As its annual congressional fly-in approaches, the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) issued its 2023 federal legislative priorities letter to House and Senate leadership of the 118th Congress the letter outlines key areas of continued cooperation to address the evolving areas of tire safety, environmental stewardship, and innovation. USTMA previously engaged with Congress on policies to promote innovative infrastructure technologies and to better position the U.S. tire manufacturing industry to tackle future challenges. The current priorities agenda continues to address those issues while expanding their scope to include equal and standardized access to vehicle data assets and the development of a domestic supply chain of natural rubber.
“Members of USTMA urge the 118th Congress to collaborate to address important issues facing the U.S. tire manufacturing sector and the American public,” said Anne Forristall Luke, USTMA president and chief executive officer. “Federal regulations, investment and research must keep pace with the advancements in automotive technology, and our members stand ready to work with legislators and the Biden Administration to implement the important solutions laid out in our correspondence.”
The six policy areas identified in the letter to Congressional leadership by USTMA and its members, representing 12 of the world’s largest tire manufacturers, include:
- A unified North American approach to consumer tire information and standards;
- The expansion of sustainable and circular infrastructure solutions for scrap tires;
- Research to identify mitigation solutions for roadway runoff;
- Use and domestic manufacturing of retreaded tires for commercial vehicles;
- Ensuring fair, equal and standardized access to digital vehicle data and infrastructure assets; and
- Developing domestic sources of natural rubber.