USTMA Outlines Legislative Priorities

A unified approach to consumer tire information and standards is one of the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association's (USTMA) legislative priorities in 2023.

The USTMA recently sent its 2023 federal legislative priorities letter to House and Senate leadership of the 118th Congress "outlining key areas of continued cooperation to address the evolving areas of tire safety, environmental stewardship and innovation," according to USTMA officials.

"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."

Priorities include:

• The expansion of sustainable and circular infrastructure solutions for scrap tires;
• Research to identify mitigation solutions for roadway run-off;  
• 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.

“Members of USTMA urge the 118th Congress to collaborate to address important issues facing the U.S. tire manufacturing sector and the American public,” says Anne Forristall Luke, USTMA president and CEO. “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 USTMA’s Tire Manufacturing Ambassadors will visit Capitol Hill mid-month to engage with Congressional offices on the industry priorities.