In an article in the Wall Street Journal (May 1,2012) Cass Sunstein, administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, describes steps taken by the US government to harmonize regulations across countries to reduce costs. Examples cited include standardized labeling of chemicals (estimated to save US manufacturers $475 million annually), recognition of “organic” labels between the US and Europe and standardized vehicle emissions recognition with Canada. Will the cost of this standardization always be reduced costs for US manufacturers ? How should these standards be negotiated i.e., should they be done by trade associations or the US government ? Should the US government just focus on cost reduction for both countries, or consider the US employment benefit of unique regulations that foster local manufacturing ?