USTMA presents tire industry’s legislative priorities

Washington – Road safety, tire innovation, environmental stewardship and manufacturing jobs should be priorities for US law makers in 2024, according to the US Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA).

The association presented these ‘legislative priorities’ for the US tire-manufacturing industry in a 26 Feb letter to the country’s congressional leadership.

There is, added USTMA, an “urgent need” to modernise outdated regulations that hinder innovation, the need to grow jobs in the manufacturing sector.”

The tire industry body also highlighted “the need to work collaboratively to advance solutions to complex environmental challenges.”

“Tires support almost every facet of our mobile society and the members of USTMA urge congress to promptly address several high-priority issues,” said Anne Forristall Luke, USTMA president and CEO.

Given the increasing challenges around new-mobility and the environment, she called for “federal action to ensure that laws and regulations keep pace with the needs of both the industry and consumers.”

The six policy areas identified in the letter to congressional leadership by USTMA and its members include:

• New rules from the NHTSA for consumer tire information and performance standards and modernisation of tire testing regulations;
• Expansion of sustainable and circular infrastructure solutions for scrap tires;
• Research to identify mitigation solutions for roadway runoff to protect stormwater;
• Creation of domestic manufacturing jobs for production of retreated tires and promoting their use for commercial vehicles;
• Ensuring fair, equal and standardised access to digital vehicle data and infrastructure assets; and
• Developing domestic sources of sustainable natural rubber.