
1. Better Data, Better Decisions One of the major issues raised around the effectiveness of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) centers around the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) understanding of chemicals in commerce. For example, the current TSCA inventory includes more than 84,000 chemicals. However, it is widely recognized the inventory does not reflect […]
To gauge the State of the Union, start with shale gas and American chemistry
In last year’s State of the Union address, President Obama seized the moment to connect the dots between abundant and affordable supplies of natural gas to manufacturing and jobs: Flash forward one year to the 2013 State of the Union. President Obama mentioned energy 18 times in his most recent address to the nation, with […]
Why we need a U.S.-EU free trade agreement
Recent economic troubles on both sides of the Atlantic have underscored the need for renewed efforts to boost job creation and economic growth. The establishment of the U.S.-EU High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth in late 2011 illustrated that political leaders in the U.S. and EU recognize that a step-change in the trans-Atlantic […]
