Policy Shifts, Practical Insights: Highlights from the SES September Roundtable

The September 2025 SES Roundtable brought together leaders from across the standards community for a candid, forward-looking discussion on the shifting regulatory environment in the United States—and the growing opportunities for standards to fill the policy gaps it leaves behind.

A frank conversation about changing dynamics

Patrick Hughes of NEMA and Craig Updyke of ASTM International shared firsthand insights into how the current deregulation climate, agency restructuring, and recent legal decisions are reshaping the standards landscape. Participants appreciated the open, conversational format that allowed for honest dialogue about challenges, such as   agency staff turnover requiring increased outreach and education on the value of industry consensus standards.

The discussion underscored that the moment is ripe for standards developers to lead. As Hughes noted, “As agencies focus on implementing deregulatory guidance from the White House, there is an opportunity for SDOs to position themselves as industry-led solutions providers.” With both fewer new regulations and slower action on emerging technologies like AI and cybersecurity expected, consensus-based voluntary technical standards can provide the practical guidance industry and regulators alike are seeking.

Opportunities for standards developers

Several clear themes emerged from the roundtable’s exchange of ideas:

• Position standards as policy solutions. The group agreed that agencies and legislators—especially at the state level—need simple, outcomes-based messages about what standards achieve and how they reflect broad stakeholder consensus.
• Address gaps, where appropriate. In certain cases, SDOs may need to “work backward,” developing standards on deregulated topics and encouraging their consideration by decisionmakers at the state level.
• Engage early and often with states. Without federal leadership or preemption, some states are poised to take independent action on emerging issues; what steps should standards professionals consider?   Without coordination and federal preemption, the result could be a patchwork of as many as 50 differing requirements—creating confusion, compliance burdens, and potential barriers to innovation and interstate commerce. SDOs could play a vital role in bringing states together around consistent, consensus-based approaches that promote safety, innovation, and practicality.
• Coordinate across jurisdictions. To maintain alignment and consistency, SDOs should facilitate collaboration among agencies, states, and industry to ensure standards remain coherent and widely adopted.
• Lead internationally. As the U.S. takes a lighter regulatory hand, the EU and others are positioned to enact legislation and regulations that act as models for third countries and could impact U.S. businesses.  Active participation of U.S. experts in international standards forums will be essential to maintaining influence and ensuring global market access for U.S. industries.
• Adapt communication and access models. With agency staff facing restrictions on purchasing standards and even accessing trade publications, SDOs must explore new, public-facing ways to share key information and demonstrate value.

Real-world examples and lessons learned

Hughes shared NEMA’s Make It American™ initiative was developed to help manufacturers comply with the Build America, Buy America (BABA) program. By creating a standards-based framework for compliance, NEMA helped both industry and government navigate domestic content requirements—an example of how SDOs can provide helpful standards-based solutions.

Updyke pointed to uncrewed aircraft systems (aka drones) and commercial spaceflight as promising emerging areas where the federal government is explicitly calling for development of standards to support future regulations. Meanwhile, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and Department of Commerce are seeking to reduce unfair technical barriers to trade in foreign markets, reinforcing the importance of internationally recognized U.S. standards.

Looking Ahead

Participants left the roundtable energized by the discussion and aligned around a shared goal: to proactively position standards as tools that enable innovation, safety, and trade.

The lively exchange highlighted that today’s environment empowers SDOs to step forward with practical, consensus-driven solutions. As one attendee summed it up: “Being nimble is essential—and the standards community is built for exactly that.”