The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for August 2:

The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for August 1:

The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for July 31:

The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for July 30:

The International Trade Administration is requesting input by Aug. 17 from companies interested in being listed in the U.S. Environmental Solutions Toolkit. Specifically, the companies should be capable of exporting their goods or services relevant to (a) groundwater remediation; (b) mercury emissions control from power plants; (c) emissions control from large marine diesel engines; and (d) nutrient removal from municipal wastewater. The toolkit will be used by foreign environmental officials and foreign end-users of environmental technologies and will outline U.S. approaches to a series of environmental problems and highlight participating U.S. vendors of relevant U.S. technologies. Exporters interested in being listed on the toolkit website are encouraged to submit their company’s name, website address, contact information, and environmental category of interest.

The International Trade Administration is asking for applications for recognition by Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to act as an Accountability Agent for U.S.-based companies that are subject to Federal Trade Commission jurisdiction as part of APEC’s Cross Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) system. The CBPR Accountability Agents are third-party organizations that provide verification services related to the data privacy policies and practices for those businesses seeking CBPR certification. A recognized Accountability Agent would only be able to certify as CBPR compliant those organizations that are subject to the enforcement authority of the Cross-border Privacy Enforcement Arrangement-participating privacy enforcement authorities within the economies in which it has been approved to operate. There is no deadline for applications.

Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank said the U.S. will participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s (APEC) Cross Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) system. This voluntary system promotes a baseline set of data privacy practices for companies doing business in participating APEC economies. The goal of the system is to enhance electronic commerce, facilitate trade and economic growth, and strengthen consumer privacy protections across the Asia Pacific region, Commerce said.

The International Trade Administration’s proposed increase of more than 100% for user fees for trade promotion services would be “a very difficult hurdle for small and medium enterprises,” said Gene Eckhart, senior director-international operations at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), in a public comment regarding the ITA’s June 13 proposed rule.

The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for July 26:

“The Obama administration is committed to encouraging trade and investment with Sub-Saharan Africa, which is a region rich with emerging opportunities for U.S. exporters,” said Francisco Sánchez, under secretary for International Trade, in testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Subcommittee on African Affairs on the International Trade Administration’s efforts to increase U.S. trade and investment with Sub-Saharan Africa.