As the nation begins its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has recognized and encouraged the use of American National Standards (ANS) among its "resilience policy principles" aimed at fueling prosperity in communities across the country. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), in support of its mission to enhance the global competitiveness of U.S. business and quality of life, proudly coordinates the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment system and the ANS process.
In the June 2020 article, Resilience Is Good Public Policy, Chuck Chaitovitz, vice president, environmental affairs and sustainability, U.S. Chamber, underscores that as small businesses recover during unprecedented times, and as hurricane season begins, it is more important than ever to invest in resilient infrastructure and to instill resilience and pre-disaster mitigation to support public policy. Ultimately, good public policy is good for the environment and the economy, he explained.
The U.S. Chamber has been working with more than 150 of its member companies, state and local chambers, and trade associations to define the resilience policy principles. Each of the seven principles underscore the U.S. Chamber's ongoing support for policies that "reduce risks from future disasters, promote pre-disaster mitigation and proactive adaptation to climate impacts, and support high-growth companies that fuel prosperity for communities across the nation."
The resilience policy principles include:
The article notes ANSI's role in accrediting the process by which standards developing organizations in the United States create standards, and calls the process the "gold seal" for standards development.
"Policies and programs should take advantage of the latest editions of voluntary, consensus standards, in particular those designated as American National Standards, in their predisaster mitigation initiatives," according to the U.S. Chamber.
In support of innovation, and to educate stakeholders about the various ways that standards and codes enhance resilience and infrastructure, ANSI has facilitated recent events on Capitol Hill. In 2017 for example, ANSI's event, Standards Enhance 21st Century Infrastructure, brought together ANSI members, standards developers, and congressional staff, who shared efforts on enhancing existing infrastructure and shed light on how standards support innovative infrastructure. And last year, ANSI and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) co-chaired the World Standards Day Hill event, Codes and Standards-Protecting America's Energy Infrastructure and the Built Environment.
Read the U.S. Chamber of Commerce article, Resilience Is Good Public Policy.