Executive Order 12770 of 1991 was not effective because it permitted heads of Federal Agencies and Departments to evade metrication by asserting difficulties.
Hopefully, a new Executive Order by President Obama will not allow easy exceptions to metrication such as those practiced, for example, by the Energy Information Agency. But first, a new Secretary of Commerce must be confirmed before we can expect a new Executive Order directing metrication of Federal programs. ---- Original message ---- >Date: Sun, 15 Feb 2009 21:43:47 -0800 >From: "Victor Jockin" <[email protected]> >Subject: [USMA:43023] Re: More companies primed to pounce on metric-only >labeling >To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> >... > There is certainly precedent for this limited > approach: G.H.W. Bush's executive order for the > metrication of federal agencies. That failed > because (a) the logistics and bureaucracy of > changing was far more complicated and multi-faceted > than just changing road signs, (b) opponents of > metrication hired lobbyists and proponents did > not, but most importantly his whole plan was flawed > because (c) they're little rocks. Bush thought the > government would tip the scales for the country, but > the department of the interior reporting quake data > in metric units or states contracting for road work > in metric units is not going to tip anything, or > change public language... > I'd love to see a coordinated, comprehensive > national initiative for change. It's by far the > best way for us to prevail, but also one of the > least likely.
