May/June 2007
Elections, Specs Top ReMA Board's April Agenda
At its meeting April 20 during the ReMA convention in New Orleans, ReMA's board of directors elected several members to leadership positions, approved new nonferrous specifications, made changes to the association's arbitration rules, and approved funds to fight an export-control threat.
Swelling the Leadership Ranks. The board held a contested election among six nominees to fill four open director-at-large posts. Manny Bodner of Bodner Metal & Iron Corp. (Houston), Greg Dixon of Baker Iron & Metal Co. (Lexington, Ky.), Richard Lerner of Cycle Systems Inc. (Lynchburg, Va.), and Brian Shine of Manitoba Corp. (Lancaster, N.Y.) won the positions.
The board also filled three seats on the audit committee, electing Doug Kramer of Kramer Metals Inc. (Los Angeles), Bill Lowery of Annaco Inc. (Akron, Ohio), and Marvin Siegel of Carolinas Recycling Group LLC (Spartanburg, S.C.). In addition, the board appointed three members to serve on the board of ReMA Services Corp., the entity that oversees ReMA's Recycling Industry Operating Standard program. The appointees are Ben Harvey of E.L. Harvey & Sons Inc. (Westborough, Mass.), Joseph Carrico of Newell Recycling LLC (East Point, Ga.), and Dale Leuer of Pacific Coast Recycling LLC (Long Beach, Calif.).
The ReMA board filled another ReMA Services Corp. board position with a representative of the chairs of all ReMA committees and councils. Three candidates vied for the post, with Jim Lawrence of ELG Metals Inc. (McKeesport, Pa.)—chair of ReMA PAC—winning the election.
In further ReMA Services Corp. news, the ReMA board selected Bruce Blue of Freedom Metals Inc. (Louisville, Ky.) to complete the partial term on that group’s board of Larry Matanich of Industrial Services of America Inc. (Louisville), who has left the industry.
New Specs for Nonferrous. In other action, the ReMA board approved the following three new specifications related to aluminum extrusions:
TATA—New Production Aluminum Extrusions
New production bare extrusions, of one alloy (typically 6063). Material may contain "butt ends" from the extrusion process but must be free of any foreign contamination. Anodized material is acceptable. Painted material or other alloys other than 6063 must be agreed upon by buyer and seller.
TOTO—Aluminum Extrusions "10/10"
Material to consist of new production or old/used 6063 extrusions that may contain up to (but not exceed) 10 percent painted extrusions and 10 percent 6061 alloy extrusions. Must not contain other alloys of aluminum. Material should be free of zinc corners, iron attachments, felt, plastic, paper, cardboard, thermo break, and dirt and other contaminants.
TUTU—Aluminum Extrusion Dealer Grade
Old extruded aluminum, of one alloy, typically alloys 6063, 6061, or 7075. Material must be free of iron, thermo break, saw chips, zinc corners, dirt, paper, cardboard, and other foreign contamination. Percentages of paint or other alloys to be agreed upon by buyer and seller.
Updated Arbitration Rules. Recognizing the need to update its rules of arbitration, ReMA brought several changes to the board for review and approval at its April meeting. Among the editorial changes, ReMA updated its office address and staff titles in the document and used gender-neutral terms.
The only substantive change involved modifications to section 7.3 of the rules regarding how interest is added to an arbitration award. The new version reads:
Interest Upon Award. In the absence of express provision to the contrary, interest at 2 percent over the average prime rate then in effect as published in the Wall Street Journal shall be chargeable on the award commencing ten (10) days from the date of the award to the date the award is satisfied.
Crane Joins ISRI
ISRI has hired Tom Crane as an administrative assistant to Chuck Carr, ReMA's vice president of member services, meetings, marketing, and communications. Previously, Crane worked for ReMA as a temporary employee. Crane holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Marquette University and participated in a semester-long internship program working under Rep. Donald Manzullo (R-Ill.) on the House small business committee on the majority side.
Reach him at 202/662-8536 or tomcrane@isri.org.
Congressional Fly-In Planned for June Meeting
ISRI will hold its annual congressional fly-in during its summer leadership/board meeting in Washington, D.C. Last summer, nearly 90 ReMA members visited more than 100 congressional offices, urging members of to join the House and Senate recycling caucuses. Prior to the fly-in, the ReMA staff trained members on how to educate their elected leaders about the important contributions of the scrap recycling industry. This year, the event's goals will include reinforcing the relationships formed last summer and continuing congressional outreach and education efforts.
Contact Billy Johnson at 202/662-8548 or billyjohnson@isri.org.
ew DVD Covers Employee Orientation
ISRI released its latest safety training DVD, New Employee Safety Orientation, in early April. This video marks the fourth DVD in ReMA's "Safely or Not At All" series, which covers additional safety topics such as visitor control, truck-driving safety, and lock-out/tag-out. Many ReMA safety videos, previously only in VHS format, are now on DVD in English and Spanish versions. In addition, ReMA recently mailed the third safety poster in the current series to members.
To order additional DVDs and/or safety posters, contact Olga O'Connor at 202/662-8521 or olgaoconnor@isri.org. For more information on ReMA's safety programs, contact Anne Marie Horvath at 202/662-8511 or annemariehorvath@isri.org.
RISE Legislation Set to Move in Congress
An improved version of the Recycling Investment Saves Energy tax legislation is moving toward introduction in the U.S. Senate. The current draft RISE bill includes a 50-percent accelerated depreciation allowance in the first year for recycling equipment purchases made in 2007 and improvements to the definition of scrap, reflecting its importance as a valuable, globally traded commodity. This tax legislation is now in accordance with ISRI’s board resolution, stating that accelerated depreciation is preferable to tax credits based on its effectiveness and fairness for all segments of recycling. Also, the bill is now more likely to pass because its provisions restrict any tax allowances to accelerated depreciation.
Contact Billy Johnson at 202/662-8548 or billyjohnson@isri.org.
EPA Proposes Changes to Definition of Solid Waste
In early March, the U.S. EPA released proposed modifications to the definition of solid waste to enable the recycling of certain hazardous secondary materials outside of hazardous-waste regulations. The proposed modifications include the following situations for excluding such recyclable materials from regulation:
- the materials are generated and reclaimed by the same entity;
- the materials are generated by one entity and sent for reclamation to another entity under certain conditions; and
- the materials are deemed not to be wastes by EPA via a petition process.
A proposed definition of "legitimate recycling" essentially requires both that the material be useful to the recycling process and that the resulting end product be directly comparable to new products or materials in the marketplace.
Regarding the effect of these proposed modifications, states with authority under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act aren't required to adopt any DSW modifications, and the modifications don't include materials ReMA members normally process. ReMA staff members will review the proposed DSW modifications and comment as warranted. There will be a 60-day comment period after the EPA gives notice in the Federal Register.
Contact David Wagger at 202/662-8533 or davidwagger@isri.org.
ISRI Testifies on Rail Capacity and Infrastructure Requirements
In early April, ReMA staff members testified at the Surface Transportation Board hearing on rail capacity and infrastructure requirements. They indicated that ReMA members still have substantial concerns about railcar supply and service quality. Increased competition must be part of the response to rail shortages, not just more cars, more track, and more personnel, ReMA noted in its written testimony.
Contact Steve Hirsch at 202/662-8516 or stevehirsch@isri.org.
At its meeting April 20 during the ReMA convention in New Orleans, ReMA's board of directors elected several members to leadership positions, approved new nonferrous specifications, made changes to the association's arbitration rules, and approved funds to fight an export-control threat.