Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association: Government Affairs

Useful Links

Government Resources

U.S. House of Representatives website (www.house.gov) Contains information about the U.S. House of Representatives and its members including: links to their websites, committee/caucus assignments, and Congressional contact information. There is also a link that allows users to identify members of Congress using zip codes.
U.S. Senate Website (www.senate.gov) Contains information about the U.S. Senate and its members including: links to their websites, committee/caucus assignments, and Congressional contact information.
Library of Congress (thomas.loc.gov) Free, searchable access to past and present federal legislation including bills, resolutions, summaries and their status as well as Congressional schedules, policies and procedures, and more.
Government Printing Office (www.access.gpo.gov) The U.S Government Printing Office (GPO) provides publishing & dissemination services for the official & authentic government publications to Congress, Federal agencies, Federal depository libraries, & the American public.
U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov) A key source for reliable data/statistics on business, industry, economic indicators, workplace, employment and more.
U.S. International Trade Commission (www.usitc.gov) Contains U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule, searchable tariff database, and Dataweb, a free service that allows users to generate product specific international trade statistics and more.
Office of Textiles and Apparel (www.otexa.ita.doc.gov) Housed in the Commerce Department, the Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) oversees programs and strategies to improve the domestic and international competitiveness of the U.S. fiber, textiles and apparel industries and to assist importers and retailers in facilitating fair trade practices affecting textiles and apparel goods. The website offers updates and information on hot issues, as well as information about trade agreement textile/apparel provisions, industry data, trade policy, trade events and more.
CUSTOMS Info (http://export.customsinfo.com) Free access to global tariff information for users of Export.Gov. Users of this free service can lookup country tariff information for shipments originating in the United States. Users are required to register for access to this free service.

Sustainability/Green Resources:

Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative (www.trade.gov/competitiveness/sustainablemanufacturing) The SMI website boasts a host of resources including a searchable Sustainable Business Clearinghouse detailing all of the federal programs designed to support sustainability, Information on SMI projects and the development of metrics for sustainable manufacturing, free sign up for email updates and more.
DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: EERA is organized around ten energy programs focused on areas such as green building and vehicle technologies, alternative energy, weatherization, etc. and provides U.S. businesses access to financial assistance and funding opportunities. Visit: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/financing/business.html.
DOE’s Industrial Technologies Program: DOE’s ITP invests in high-risk, high-value R&D projects, conducts on-site energy efficiency assessments for U.S. companies, and disseminates best practices in the field of energy management. Users may also subscribe to alerts announcing upcoming solicitations, events, training, project opportunities and more. Visit: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/index.html
Database for State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE): DSIRE is a user-friendly source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. It has a searchable database of state and federal programs that can be organized by state, industry sector, or incentive type. http://www.dsireusa.org/
NIST’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership: NIST’s MEP looks to make U.S. industry more competitive and provides services including sector-specific “lean and clean manufacturing” technical assistance and environmental assessment services. In last 20 years, the MEP has worked with thousands of manufacturers, delivering $1.44 billion in cost savings annually and $10.5 billion in increased or retained sales in one year. To learn more, visit: http://www.mep.nist.gov/.
WWF's Green Game Changers In 2010, the World Wildlife Fund launched its Green Game Changers initiative, an online bank of innovative “green” business stories and innovations submitted by businesses from around the world that will allow companies to submit examples of green policies, products and business models that cut down on environmental impact and biodiversity loss. Since anyone can submit case studies to the site, it could be invaluable to companies looking for a sustainability starting point or to highlight their sustainability activities to a broader audience. To access the Green Game Changers website, visit: www.wwf.org.uk/what_we_do/working_with_business/green_game_changers/

Resources for Identifying Funding Opportunities

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA; Public Law 111-5) or ‘stimulus plan’ was a massive federal spending and tax cut measure designed to jump-start the nation’s sagging economy. In addition to creating any number of tax incentives for individuals and businesses and certain activities and funding numerous infrastructure and construction projects, the stimulus package also injected billions into various federal grant programs and funding opportunities for the private sector and raised the profile of and generated new interest in existing government funding programs.

Grants.gov: Grants.gov is the government’s primary portal for researching and applying for federal grants and offers about 1,000 federal programs offering $500 billion in annual grants — simply register as a user to find these opportunities and apply. To learn more, visit: www.grants.gov.
The Foundation Center: Established in 1956, the Foundation Center is the nation’s premier nonprofit devoted to providing tools to grantseekers, grantmakers, researchers, policymakers, and more. Like so many others, it has made addressing the economic crisis a priority and has compiled some of the best available resources on accessing stimulus package funding, broken down state by state. To learn more, visit: http://maps.foundationcenter.org/economic_crisis/stimulus/
Recovery.org: Recovery.org allows users to track ARRA spending by federal, state and local agencies and provides detailed information about what is happening in the states and municipalities — from the moment ARRA funds are approved, to a government agency's issuance of a bid or request for proposal, through contract award to a business. To learn more, visit: www.recovery.org
Small Business Innovation Research Program: SBIR is a Small Business Administration program that sets aside for small businesses a portion of the huge research and development budgets at agencies like the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency. Visit: www.sbir.gov
American Association for the Advancement of Science: The AAAS is an international non-profit devoted to advancing “science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people.” Its website includes a sprawling “research and development” section which provides comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of R&D funding as Congress acts on appropriations. Visit: http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/.
Association for Manufacturing Technology State-by-State Resource Guide: Provides a link to the listings of those identified State Resources that are focused on helping companies within their respective states develop competitive proposals for various federal programs. Additionally, these state organizations have access to resources that can assist AMT members not only in research and development activities but also in procurement efforts with government prime contractors. http://www.amtonline.org/article_display.cfm?article_id=10659§ion_id=109