USA : Obama to nominate new chairman and commissioner to the CPSC

President Obama today announced that he intends to nominate Inez Moore Tenenbaum as chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Robert S. Adler as a new commissioner of the agency. Both nominations need Senate approval. The President also announced his intention to increase the agency's budget by 71 percent (over fiscal year 2007 levels) to $107 million.

USA : CPSC Nancy Nord National Press Club Speech - Jan 8, 2008

Acting U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairwoman Nancy A. Nord chats with Robert Carden of the Speakers Committee who organized the January 7 CPSC luncheon.

While at the podium, Nord said, “… China has pledged to increase pre-export inspections, crack down on repeat violators of U.S. safety standards and undertake a number of other initiatives to increase compliance with both mandatory and consensus standards.” She added, “But this is not just a China problem. Who orders all these toys and toasters that are bound for the United States? U.S. companies do. And they have the responsibility not only to demand that the products they order meet U.S. safety standards, but to test to make sure that they do before they go on sale for consumers.”

As Nord recalled, “Last year was marked by intense media scrutiny at the agency and of toy recalls in particular. …In fact the coverage reached near hysteria levels. And then, of course, some politicians, sensing a possible political issue, jumped on the bandwagon–further fueling the coverage—and the cycle continued.”

When President-elect Sylvia Smith presented Nord with the coveted NPC mug, Smith brought the house down when she asked. “Has this been tested for lead?” After the Luncheon, former NPC President Gil Klein told the Record that “the NPC mugs used to be made in China, but now they are made in the USA.”

Photos & Texts by John Metelsky
Source : National Press Club Blog