ARLINGTON, VA – The National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) has weighed in on the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement. According to the NACD, the USMCA supports the free flow of trade across North America and also makes improvements on issues related to the chemical distribution industry.

NACD President and CEO Eric R. Byer stated, “We are pleased Congress and the Trump Administration were able to negotiate a final agreement that will bring about significant benefits to the American economy as a whole and for chemical distributors specifically. The new Chemical Sectoral Annex, in particular, will create greater clarify around the responsibilities of the chemical sector within USMCA by identifying regulatory authorities in each country, foster information exchange, and produce greater alignment on how to approach chemical risk assessments.”

Byer continued, “Additionally, NACD welcomes language in USMCA that focuses on good regulatory practices to eliminate duplicative and unnecessary regulations while at the same time creating greater transparency in the rulemaking process that gives all parties the opportunity to comment if a regulation is expected to have a significant impact on trade.”

Byer concluded, “NACD thanks leaders in Congress and U.S Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer for working diligently to draft an agreement that supports American businesses and continues to reduce trade and technical barriers, keeping the North American marketplace a vital engine of economic growth. We look forward to swift consideration by the U.S. Senate in the new year.”