Home | Bookmark |


Government

Government News. Valuable information source updated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Brand new articles everyday.

Main > Government

Other Government Sites







Submit your site or blog or
nominate a blog or site for an award





Latest Government News from Various Departments




Buy Articles as SEO Content

Did you know you can improve your search engine rankings by providing optimized articles and placing them on your site?

Buy Articles for Higher Search Engine Rankings

So, you want to rank on the first page of Google. Well, who doesn't? You've pumped your web site full of keywords - even hired some know-it-all search engine optimization specialists to work a little magic. Still, you're just not getting the results you're looking for. So, what's the answer?

Freelance Writer

Professional, high-quality professional writing. Article writer, web content writer, resume writer, copy editor, business writer, travel writer, biography writer, financial writer, etc.


[CaRP] XML error: Undeclared entity warning at line 254 - This appears to be an HTML webpage, not a feed.

California Firm Recalls Prepared Sandwiches that Contain Hard-Cooked Eggs

GH Foods CA, LLC was notified by their supplier that the eggs supplied to them were from Michael Foods, Inc, who recalled Hard-Cooked eggs due to potential contamination by Listeria monocytogenes. GH Foods CA, LLC, Sacramento, California, is therefore recalling sandwiches, associated with the affected eggs, due to potential contamination of Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and individuals with weakened immune systems.

Greencore, USA â?? Cincinnati, Recalls Egg Salad Sandwiches with Brand Name Q...

Greencore, USA is recalling approximately 550 pounds of egg salad sandwiches. The sandwiches contain eggs manufactured by Michael Foods Inc that are the subject of a previous recall due to possible contamination with Listeria Monocytogenes.

Allisonâ??s Gourmet Kitchens Recalls Prepared Salads that Contain Hard Cooked...

Allisonâ??s Gourmet Kitchens was notified by their egg supplier, Michael Foods, Inc. that they are recalling numerous lots of their hard cooked eggs due to the potential for contamination by Listeria monocytogenes. Some of these eggs were introduced into our process to manufacture these effected products.

Bedford Laboratories Issues A Voluntary Nationwide Patient Level Recall Of Ac...

Bedford Laboratories, today issues updated guidance on the following nationwide voluntary product recall originally initiated on December 20, 2011

Best Practices of State Bullying Policies

Secretary Duncan issued a technical assistance memo highlighting key components of strong state bullying laws and policies.

New Board Members for Postsecondary Improvement Fund

Secretary Duncan announced 13 new board members for the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE).

International Student Assessment

"Being average in reading and science—and below average in math—is not nearly good enough," Secretary Duncan said in response to results from the Program for International Student Assessment.

Passage of the Child Nutrition Bill

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act will "help schools fight our country's childhood obesity epidemic and give students access to the nutritional food they need to help them learn," Secretary Duncan said.

U.S. Politics and Elections: Democracy in Action

Feb. 3: Approximately 140 first-year Fulbright Foreign Students from over 80 countries will participate in seminars focused on the theme, "U.S. Politics and Elections: Democracy in Action."

U.S.-Brazil Education Cooperation Partnership

Feb. 3: Presidents Obama and Rousseff share a commitment to promoting an innovative U.S.-Brazil education partnership to meet the needs of a 21st-century workforce.

Burma at the Turning Point

Assistant Secretary Posner (Feb. 2): "The news out of Burma has been much more hopeful, as the government has taken a series of actions to change course after years of isolation and human rights abuses."

Secretary Clinton Travels to Germany and Bulgaria

Senior State Department Official (Feb. 3): "The Secretary is attending what I think is the 48^th meeting of the Munich Security Conference, a big gathering of leaders not just from across Europe but now globally."

Mercury Transits Sun

Mark your calendar: On Wednesday, November 8, the planet Mercury will pass directly in front the Sun.

Houston, We Have a Solution

New research aboard the space station aims to adapt a tried-and-true repair tool to weightlessness.

Membranes on Mars

New membranes developed by NASA-funded researchers could help people go to Mars--and clean the air here on Earth.

Spooky Atomic Clocks

NASA-supported researchers hope to improve high-precision clocks by entangling their atoms.

Small Business GDP: Update 2002-2010

Landing page summary: 

U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) is the market value of the goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States. This research takes each component of private nonfarm GDP and estimates the proportions produced by small and large businesses. This study is another installment in the series of studies sponsored by the Office of Advocacy on small businesses’ contributions to GDP, the most recent of which was published in 2007. The report finds that small businesses continue to be vital contributors to the U.S. economy, producing 46 percent of private nonfarm GDP in 2008 (the most recent year of data).

