The U.S. and Trinidad and Tobago have reached a new Open-Skies aviation agreement that is more extensive than the prior agreement. Under the new agreement, airlines from both countries will be allowed to select routes and destinations based on consumer demand for both passenger and cargo services, without limitations. (DOT 87-10, dated 05/04/10, available at http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2010/dot8710.htm)
The Department of Commerce encourages businesses to exhibit at Rebuild Chile 2010, a trade show certified under the DOC Trade Fair Certification Program. The exhibition will be held from June 15-17, 2010 in Santiago, Chile and is the only forum in Chile that targets the rebuilding efforts of the Chilean government's response to the February 2010 earthquake. (release available at http://www.export.gov/eac/show_detail_trade_events.asp?EventID=30896)
The Department of Transportation is seeking public comment to help finalize a new strategic plan, Transportation for a New Generation, that will help set the priorities of the department and offers a blueprint for improving transportation safety, maintaining transportation infrastructure, fostering livable communities, etc. A copy of the plan can be viewed at www.dot.gov. (release 83-10, dated 05/04/10, available at http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2010/dot8310.htm)
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has ruled that the use of hexane (mixed isomers), n-hexane, cyclohexane, heptane, potassium hydroxide, distilled lime oil (Citrus aurantifolia), lemon oil (Citrus limonium), and cornmint oil (Mentha arvensis and Mentha canadensis) are authorized as substitute denaturants. (TTB ruling 2010-3, dated 04/27/10, available at http://www.ttb.gov/rulings/2010-3rule.pdf)
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau will hold two Alcohol Industry Federal Compliance Training seminars in Florida on June 15 (Tampa) and June 17 (Fort Lauderdale). Registration is required and space is limited. (Information available at http://www.ttb.gov/pdf/seminars/florida_seminar.pdf)
The International Trade Commission is announcing a public hearing on July 7, 2010 in connection with the 14th report to Congress on the economic impact of the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) on U.S. industries and U.S. consumers, etc. Pre-hearing comments are due by June 30, 2010, and post-hearing comments are due by July 14, 2010. (ITC notice, FR Pub 05/06/10, available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-10688.pdf)
The International Trade Commission has issued a Federal Register notice on its institution of investigation, "China's Agricultural Trade: Competitive Conditions and Effects on U.S. Exports," and scheduling of a hearing on June 22, 2010. Pre-hearing comments are due by June 3, 2010, and post-hearing comments are due by June 29, 2010. (FR Pub 05/06/10, available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-10650.pdf)
The Department of Agriculure has issued a report that analyzes the role imports have played in stabilizing Afghan wheat prices by mitigating the effects of shortfalls in domestic production and assesses whether Afghanistan’s internal wheat markets are sufficiently connected with international markets to cope with volatility in domestic output. (Report No. WHS-10D-01, dated May 2010, available at http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/WHS/2010/04Apr/WHS10D01/ )
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has announced that representatives from the U.S. and Argentina recently met under the auspices of the U.S.-Argentina Bilateral Council on Trade and Investment. This was the first meeting between the U.S. and Argentina under this mechanism in seven years. The purpose of the meeting was to advance the two countries’ reciprocal trade and investment interests and to strengthen coordination on multilateral trade liberalization efforts. (Notice, dated 04/30/10, available at http://www.ustr.gov/node/5773)
Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade has announced that MDIC and the U.S. Department of Commerce have relaunched the U.S-Brazil Commercial Dialogue, which last met in 2008. Commerce has also issued a press release, stating that the two sides agreed to focus on: innovation/green technology, trade facilitation/business development, intellectual property cooperation, standards and metrology, and services and small- and medium-sized enterprises (MDIC notice, in Portuguese, dated 05/04/10, available at http://www.mdic.gov.br/sitio/interna/noticia.php?area=5¬icia=9795 and DOC notice, dated 05/04/10 available at http://www.trade.gov/press/press-releases/2010/us-brazil-commercial-dialogue-deepens-trade-relations-050410.asp)