The Commerce Department's Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) corrected the quantity of imports eligible for preferential treatment under the regional fabric provision of the Andean Trade Preference Act, it said in a Federal Register notice scheduled for Oct. 23. The original notice published Oct. 1 incorrectly listed the quantity of imports eligible for preferential treatment to be 1,341,030,128 articles. The actual amount is 1,239,899,947, it said. (See ITT's Online Archives 12100136).
The Department of Commerce is seeking applications by Nov. 9 to attend a roundtable on renewable energy in Tokyo on Dec. 3. The ITA will accept 20-25 applicants. The application period begins Oct. 25. According to the ITA, The dialog will provide an opportunity for Japanese policy-makers to benefit from the viewpoints of U.S. clean energy companies and those companies to be able to learn more about the policy and regulatory landscape for renewable energy developing in Japan at this time. Following the roundtable, the delegation will travel to Fukushima Prefecture and Sendai for site visits to learn the current condition of reconstruction following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
The International Trade Administration plans a conference Dec. 4 on trade issues impacting the U.S. machinery manufacturing industries. At the conference in Washington, D.C., the ITA will discuss significant trade barriers facing U.S. machinery manufacturer exporters in foreign market destinations.
The International Trade Administration will lead a renewable energy and energy efficiency trade mission to Chile April 15-16, 2013. The trade mission will directly precede the International Fair of Technologies, which will be held in Chile on April 17-19, 2013. The mission will focus on: (1) creating a policy environment conducive to growth in Chile’s renewable energy and energy efficiency market; and (2) introducing U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency exporters to key Chilean Government officials. The mission will promote the competitiveness of U.S. wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, hydropower, waste-to-energy, smart grid, and energy efficiency exporters, the ITA said. Recruitment for the mission will begin immediately and conclude by March 1, 2013. The ITA said it will review applications and make selection decisions on a rolling basis.
The Commerce Department will hold the first meeting of a new Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness on Oct. 19 in Washington, D.C., it said. The committee, comprised of 40 senior-level private sector representatives of multiple industries and supply chain experts appointed by the Secretary of Commerce, will advise the Secretary, the U.S. Department of Transportation and other U.S. agencies on supply chain issues that affect the international competitiveness of U.S. businesses. Committee members represent supply chain firms, associations, stakeholders, community organizations, and experts from academia. The DOT Secretary Ray LaHood and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson will serve on the Committee as non-voting members.