Full Report

Research Summary

read more


Letter dated 01/21/12 - Office of Federal Procurement Policy

Landing page summary: 

The Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) of the U.S. Small Business Administration submits this request for a review of current acquisition policies and practices regarding the acquisition tool of reverse auctions and the impact of such policies and practices on small businesses.

 

January 21, 2012

 

Lesley Field

Acting Administrator

Office of Federal Procurement  Policy

read more


2011 Small Business Profiles for the States and Territories

Landing page summary: 

The economic condition of small businesses in the United States is captured in the latest edition of the  Small Business Profiles for the States and Territories. This annual publication from the Office of Advocacy provides information on the demographics of business ownership, employment, industry composition, and small business income, for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The publication provides available limited data on the U.S. territories.

 

 

The economic condition of small businesses in the United States is captured in the latest edition of the  Small Business Profiles for the States and Territories.

read more


Measuring the Uninsured by Firm Size and Employment Status: Variation in Heal...

Landing page summary: 

This study: (1) evaluates alternative data sources that can be used to produce estimates of the number of the uninsured by firm size, and (2) focuses on the March Current Population Surveys from 1988 to 1992 to obtain estimates of the insured and uninsured by firm size and economic and demographic characteristics.

 


Small Business

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

read more



Agricultural Productivity in the United States

Increased productivity is the main contributor to growth in U.S. agriculture. This data set provides estimates of productivity growth in the U.S. farm sector over the period 1948-2009, and estimates of the growth and relative levels of productivity across the individual States for the 1960-2004 period.

Major Land Uses

The Major Land Uses (MLU) series is the longest running, most comprehensive accounting of all major uses of public and private land in the United States. The series was started in 1945, and has since been published about every 5 years, coinciding with the Census of Agriculture. The United States has a total land area of nearly 2.3 billion acres. In 2007, the major land uses were forestland at 671 million acres (30 percent); grassland pasture and rangeland at 614 million (27 percent); cropland at 408 million (18 percent); special uses (primarily parks and wildlife areas) at 313 million acres (14 percent); miscellaneous uses (like tundra or swamps) at 197 million acres (9 percent); and urban land at 61 million acres (3 percent). The annual cropland portion of the series has been consistently maintained since 1910 and has recently been updated through 2011.

Monthly Milk Cost of Production

National monthly milk cost-of-production estimates are released during the last week of each month. Annual milk cost-of-production estimates are available by State and by size of operation starting in 2005.

Food Price Outlook, 2012

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for food is probably the most widely used indicator of changes in retail food prices. ERS regularly updates food price forecasts for the short-term period. The CPI for all food is projected to increase 2.5 to 3.5 percent in 2012. ERS’s food price outlook is available for December 2011.

Ashok Gadgil's Physics in Service to the World

Ashok Gadgil, Director of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division at DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, already knew he wanted to be a scientist when he was nine years old.

Fuel for fusion: Innovations support US ITER systems

The Fusion Pellet Fueling Lab at DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been at the center of design and testing of plasma fueling systems for tokamak research applications for decades.

SRNL research paves way for portable power systems

Developments by hydrogen researchers at DOE's Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) are paving the way for the successful development of' portable power systems with capacities that far exceed the best batteries available today.' SRNL's advances in the use of alane, a lightweight material for storing hydrogen, may be the key that unlocks the development of portable fuel cell systems that meet the needs for both military and commercial portable power applications.

Weather deserves medal for clean air during 2008 Olympics

New research suggests that China's impressive feat of cutting Beijing's pollution up to 50 percent for the 2008 Summer Olympics had some help from Mother Nature.



President Obama's State of the Union Address Touts Clean Energy

President Obama's annual State of the Union address included proposals for clean energy tax credits, a clean energy standard, and energy efficiency assistance for manufacturers and businesses. The president also announced two initiatives to advance the deployment of clean energy technologies.

DOE Solar Decathlon 2013 Moves to California

Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced the 20 teams, representing 13 states and Washington, D.C. plus 3 foreign countries, that will compete U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013, which will be held in California for the first time.

DOE Launches New Round of America's Top Energy Innovator

DOE has announced the launch of the second year of its "America's Next Top Energy Innovator" program, which cuts fees and paperwork for start-ups licensing DOE laboratory technologies.

