Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank will become chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in July, she said in an email sent to Commerce employees March 18. Blank said she "is not going anywhere in the near future" and said she looks forward to advancing the department's program and policy issues, in her email. Blank took over as acting secretary after John Bryson took a medical leave of absence last June following reports that he suffered a seizure related to three car accidents. President Barack Obama thanked Blank for her service in a statement Monday (here). Obama did not say who he would nominate as her replacement.
The International Trade Administration is hosting a webinar on the realities and benefits of the U.S. trade promotion agreement with Panama. U.S. Ambassador to Panama Jonathan Farrar, as well as representatives from the International Trade Association and Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency will present. The webinar will be held March 20 from 1-2 p.m. ET. Register (here).
The U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (CS) is planning to lead a trade mission to Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines Sept. 15-21 for exporters in the energy and environmental technologies sectors. The mission will support the “E3 Initiative” announced at the 2012 summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (see 12112009), CS said. Mission participants will be able to schedule meetings with Asian Development Bank officials to explore business opportunities. Each mission stop will also include briefings, networking receptions, and one-on-one business meetings with potential customers, partners and local representatives. Applications to participate are due by Aug. 23, with decisions made on a rolling basis after March 12.
The International Trade Administration will lead a trade policy mission to Hanoi, Vietnam and Beijing and Sanmen, China May 16-23 for the civil nuclear sector. The mission will connect U.S. companies with key contacts in the target markets, and promote U.S. market access in the two countries. Participants will have the option of observing the Association of South East Asian Nations energy cooperation workshop on May 15. Recruitment for the mission will begin immediately and conclude by April 15. The ITA will review applications and make selection decisions on a rolling basis beginning April 20.
The International Trade Administration announced that it is expanding its trade mission to Egypt April 11-16 to include companies from all industries and sectors. Companies that apply by March 14 will be considered. The mission was originally announced in June 2012, and then postponed in February.
The International Trade Administration will lead a June 15-19 trade mission to the Trade Americas - Opportunities in Central America conference in San Jose, Costa Rica. Following the conference, participants will be able to participate in one-on-one business appointments arranged by the ITA. Participants may also choose to participate in stops in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize or Nicaragua after the conference for one-on-one business appointments. Recruitment for the mission will begin immediately and conclude by May 17. The ITA will review applications and make selection decisions on a rolling basis beginning March 15, until the maximum of 30 participants is selected.
The International Trade Administration is asking exporters of goods and services related to landfill standards (here), management of medical waste (here), and management of universal waste (here), to self-identify by March 19 if they are interested in participating in the agency’s U.S. Environmental Solutions Toolkit. Companies that submit their website address, contact information, and business category (as identified in the notice) will be identified on the environmental toolkit website. The environmental toolkit provides information to foreign consumers on solving environmental problems, as well as a catalogue of U.S. producers of green technologies. It also provides exporters with access to services, including market research; export counseling; and financing, the ITA has said.