NHTSA speaker to speak at Clemson tyre conference

Tire Business staff report

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina -- Mary Versailles, senior policy adviser at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), will speak on the Federal Tire Fuel Efficiency Program at the 26th Annual Clemson University Tire Industry Conference, which will be held 7-9 April at Hilton Head Island.

"This presentation will discuss the recent final rule for the rating system and NHTSA's plans for the complimentary consumer education programme," according to the conference's preliminary programme.

This indicates that the final rule, which has still not been issued, will be out by the time of the conference. The statutory deadline for the standard was 17 Dec.

Ms. Versailles' speech is only one of several scheduled for the conference that will cover political and regulatory issues facing the tyre industry.

Michael Wischhusen, director of industry standards & government regulations at Michelin North America Inc., will speak on "Regulations in the Second Decade of the 21st Century." Tracey Norberg, senior vice president of the Rubber Manufacturers Association, will discuss "The Tire Industry's Current Regulatory Landscape." Roy Littlefield, executive vice president of the Tire Industry Association, will make a presentation on "Economic and Political Challenges to the Tire Industry."

Many presentations at this year's Clemson conference also concern greenhouse gases and environmental consciousness. Cheryl Bynum, acting group manager of the Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay Transport Partnership, will discuss the SmartWay program's campaign to get truckers to conserve fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Randy Dearth, president and ceo of Lanxess Corp., will speak on the necessity of the tyre industry to join the debate on how to regulate greenhouse gases. Stan Lew, manager of industry standards and government regulations at Michelin, will speak on how truck tyre retreads aid in the effort to conserve fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Registration for the conference is $995, or $895 each for two persons or more from the same company registering simultaneously. Interested parties may register online at www.clemson.edu/success or call Kay James of Clemson University at 800-258-1017.

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Tire Business (A Crain publication)