Commerce Dept.

November 13, 2009 -- WASHINGTON -- U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke issued the following statement on the release of the September 2009 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services report by the Commerce Department’s U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Today’s report showed that U.S. exports increased by 2.9 percent to $132.0 billion since August 2009. Imports increased 5.8 percent to $168.4 billion.    » read more »

November 5, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel K. Inouye announced today that the full Senate has approved $74,753,000 for Hawaii commerce, justice and science initiatives including protection for marine wildlife, climate change research, and programs for at-risk, rural youth.

The federal funds for Hawaii-related projects were approved as part of the Fiscal Year 2010 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill.

The bill passed by a vote of 71 to 28, with Chairman Inouye and Senator Daniel K. Akaka supporting the bill. The bill must now face a joint House-Senate Conference and final approval by the Senate and House, before it is transmitted to the White House.    » read more »

Includes $3.8 million Requested by Boxer

November 5, 2009 -- Washington, DC – The U.S. Senate today passed the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill, which includes $3.8 million requested by U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) for key investments throughout California.

Senator Boxer said, “I am so pleased the Senate passed this bill, which will help make Californians safer. It includes crucial investments to fight drugs, combat gang violence and support our first responders.”
These investments include:

Coachella Valley Anti-Gang Task Force Project

Location: Cathedral City, California
Amount Received: $500,000    » read more »

October 28, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - Today, the Obama administration announced a formal Memorandum of Understanding signed between various agencies involved in the siting of large-scale renewable energy projects and transmission lines, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Council on Environmental Quality, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and Department of the Interior.

Statement of Sierra Club Clean Energy Solutions Campaign Director Alex Levinson    » read more »

October 29, 2009 -- "Data released today by the Commerce Department show that real GDP grew at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the third quarter of the year. This is in stark contrast to the decline of 6.4 percent annual rate just two quarters ago. Indeed, the two-quarter swing in the rate of growth of 9.9 percentage points was the largest since 1980. Analysis by both the Council of Economic Advisers and a wide range of private and public-sector forecasters indicate

"s that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 contributed between 3 and 4 percentage points to real GDP growth in the third quarter. This suggests that in the absence of the Recovery Act, real GDP would have risen little, if at all, this past quarter.    » read more »

Fact Sheet

October 29, 2009 -- U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, together with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan, co-chaired the 20th JCCT in Hangzhou, China, on October 28-29, 2009. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack also participated. Other participants included U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) Acting Director Leocadia Zak, and representatives from the Treasury and State Departments.    » read more »

October 14, 2009 -- WASHINGTON—The U.S. Commerce Department’s Census Bureau today released retail sales for September 2009. Retail sales fell 1.5 percent, primarily reflecting a 10.4 percent decline in motor vehicle sales. The drop in total sales was smaller than the decrease of 2.1 percent expected by private analysts.

Gasoline sales rose 1.1 percent, and sales excluding motor vehicles and gasoline increased 0.4 percent. In the third quarter as a whole, total retail sales rose 6.4 percent at an annual rate, and sales excluding the volatile motor vehicle and gasoline components rose 0.6 percent.    » read more »

Recovery Act Funding to Provide Policymakers and Consumers with Improved Data on Internet Service in California, Indiana, North Carolina, and Vermont

October 5, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced that it has awarded the first four grants under NTIA’s State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program to fund activities in California, Indiana, North Carolina, and Vermont.    » read more »

October 1, 2009 -- WASHINGTON—U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke proposed reforms to modernize America’s export controls system, which will enhance national security and increase the competitiveness of U.S. companies, in a speech at the Bureau of Industry and Security’s Update Conference on Export Controls today. The United States export control system seeks to prevent sensitive items from falling into the hands of those who seek to do us harm.    » read more »

Sept. 24, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today unveiled an accelerated plan for developing standards to transform the U.S. power distribution system into a secure, more efficient and environmentally friendly Smart Grid and create clean-energy jobs.

The draft of the report is available at http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/smartgrid_interoperability.p....    » read more »

September 1, 2009 -- WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke welcomes news that, effective today, China will remove the discriminatory taxes it has been imposing on imported auto parts. China had until September 1 to come into compliance with a WTO ruling that China’s auto policies were inconsistent with WTO rules.

The United States, along with Canada and the European Union, had welcomed that ruling. China’s Commerce Ministry and other government agencies announced action today abolishing the discriminatory taxes.    » read more »

Nearly 2,200 Diverse Applications Submitted for Share of $4 Billion in Funding to Expand Broadband Access and Adoption

WASHINGTON, August 27, 2009 - The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announced today that they received almost 2,200 applications requesting nearly $28 billion in funding for proposed broadband projects reaching all 50 U.S. states and territories and the District of Columbia.    » read more »

June 19, 2009 -- MADISON – Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle today announced that Exact Sciences Corporation has received a $1-million loan from the Department of Commerce to relocate its headquarters and operations from Marlboro, Mass., to Madison. The company expects to make a significant investment in its relocated operations, creating as many as 150 jobs over five years, as it achieves its commercial milestones.    » read more »

First designation for a company in India will cut red tape and increase flow of high-technology trade between the two countries

June 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON—Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke today announced an important step forward in the strategic partnership between the United States and India during remarks to the U.S.-India Business Council’s 34th Anniversary “Synergies Summit.”

General Electric India (GE India) has been tapped as the first Indian company to qualify as a validated end-user (VEU) in India, allowing the company to enter a pre-approved, export express lane as a trusted end user.    » read more »

June 16, 2009 -- (Pittsburgh) – This week’s U.S. Commerce Department’s report of the $29 (B) billion April trade deficit highlights the continued threat China poses to a possible economic recovery fueled by a resurgence in industrial manufacturing.

While the 2009 imbalance to date remains below last year’s record pace, China is still responsible for more than half (57%) of the overall U.S. trade deficit in April, the most recent month for which data is available.    » read more »