CMA meeting hears of three new initiatives

The booming chemical economy made for a happy troupe of executives attending the Chemical Manufacturers Association annual meeting earlier this month at White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. Unlike past years, this year's meeting was almost totally upbeat, with talk about rising demand—both domestic and export—tight markets, and vastly improved and still rising profit margins. Upbeat as the business climate was, however, chemical safety and the public's negative perception of the chemical industry remained serious items of concern. Addressing such concerns, Harold A. Sorgenti, outgoing chairman of the board of CMA and president and chief executive officer of Arco Chemical Co., announced three new initiatives that the organization will undertake. The first of these will be aimed at chemical transportation. CMA is working to develop a code of practice to guide CMA members in the use and selection of motor carriers. According to Sorgenti, "Building on the success of CAER (the Community Awareness & Emergency Response ...