• ACC: Industry will benefit from trade talks between U.S., EU
  An agreement between the U.S. and EU to remove tariffs on chemical exports from the U.S. could save chemical producers up to $1.5 billion per year, according to the American Chemistry Council. "The potential savings from regulatory cooperation would be significantly greater than that," said ACC President and CEO Cal Dooley. Reuters (2/15)     

• Cybersecurity executive order could lead to mandatory action
  The White House executive order on cybersecurity is giving expanded authority to certain federal agencies while directing the Environmental Protection Agency and others to assess whether they can carry out cybersecurity measures, according to Caitlin Hayden, a representative of the White House's National Security Council. "If the existing regulations are ineffective or insufficient, agencies will propose new, cost-effective regulations based upon the cybersecurity framework and in consultation with their regulated companies," the White House said. FederalTimes.com (2/17)     

• Industries defend polystyrene amid Bloomberg proposal
  New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed a ban on polystyrene foam in food containers, but industry officials take issue with his assessment and say a better tactic would be increased recycling. "Polystyrene foam foodservice products make up less than one percent of our nation's solid waste, according to EPA," said Steve Russell, American Chemistry Council vice president of plastics. "They use significantly less energy and water to manufacture than paper alternatives and create significantly less waste by weight and comparable waste by volume." Platts (2/15)     

• Federal study: BPA exposure levels too low for negative effects
  An analysis of 150 studies by Department of Energy toxicologist Justin Teeguarden found that the amount of bisphenol A used in plastic bottles and food containers is too little to account for negative effects on humans. "At these exposure levels, exposure to BPA can't be compared to giving a baby the massive dose of estrogens found in a birth control pill, a comparison made by others," Teeguarden said. "The term low-dose cannot be understood to mean either relevant to human exposures or in the range of human exposures," he added. Google/Agence France-Presse (2/16), The Guardian (London) (2/15), The Wall Street Journal (2/15)     

• Other News

• Johnson Matthey, Anglo American Platinum add 2nd supply agreement
  Platts (2/15)     

• Adidas applies BASF advancement to running shoes
  Adidas is using foamed thermoplastic polyurethane that forms a cellular structure to make up the midsole of a model of running shoes. The BASF technology "provides the highest energy return in any running product," according to Eric Liedtke of Adidas. PlasticsNews.com/Urethanes Technology International (2/15)

• Other News

• Dow and Cambrex to commercially produce drug-solubility excipient
  Chemical Week (subscription required) (2/15)

• Plastics have uphill battle in supplanting metal in vehicles
  Plastics & Rubber Weekly (U.K.) (2/18)     

• Want fewer leaks? Stop keeping secrets, says LinkedIn CEO
  Companies that suffer from leaks typically owe their problems to a culture of secrecy, says LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner. Hiding information from curious employees inspires them to look for it, and that's the first step toward leaks, Weiner explains. "I've come to learn there is a virtuous cycle to transparency and a very vicious cycle of obfuscation," he says. CNNMoney/Fortune (2/14)     

• Your employee is resigning -- what should you do?
  The first thing you should do after one of your employees announces his or her resignation is to evaluate his or her attitude, writes Katie Douthwaite. This will let you know whether the employee will work hard until the end or start stirring up trouble at your company. Afterward, you should work with the employee to create a transition plan and figure out whether to fill the position or redistribute work. TheDailyMuse.com (2/12)     

• ACC and SOCMA announce agenda for 2013 Global Chemical Regulations Conference
  This year's Global Chemical Regulations Conference and Expo will take place from Feb. 25 to 27 at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. The annual gathering of industry professionals offers a valuable opportunity to review key developments in chemicals management and to look ahead to some of the most pressing issues in 2013. Learn more about the conference agenda and register. Also, learn more about ACC's policy position on TSCA.     

• ACC Weekly Economic Report
  The economic reports this week were again mixed. Prices for imported fuels gained on higher oil prices, but there continues to be no sign of broad inflation. The industrial sector started off on a soft note as the rebound from Hurricane Sandy dissipated. The changes to forecasters' expectations for 2013 were mixed but the bottom line is that growth is still expected. We seem to be stuck in a 2.0% growth mode for this economy. Stay informed. Subscribe to ACC's Weekly Economic Report.     

Top five news stories selected by ACC SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Senate bill would tax industrial greenhouse-gas emissions (Reuters)

• ACC: Cybersecurity order complements Responsible Care (Chemical Week (subscription required))

• ACC welcomes EPA's release of 2012 Chemical Data Reporting information (Bloomberg BNA (subscription required))

• Obama cybersecurity order calls for voluntary program (Bloomberg)

• Company proposes polyethylene plant in W.Va. (PlasticsNews.com)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration." --James Allen, British author