Vote Now For America's Next Top Energy Innovator

Voting is underway in DOE's "America's Next Top Energy Innovator" challenge. A public vote and expert review will select the top start-up companies.


[CaRP] XML error: XML_ERR_NAME_REQUIRED at line 11 -

New Forest Service program encourages growth of community forests and economies

The USDA Forest Service today published the implementation rules for the Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program, which encourages the creation of community forests and fosters rural economies.

Forest Service Report Documents Environmental Benefits of Wood as a Green Bui...

The findings of a new U.S. Forest Service study indicate that wood should factor as a primary building material in green building, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today.

US Forest Service urges five-year extension of Secure Rural Schools Act

The 2012 President's Budget proposes a five-year-extension of the act that provides funding to historically forest-dependent communities that have been impacted over the last several decades by downturns in the forest-products industry.

USDA Forest Service launches expanded Fall Colors 2011 website

Fall Colors 2011 is underway with the U.S. Forest Service leading the charge to urge people to get outdoors, spend time in rural communities, and enjoy one of nature's most spectacular seasons.

WEEKLY ADDRESS: It?s Time for Congress to Act to Help Responsible Homeowners

Release Time:  For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON, DC—In this week’s address, President Obama continued his call for a return to American values, including fairness and equality, as part of his blueprint for an economy built to last.  This is why the President is sending Congress his plan to give responsible homeowners the chance to save thousands of dollars on their mortgages by refinancing at historically low rates without adding a cent to the deficit.  The housing crisis has been the single largest drag on the recovery, and although the Administration’s actions have helped responsible homeowners refinance their mortgages and stay in their homes, Congress must act now to do more to continue assisting homeowners and the economy.  President Obama asks all Americans to tell their elected officials to pass this plan to keep more families in their homes and more neighborhoods thriving and whole.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
Saturday, February 4, 2012

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been traveling around the country and talking with folks about my blueprint for an economy built to last.  It’s a blueprint that focuses on restoring the things we’ve always done best.  Our strengths.  American manufacturing.  American energy.  The skills and education of American workers. 

And most importantly, American values like fairness and responsibility. 

We know what happened when we strayed from those values over the past decade – especially when it comes to our housing market.

Lenders sold loans to families who couldn’t afford them.  Banks packaged those mortgages up and traded them for phony profits.  It drove up prices and created an unsustainable bubble that burst – and left millions of families who did everything right in a world of hurt.

It was wrong.  The housing crisis has been the single biggest drag on our recovery from the recession.  It has kept millions of families in debt and unable to spend, and it has left hundreds of thousands of construction workers out of a job.

But there’s something even more important at stake.  I’ve been saying this is a make-or-break moment for the middle class.  And the housing crisis struck right at the heart of what it means to be middle-class in this country: owning a home.  Raising our kids.  Building our dreams.

Right now, there are more than 10 million homeowners in this country who, because of a decline in home prices that is no fault of their own, owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth.  Now, it is wrong for anyone to suggest that the only option for struggling, responsible homeowners is to sit and wait for the housing market to hit bottom.  I don’t accept that.  None of us should.

That’s why we launched a plan a couple years ago that’s helped nearly one million responsible homeowners refinance their mortgages and save an average of $300 on their payments each month.  Now, I’ll be the first to admit it didn’t help as many folks as we’d hoped.  But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep trying.

That’s why I’m sending Congress a plan that will give every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgages by refinancing at historically low rates.  No more red tape.  No more endless forms.  And a small fee on the largest financial institutions will make sure it doesn’t add a dime to the deficit.

I want to be clear: this plan will not help folks who bought a house they couldn’t afford and then walked away from it.  It won’t help folks who bought multiple houses just to turn around and sell them. 

What this plan will do is help millions of responsible homeowners who make their payments every month, but who, until now, couldn’t refinance because their home values kept dropping or they got wrapped up in too much red tape.

But here’s the catch.  In order to lower mortgage payments for millions of Americans, we need Congress to act.  They’re the ones who have to pass this plan.  And as anyone who has followed the news in the last six months can tell you, getting Congress to do anything these days is not an easy job.

That’s why I’m going to keep up the pressure on Congress to do the right thing.  But I also need your help.  I need your voice.  I need everyone who agrees with this plan to get on the phone, send an email, tweet, pay a visit, and remind your representatives in Washington who they work for.  Tell them to pass this plan.  Tell them to help more families keep their homes, and more neighborhoods stay vibrant and whole. 

