NACD Presents at White House Executive Order 13650 Listening Session

WASHINGTON, Jan.14, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This morning, two members of the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) and NACD's vice president for regulatory affairs presented comments at a public listening session in response to the White House Executive Order 13650, Improving Chemical Facility Safety and Security.

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Jeanette Glose Partlow, President of Maryland Chemical Company located in Baltimore, MD, and Douglas A. Brown, President/CEO of Brown Chemical Co., Inc. headquartered in Oakland, NJ both provided their perspectives as business owners.  "As you consider various options for modernizing the chemical regulatory system with the objective of preventing future West-type tragedies, I urge you to carefully examine the current system to make sure that the regulations are clear and consistent, and that compliance assistance is part of the solution," stated Mr. Brown.

"Owners and managers of NACD members including myself have a personal stake in the safety and security of our employees, companies, and communities. We demonstrate this through our commitment to Responsible Distribution^®, our relationships with our employees and customers, and through our careful compliance with numerous regulations." stated Ms. Partlow.  She emphasized, "It is critical to have effective LEPCs in communities throughout the country and for these organizations to communicate and work closely with the State Emergency Planning Commissions and other governmental agencies. LEPCs need more resources and should be given a stronger responsibility in pulling together public and private organizations to develop effective response plans."

Additionally, Ms. Jennifer Gibson, NACD's vice president, regulatory affairs also submitted comments to the Working Group at the Listening Session, urging the Working Group to recognize and leverage industry programs such as Responsible Distribution and Responsible Care. Ms. Gibson stated, "Government recognition of initiatives like these would encourage the creation of similar performance improvement programs across the chemical industry, thus helping to reach outlier facilities that are not members of trade associations like NACD and may not be aware of their regulatory obligations."

NACD and its over 420 member companies are vital to the chemical supply chain providing products to over 750,000 end users. They make a delivery every eight seconds while maintaining a safety record that is more than twice as good as all manufacturing combined. NACD members are leaders in health, safety, security, and environmental performance through implementation of Responsible Distribution, established in 1991 as a condition of membership and a third-party verified management practice. For additional information on our members, their safety record or NACD, visit NACD at www.nacd.com.

Contact:  Lucinda Schofer
703/527-NACD(6223)

SOURCE National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD)