FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:             Roger Rensberger
April 29, 1994                     (301) 975-2762

                                   TN-5976

                    U.S./CANADA/MEXICO TO COOPERATE ON

                 MEASUREMENT AND CALIBRATION LAB PROGRAMS


     The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Research Council of
Canada (NRC) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), the
National Center for Metrology (Centro Nacional de Metrologia--
CENAM) and the Director General for Standards (Direccion General
de Normas--DGN) of Mexico have signed memorandums of
understanding to establish two organizations:  NORAMET and the
North American Calibration Cooperation (NACC).

     The two organizations will serve as a framework to promote
closer North American cooperation between the three countries in
areas of metrology and calibration laboratory accreditation as
part of an overall effort to reduce non-tariff barriers to trade.

     The inaugural meeting of representatives from the three
countries will take place April 30, 1994, at Quer‚taro, Mexico,
following the April 29 dedication of the new Mexican metrology
laboratory.  A U.S. delegation will be led by George A. Sinnott,
director of the NIST Office of International and Academic
Affairs.

     Sinnott points out that by signing the MOUs, the countries
declared their intention to cooperate in areas leading to mutual
recognition arrangements between the three nations concerning
metrological development and services and the development of
mutual confidence in national calibration laboratory
accreditation programs.

     NORAMET will be a North American regional collaboration in
national measurement standards and services.  It will be made up
of representatives of the primary reference laboratories of the
member countries, NIST, NRC and CENAM.  The goals of NORAMET are:

o    to develop closer collaboration between the members in
     projects connected to measurement and metrological services
     while respecting their obligations within their own
     countries;

o    to optimize the utilization of resources and services of the
     members and to encourage the development of these toward
     perceived metrological needs;

o    to encourage the sharing of major facilities in order to
     achieve efficiency and avoid duplication when feasible; and

o    to improve measurement services and make them accessible to
     all members within limits agreed upon by the members.

     The North American Calibration Cooperation effort will be
directed to the development of mutual confidence in national
calibration laboratory accreditation programs.  NACC also will
provide the regional structure to negotiate calibration
agreements with similar organizations in other regions of the
world such as EUROMET, and the European Cooperation for
Accreditation of Laboratories (EAL).

     Under NACC, the signatories NIST, NRC, SCC, DGN and CENAM,
recognize each other as having primary responsibility in their
respective countries for the maintenance of accreditation
programs for calibration laboratories.

     The NACC members intend to promote close collaboration
between the calibration laboratory accreditation and assessment
programs they have implemented, or intend to implement, such as
the Calibration Laboratory Assessment Service (CLAS) and the
Program for Accreditation of Laboratories in Canada (PALCAN), the
calibration program and National Voluntary Laboratory
Accreditation Program (NVLAP) in the United States, and the
Servicio de Certificacion de Laboratorios de Calibracion (SECLAC)
and the Sistema Nacional de Calibracion (SNC) in Mexico.

     A non-regulatory agency of the Commerce Department's
Technology Administration, NIST promotes economic growth by
working with industry to develop and apply technology,
measurements and standards.

                                   -30- 

NOTE TO EDITORS:  For information on NORAMET and NACC, contact
the Office of International and Academic Affairs, A505
Administration Building, NIST, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-0001,
(301) 975-3089, fax:  (301) 975-3530, e-mail:  OIAA@micf.nist.gov
(via Internet).