The truth is, it will take time for our housing market to recover.  It will take time for our economy to fully bounce back.  But there are steps we can take, right now, to move this country forward.  That’s what I promise to do as your President, and I hope Members of Congress will join me.

Thank you, and have a great weekend.


President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

Release Time:  For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Bill Baer – Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division, Department of Justice Marcilynn A. Burke – Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, Department of the Interior Joseph Jordan – Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget John Norris – Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Heidi Shyu – Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, Department of Defense

The President also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Milton Irvin – Member, President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities George B. Walker, Jr. – Member, President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities

President Obama said, “I am proud that such experienced and committed individuals have agreed to serve the American people in these important roles.  I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Bill Baer, Nominee for Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division, Department of Justice
Bill Baer is the chair of the Antitrust Practice Group at Arnold and Porter LLP.  He joined Arnold and Porter in 1980, becoming a partner at the firm in 1983.   In his practice, Mr. Baer represents a broad range of companies in U.S. and international cartel investigations, mergers and acquisition reviews, and in antitrust litigation.   From 1995 to 1999, he served as the Director for the Bureau of Competition at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).  Mr. Baer began his legal career in 1975 as a trial attorney for the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the FTC.  Mr. Baer holds a B.A. from Lawrence University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School.

Marcilynn A. Burke, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, Department of the Interior
Marcilynn A. Burke has served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management at the Department of the Interior (DOI) since July 2011 and as Deputy Director of the Bureau of Land Management since August 2009.   Prior to serving in these positions at DOI, Ms. Burke was a tenured Associate Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center where she taught natural resources, land use management, environmental, and property law.  Before she began her teaching career, Ms. Burke was an associate at the law firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen, & Hamilton.  She earned her A.B. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her J.D. from Yale University.

Joseph Jordan, Nominee for Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget
Joseph Jordan is currently Senior Advisor to Office of Management and Budget Acting Director Jeffrey Zients, a position he has held since December 2011. Between 2009 and 2011, Mr. Jordan served as Associate Administrator for Government Contracting and Business Development at the Small Business Administration (SBA). Prior to joining SBA, Mr. Jordan was an Engagement Manager with McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm.  At McKinsey, he specialized in developing purchasing and supply management strategies for clients across several industries. He also worked with the firm’s public sector practice, advising state governments on how to cut costs and capture efficiencies.   In 2000, Mr. Jordan helped build and manage operations of Backwire, a web-based publisher-marketer. When the company was purchased by Leap Wireless, he transitioned to become Leap’s project manager for strategic planning and product development. From 1998 to 2000, Mr. Jordan worked as an Associate Producer on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews.  Mr. Jordan received his B.A. from The College of the Holy Cross and an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business Administration.

John Norris, Nominee for Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
John Norris is a Commissioner at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), a position he has held since December 2009.  Over the past 10 years, Mr. Norris has also been involved in numerous local, regional, and national energy related boards and organizations.  Before his appointment to FERC, he was Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  From 2005 to 2009, Mr. Norris served as Chairman of the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB).   Prior to joining IUB, he served as Chief of Staff and Energy Advisor to Governor Tom Vilsack, Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Leonard Boswell, and owned and managed a restaurant in Greenfield, Iowa.  Mr. Norris received a B.A. in Political Science from Simpson College and a J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law.

Heidi Shyu, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, Department of Defense
Heidi Shyu has served as Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology (ALT) since June 2011, and as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for ALT since November 2010.  Prior to joining the Administration, Ms. Shyu worked for the Raytheon Company from 1997 to 2010.  During that time, she held several leadership positions including Vice President of Technology Strategy for Space and Airborne Systems (2009-2010), Corporate Vice President of Technology and Research (2007-2009), Vice President and Technical Director for Space and Airborne Systems (2004-2007), and Vice President of Unmanned and Reconnaissance Systems (2002-2003).   Prior to working at Raytheon, Ms. Shyu worked for Hughes Aircraft Company (1992-1997), Litton (1990-1991), and Grumman Aerospace (1989-1990).  She began her career in 1978 as an Engineer for Hughes Aircraft Company.  Ms. Shyu holds a B.S. from University of New Brunswick in Canada, an M.S. from the University of Toronto, and an M.S.E.E. from University of California, Los Angeles.

