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NEMA Expands Make It American™ Certification to Connected Building Systems and Controls

William Attardi on August 8, 2025

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has expanded its Make It American™ certification program to include a new product specification for connected building systems and equipment. These integrated hardware and software platforms, such as HVAC, building automation, and security platforms, are essential technologies for optimizing infrastructure resiliency and performance in the built environment.  NEMA’s Make It American program supports domestic manufacturing by helping companies demonstrate that their manufacturing processes, facilities, and supply chain management systems have undergone rigorous third-party expert audits to meet Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) domestic content rules – providing greater certainty and confidence to manufacturers, government agencies, and procurement officials seeking to source materials with enhanced levels of U.S.-manufactured content.  For more information about NEMA’s Make It American program and the Make It American BABA Registry of certified companies and products, visit here.  NEMA Expands Make It American™ Certification to Connected Building Systems and Controls  – NEMA

NEMA Make It American™ BABA Resource Center

William Attardi on April 30, 2025

NEMA has developed the Make It American Program to help members confidently offer BABA-compliant products to the market. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law —a once in a generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure—included a provision known as the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act, with the intent of ensuring American tax dollars are spent supporting America’s workers, communities, and businesses. This policy, commonly referred to as “BABA”, sets stringent domestic content requirementsfor iron and steel products, manufactured products, and construction materials in all infrastructure projects receiving federal funding with the goal of increasing domestic manufacturing.  Make It American™ – NEMA

The Statue of Liberty was made with copper but due to oxidation, it turned green.

When the “Lady in the Harbor” first arrived in New York in 1886, she didn’t look like the mint-green icon we know today. In fact, for the first twenty years of her life, she stood as a towering, metallic beacon of reddish-gold. Designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and engineered by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the statue was a gift from France to America. To build her, Bartholdi chose copper for three practical reasons:

  • Malleability:It could be hammered into elaborate, thin sheets.
  • Weight:Copper is lighter than stone or bronze, making it easier to ship 350 individual pieces across the Atlantic.
  • Durability:It was strong enough to survive a 27-day ocean voyage and the harsh winds of the harbor.

When she was unveiled on October 28, 1886, her skin—made of 300 copper sheets roughly the thickness of two pennies—shone with a bright, metallic brown luster. The transformation from “penny-colored” to “patina-green” wasn’t planned. Bartholdi actually expected the statue to age into a deeper, darker red. However, the unique environment of New York Harbor—a mix of salt air, moisture, and industrial pollution—triggered a process called oxidation.

The Timeline of Change:

  1. 1886–1900:The bright copper dulled into a dark, muddy brown.
  2. 1903:The first hints of a light green crust, or “patina,” began to appear.
  3. 1906:The color change was so controversial that Congress nearly stepped in. They appropriated $62,000 to paint the statue back to its original color, but the public protested, calling the idea “sacrilege.”
  4. 1910–1920:The statue was a patchy mix of brown and green until 1920, when the oxidation was complete, leaving her entirely teal.

While we now view the green color as iconic, it actually serves a vital structural purpose. The layer of verdigris (the green patina) acts as a protective shield. It seals the copper underneath, preventing the metal from further corrosion and weathering.  By the time the color fully changed, a new generation of immigrants had arrived in America seeing a green statue.