2007-05-21-Dianne-Feinstein

Got a reply from Dianne Feinstein today. While she doesn't go so far as to actually take a position, it's nice that the letter has real content in it.

Thank you for contacting me to share your thoughts about the need for the United States to convert to the metric system. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue and welcome the opportunity to respond.

In 1975, Congress passed the Metric Conversion Act which was designed to aid the United States in voluntarily converting to the metric system. However, due to resistance from the private sector and the American public, efforts to convert were unsuccessful. In the late 1980s, due to renewed interest, Congress amended the Metric Conversion Act to require all federal agencies to convert to the metric system and to use it in all business-related activities. Since then, several pieces of legislation have been introduced that would require the private sector to convert to the metric system in order to participate in federally-funded programs, but none have been passed into law.

Please know that I will keep your comments in mind should this issue come before the Senate for consideration. Again, thank you for writing to me. If you have any additional comments or questions, please feel free to contact my Washington, D.C. staff at (202) 224-3841 or visit my web site at http://feinstein.senate.gov for further information about my position on issues of concern to California and the Nation. Best regards.