President Obama also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Milton Irvin, Appointee for Member, President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Milton Irvin is currently Chair of the Advisory Board for Castle Oak Securities, L.P.  In January 2012, Mr. Irvin retired from UBS AG where he had been a Managing Director and the Americas’ Head of Diversity and Inclusion since 2002.  Before working at UBS, Mr. Irvin served as President and COO of Imbot.com, from 2000 to 2002, and Blaylock & Partners L.P., from 1998 to 1999.  Mr. Irvin began his career as a corporate lending officer at Chase Manhattan Bank, and then spent 20 years at Salomon Brothers, holding numerous positions including Managing Director and Head of Generalist Sales.  Mr. Irvin currently serves on the Wharton Graduate Advisory Board, the Board of the Harlem School of the Arts, and LEAD, a non-profit that unites colleges and universities with corporations to encourage minority high school students to explore careers in business, science, engineering, and technology.  In 1994, President Clinton appointed Mr. Irvin to the Advisory Committee of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation for which he served as chairman from 1995 to 1997.  Mr. Irvin earned his B.S. from the United States Merchant Marine Academy and his M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Reverend George B. Walker, Jr., Appointee for Member, President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities
The Reverend George B. Walker, Jr. is the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Victory Institute (“Victory”), a position he has held since October 2011. From 2008 to 2011, Reverend Walker was the Vice President of Leadership Initiatives at Victory.  Before joining Victory, Reverend Walker worked at the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy as the Development Director from 2006 to 2008; the Human Rights Campaign as Major Gifts Officer from 2004 to 2006; and the Center for Community Change, where he was Deputy Operations Director from 2003 to 2004 and Director of Evaluation from 2001 to 2003.  From 1994 to 1996, Reverend Walker worked as a volunteer for the U.S. Peace Corps.  He later served as Associate Director of the Peace Development Fund from 1998 to 2001.  Reverend Walker is the recipient of the U.S. Peace Corps’ Franklin H. Williams Award, the German Marshall Memorial Fellowship, and the Pipeline Project’s 21st Century Leadership Fellowship.  Reverend Walker holds a B.A. from Morehouse College and an M.Div. from the Divinity School at Duke University.


President Obama Announces Another Key Administration Post

Release Time:  For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key Administration post:

Jeremiah O. Norton – Member, Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key Administration post:

Jeremiah O. Norton, Nominee for Member, Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Jeremiah O. Norton is currently an Executive Director of J.P. Morgan Securities, LLC.  In this role, Mr. Norton advises financial institutions on mergers and acquisitions and other corporate finance transactions.  Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, Mr. Norton served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions Policy at the Department of the Treasury from 2007 to 2009.  In that role, he led the Department’s office that developed, analyzed, and coordinated policies on legislative and regulatory issues affecting financial institutions.  Additionally, he oversaw the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program. Prior to his time at the U.S. Treasury, Mr. Norton served on the legislative staff of Representative Edward R. Royce as the primary advisor on banking and insurance issues.  Prior to joining Representative Royce, Mr. Norton worked in the Financial Institutions and Governments investment banking group at J.P. Morgan.  Mr. Norton received an A.B. in Economics from Duke University, and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.


U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk Announces U.S. Victory in Challenge to Chi...

Release Time:  For Immediate Release Washington, D.C. – U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk today announced that the World Trade Organization (WTO) Appellate Body found China’s export restraints on several industrial raw materials used as key components in the steel, aluminum, and chemicals industries to be inconsistent with China’s WTO obligations. The Appellate Body affirmed a WTO dispute settlement panel’s July 2011 finding, therefore agreeing with the United States and rejecting China’s attempts to portray its export restraints as conservation or environmental protection measures or measures taken to manage critical shortages of supply.

“Today’s report is a tremendous victory for the United States – particularly its manufacturers and workers,” Ambassador Kirk said. “The Obama Administration will continue to ensure that China and every other country play by the rules so that U.S. workers and companies can compete and succeed on a level playing field. During his State of the Union Address last week, the President laid out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last – an economy built with the renewed strength of American manufacturing. Today’s decision ensures that core manufacturing industries in this country can get the materials they need to produce and compete on a level playing field.”

