Commerce Department Gears Up To Implement Chemical Weapons Treaty

Abstract

Speculating on anything related to the chemical weapons treaty is tricky, but that hasn't stopped observers from placing bets that the U.S. will ratify the treaty by late summer, and that it will be in force by the middle of next year. If the pundits are correct, the chemical industry and the Commerce Department—the arm of government likely to be charged with making sure industry complies with the treaty—have a lot to do to be certain they can meet their treaty responsibilities. To uphold its end, the Commerce Department's Bureau of Export Administration (BXA) has been reorganizing its offices, computerizing its operations, and developing the forms and regulations needed to implement the treaty. But BXA is working under awkward circumstances. It has no legal authority to impose treaty-mandated requirements on industry until the Senate ratifies the treaty and Congress passes the implementing ...