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Chemical Industry Expands Work with EPA in Solving Environmental Problems

Release Date: 04/17/2007
Contact Information: Dave Ryan, (202) 564-4355/ [email protected]

(4/17/07) The American Chemistry Council (ACC), which represents 130 companies accounting for approximately 85 percent of U.S. chemical production by volume, has agreed to work with EPA in the Sector Strategies Program. ACC joins the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA), a participant in the program since 1998. Together, ACC and SOCMA represent the majority of chemical production in the United States.

The chemical industry is an essential contributor to the U.S. economy, with about $555 billion in annual revenues. There are approximately 13,500 chemical manufacturing facilities in the United States, owned by more than 9,000 companies. The sector is one of the nation's largest exporters, accounting for 10 cents of every U.S. export dollar.

EPA's Sector Strategies Program fosters collaboration among business, government, and non-government organizations. Through this program, EPA works with diverse parties to improve the environmental performance of major manufacturing and service sectors of the U.S. economy.

Currently, more than 20 national trade associations – representing 13 major sectors of the U.S. economy – participate in the Sector Strategies Program. The program's sectors are agribusiness; cement manufacturing; chemical manufacturing; colleges and universities; construction; forest products; iron and steel manufacturing; metal casting; metal finishing; oil and gas, paint and coatings; ports; and shipbuilding and ship repair. These sectors represent more than one million sites throughout the country.

For more information about the Chemical Manufacturing Sector Strategies Program: epa.gov/sectors/chemical/index.html

For more information on the Sector Strategies Program: epa.gov/sectors/program.html