The Department of Commerce is seeking comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections related to Form BE-29, Foreign Ocean Carriers' Expenses, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. Comments are due by Aug. 20 to Christopher Emond, Chief, Special Surveys Branch, Balance of Payments Division, (BE-50), Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230; 202-606-9826 or christopher.emond@bea.gov.

The amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry rose 0.2 percent in April from March, according to the latest Bureau of Transportation Statistics Freight Transportation Services Index, rising after a one-month decline. The April 2012 level was 16.2 percent above the April 2009 low during the recession, it said. But it declined from December 2011, which was the all-time high since 1990 when BTS' TSI records began. BTS said the Freight Index has shown little change since dropping in January from its December peak. Freight shipments are up 0.4 percent in the five years from the pre-recession level of April 2007 and up 10 percent in the 10 years from April 2002, despite declines in recent years, it said.

The Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee will meet July 20 in Washington, DC, said the International Trade Administration. The ITA said the meeting will include discussion of various issues and policies that affect environmental trade, including the harmonization of environmental regulations, standards, and certification programs; analysis of existing environmental goods and services data sources; development of trade promotion programs; and issues related to innovation in the environmental technology sector.

The International Trade Administration is asking for comments on a proposed information collection for determinations of commercial availability of fabrics, yarns, and fibers for the purposes of rules of origin determinations under the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. Comments are due by Aug.14.

The International Trade Administration announced a biotech life sciences trade mission to Australia Oct. 29--Nov. 2 to (i) increase U.S. exports to Australia, (ii) introduce U.S. participants to potential strategic partners, (iii) introduce U.S. participants to industry and government officials in Australia to learn about various opportunities, and (iv) to educate the participants about trade policy and regulatory matters involved in doing business in Australia. The mission will include site visit(s) to prominent biotech organizations, government meetings, and briefings and receptions during the AusBiotech National Conference in Melbourne, Australia. Recruitment for the mission will begin immediately and selection decisions will be made on a rolling basis until 10-12 participants are selected. Applications will be accepted through July 15.

International Trade Administration proposed to increase user fees for some U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service programs and reduce the discount offered to small and medium-sized enterprises for such programs. The ITA said it is taking this action after a study concluded that the US&FCS is not covering its costs.

The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for June 12:

The International Trade Administration announced a partnership with Cintermex, a trade show organizer in Monterrey, Mexico, to coordinate export promotion training with Cintermex’s clients. The ITA said Cintermex will identify Nuevo Leon companies keen on sourcing to the U.S., and work to jointly develop trade fairs that match targeted industry sector buyers from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Foreign Trade Zones Board announced details of another outreach event July 17 to provide training and enable discussion about the new FTZ regulations in Chicago. At the event, FTZB will provide general training open to anyone, including grantees, and will cover a range of provisions of the new regulations in the first session. A second outreach session for officials of grantee organizations will focus on regulatory provisions that have a direct impact on the grantee role. RSVPs are required by July 13.

The Census Bureau released its report on “Ownership Characteristics of Classifiable U.S. Exporting Firms: 2007,” which details selected economic and demographic characteristics of U.S. businesses and their owners by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status. The report was compiled from the 2007 Survey of Business Owners, which is part of the Census Bureau's five-yearly Economic Census, and the 2007 Profile of U.S. Exporting Companies, which is an annual database of commingled U.S. exports and business characteristics compiled from Electronic Export Information filed through the Automated Export System, received from Canada through the Data Exchange, or by paper Shipper's Export Declarations. Full report is available here. Highlights of the report are available here.