(Washington, DC) - Following years of work advocating on behalf of recyclers against unfair demurrage practices by ocean carriers and railroad transportation providers, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) today applauds President Joe Biden on the signature of an Executive Order requesting that the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) work to combat unfair and anticompetitive pricing practices of rail and ocean transportation businesses.
"We applaud President Biden for issuing this important Executive Order that recognizes the systemic disruptions to our nation’s manufacturing supply chains and directs his administration to take all appropriate actions to help improve our transportation networks," said ReMA President Robin Wiener.
ISRI and its members have been advocating against unfair demurrage practices to the Surface Transportation Board for years through public comments, testimony, outreach on Capitol Hill, and other various efforts. The Executive Order will help urge the STB to complete outstanding rules and step up enforcement against the railroads, leveling the playing field for shippers.
More recently, ReMA made the FMC aware of the impacts of the shortage of shipping containers on the recycling industry and other manufacturers as part of their investigation into the Ocean carrier’s unfair demurrage and detention practices.
"Recycling is an essential part of both our nation’s manufacturing supply chains and creating a sustainable and circular economy,” continued Wiener. This Executive Order helps our essential industry fulfill its mission of supplying specification grade commodities that save energy, protect the environment, conserve natural resources, and help combat climate change."
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The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) is the "Voice of the Recycling Industry™." ReMA represents 1,300 companies in 19 chapters in the U.S. and more than 40 countries that process, broker, and consume scrap commodities, including metals, paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics, and textiles. With headquarters in Washington, DC, the Institute provides education, advocacy, safety and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycling plays in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development. Generating nearly $116 billion annually in U.S. economic activity, the scrap recycling industry provides more than 506,000 Americans with good jobs.