House Narrowly Passes Sweeping Cap-and-Trade Bill

House Narrowly Passes Sweeping Cap-and-Trade Bill
On June 26, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES, H.R.2454) with a roll-call vote of 219-212. Passage of the contentious 1,200 page cap-and-trade legislation came down to just four votes and involved a good deal of arm-twisting by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who had vowed the House would vote on the bill before the July 4 recess. Eight Republicans voted for the measure, with 44 Democrats opposing.

ACES now heads to the Senate, where its chances of passage remain uncertain. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has indicated that the committee will mark-up legislation in the next month. The full Senate is not expected to move on the bill until at least the fall.

Now is the time to thank those in the House who voted against H.R. 2454. To find those that voted no, visit the Metalcasters Alliance for Government Affairs website, download the ACES No Votes file (which includes the names and email fax numbers of those who voted no), downloading the House Thank You Letter (the actual letter thanking them), fill the thank you letter out and fax to the appropriate person in your district. These Congressmen and Congresswomen faced an enormous amount of pressure to vote in favor of the bill, and we should express our appreciation for their no vote.

For more information on the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, contact Alicia Oman, Metalcasters Alliance for Government Affairs Washington, D.C. office, at aoman@afsinc.org or 202-842-4864.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculation Tool Released
Climate change legislation and greenhouse gas regulatory requirements that could impact the metalcasting industry are receiving increased attention and focus in Washington, D.C. The AFS Committee for Air Quality (10-E) greenhouse gas emissions working group has prepared a tool for metalcasting facilities to calculate their direct greenhouse gas emissions from fuel consumption. The tool can be downloaded from the AFS website by clicking here.

The primary purpose of this tool is to generate a preliminary estimate of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a metalcasting facility. The tool is not intended to be a substitute for a detailed GHG inventory or to meet the reporting and other requirements of any current or future local, state, or federal laws or regulations. The GHG estimate can, however, help a facility determine how Climate Change legislation and GHG emissions regulations may impact their business.

For more information, contact Jeff Hannapel, AFS Washington Office, at jhannapel@thepolicygroup.com.

Call for Papers for CastExpo'10, 114^th Metalcasting Congress Issued
AFS has issued a call for papers to be presented at CastExpo'10 and the 114^th Metalcasting Congress, March 19-23, 2010, Orlando, Fla.

Submission is open for technical papers covering all issues relating to metalcasting technology, metallurgy and casting materials research. AFS welcomes papers that discuss new technologies, procedures, equipment, products, engineering and other innovations that have contributed to enhanced metalcasting productivity and quality.

Submission dates:

Abstracts—Aug. 1, 2009;
Complete manuscripts—Sept. 15, 2009
Paper number assignment, offer and abstract form, authors guide and paper template—July 1, 2009 on the Metalcasting Congress website (www.metalcastingcongress.org).

For more information, contact Pam Lassila, AFS Metalcasting Congress Assistant, at 800/537-4237 x 240 or plassila@afsinc.org.

Looking for New Business? Meet Casting Buyers On Aug. 5
Seize the opportunity to hear from and meet leading casting buyers at the What Are Casting Buyers Thinking conference on Aug. 5 at the Westin O'Hare, Rosemont, Ill.

Speakers include:

Keynote: State of the Manufacturing Economy: Metalcasting in Interesting Times, Greg Chaudoin, Stuart School of Business, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago;
U.S. Dept. of Defense Weapon Systems: Dean Hutchins, Castings Manufacturing Program Technology Manager, Defense Logistics Agency, Washington, D.C.;
Oil Field & Energy: Daniel Crane, Purchasing & Supplier Development, Kimray Inc., Oklahoma City.

Other attendee benefits include updated forecast data, a chance to meet tabletop exhibitors, featuring web designers, graphic artists, printers, marketing agencies and casting designers that can help you, drawings for free advertising design, and free sales and marketing toolkits.

For more information or to register, visit www.afsinc.org/castingbuyer or contact AFS customer service at 800/537-4237.

U.S. Metalcasting Webinar: Is Safety Really First?
It has been said that workers are the most valuable asset for a metalcasting facility. How well are we protecting that asset? Although we have improved in recent years, the metalcasting industry’s record for worker safety still lags behind other manufacturing sectors. It is time for an increased awareness of safety and an enhanced effort to raise awareness of potential hazards and dangers in our plants.

Join us for a complimentary webinar July 21 at 11:00 EST (10:00 CST) that will replay the 113^th Metalcasting Congress' President's Session on safety. During this 60 minute webinar you will hear facts about our industry’s safety record, learn how safety can be planned for and controlled and hear a case study from a metalcasting facility that has achieved 2 million hours without a lost time accident. To register for this webinar, click here.

For more information, contact Becky Erickson, AFS technical assistant, at 800/537-4237 x 246 or rebecca@afsinc.org.

Complimentary Webinar to Discuss Hearing Conservation
AFS will be producing a complimentary webinar on hearing conservation July 9 at 11 a.m. EST. The webinar is intended to discuss:

Exposure monitoring;
Audiometric testing;
Hearing protection;
Education & training.

To register for this webinar, click here or contact Dave Krugman, AFS PR and marketing coordinator, at 800/537-4237 x 286 or dkrugman@afsinc.org.

Casting Congressman Speaks at Moderncasting.com
Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) grew up the son of a diecaster and worked in his father's facility for several years. He recently took some time to talk with MODERN CASTING about how his industrial past has influenced his legislative present.

Educate Staff, Increase Productivity With In-Plant Training
Save money by bringing the training you need in-house. CMI can offer most of its regular courses as in-plant training, allowing you to train your employees locally, eliminating travel costs and reducing out-of-work time. AFS corporate members receive discounted pricing.

For more information, or to request a quote, contact Jennifer Head, CMI special projects and course coordinator, at 800/537-4237 x 244 or jhead@afsinc.org.

Analyze and Reduce Casting Defects with CMI Course
CMI will be offering an Analysis & Reduction of Casting Defects course Aug. 18-20 at AFS Headquarters, Schaumburg, Ill. This course offers students a critical analysis of defective castings, types of imperfections, causes and corrective measures for sand molds (green sand, shell, nobake, gas-cured, etc.) Inspection techniques, customers’ requirements and the long-range economics of analyzing and minimizing casting defects also will be discussed.

The workshop portion of this course allows students to analyze the causes of their own sample defects brought to class. For more information or to attend this course, contact AFS customer service at 800/537-4237, or click here to register.

Looking for more information on casting defects? The International Atlas of Casting Defects can help. AFS Special Publications has everything you need to supplement your metalcasting training. Visit the AFS E-Store today.