The export restraints challenged in this dispute include export quotas and export duties, as well as related minimum export price, export licensing, and export quota administration requirements. The raw materials at issue include various forms of bauxite, coke, fluorspar, magnesium, manganese, silicon carbide, silicon metal, yellow phosphorus, and zinc. Export restraints on these types of industrial products can skew the playing field against the United States and other countries in the production and export of numerous steel, aluminum and chemical, and a wide range of other products. They can artificially increase world prices for these raw materials while artificially lowering prices for Chinese producers. This enables China’s domestic producers to produce lower-priced products from the raw materials and thereby creates significant advantages for China’s producers when competing against U.S. and other producers, both in China’s market and other countries’ markets. Such export restraints can also create substantial pressure on foreign producers to move their operations and, as a result, their technologies to China.

The European Union and Mexico joined the United States as co-complainants in the dispute. Upon a U.S. request, the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) will adopt the panel and Appellate Body reports within 30 days and call for China to bring its measures into compliance with its WTO obligations.  

BACKGROUND

On June 23, 2009, the United States requested WTO dispute settlement consultations with China regarding export restraints maintained by China on various forms of bauxite, coke, fluorspar, magnesium, manganese, silicon carbide, silicon metal, yellow phosphorus, and zinc. On the same day, the European Union also requested consultations with China. On August 21, 2009, a third WTO Member, Mexico, requested consultations with China. On December 21, 2009, a single WTO panel was established to examine the three complaints. Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Japan, Korea, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Chinese Taipei, and Turkey joined as third parties in the dispute.

The panel found that the export duties and export quotas that China maintains on various forms of bauxite, coke, fluorspar, magnesium, manganese, silicon carbide, silicon metal, and zinc constitute a breach of WTO rules and that China failed to justify those measures as legitimate conservation measures, environmental protection measures, or short supply measures. The panel also found that China’s imposition of minimum export price, export licensing, and export quota administration requirements on these materials, as well as China’s failure to publish certain measures related to these requirements, is inconsistent with WTO rules.

On August 31, 2011, China appealed certain aspects of the panel’s report. On September 6, 2011, the United States and its co-complainants filed limited cross appeals on certain procedural and other findings made by the panel. A hearing took place before the WTO’s Appellate Body on November 7-9, 2011. In its report, the Appellate Body rejected China’s appeal and confirmed that: China may not seek to justify its imposition of export duties pursuant to the exceptions provided in Article XX of the GATT 1994; China failed to demonstrate that certain of its export quotas were justified as measures for preventing or relieving a critical shortage under Article XI:2(a) of the GATT 1994; and the Panel correctly made recommendations for China to bring its measures into conformity with its WTO obligations. The Appellate Body also found that the Panel erred: in making findings related to licensing and administration claims identified in Section III of the U.S. panel request, declaring those findings moot; and in the Panel’s legal interpretation of one element of the exception set forth in Article XX(g) of the GATT 1994 (China did not appeal the Panel’s conclusion that China had failed to establish a defense under Article XX(g)).

Office of the United States Trade Representative

Weekly Address: It?s Time for Congress to Act to Help Responsible Homeowners

President Obama continues his call for a return to American values, including fairness and equality, as part of his blueprint for an economy built to last. 

Weekly Address: America is Open for Business

President Obama tells the American people about a series of steps he's taken without the help of Congress to grow the economy and create jobs -- including a new strategy aimed at boosting tourism introduced this week. In next week's State of the Union Address, the President will outline his blueprint for creating an economy built to last.

Helping American Businesses Succeed

President Obama discusses steps he's taking to ensure that more goods and products stamped "Made in America" are sold in the United States and around the world.

Weekly Address: Continuing to Grow the Economy in the New Year

President Obama shares his New Year's resolution: doing whatever it takes to move the economy forward and ensure that middle class families regain the security they've lost in the last decade.

Personal Income and Outlays, December 2011

Personal income increased $61.3 billion, or 0.5 percent, and disposable personal income (DPI) increased $47.1 billion, or 0.4 percent, in December, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) decreased $2.0 billion, or less than 0.1 percent. In November, personal income increased $7.4 billion, or 0.1 percent, DPI decreased $4.1 billion, or less than 0.1 percent, and PCE increased $11.4 billion, or 0.1 percent, based on revised estimates.Full Text

Gross Domestic Product, 4th quarter and Annual 2011 (advance estimate)

Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States -- increased at an annual rate of 2.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011 (that is, from the third quarter to the fourth quarter), according to the "advance" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 1.8 percent. Full Text

U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, November 2011

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the Department of Commerce, announced today that total November exports of $177.8 billion and imports of $225.6 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of $47.8 billion, up from $43.3 billion in October, revised. November exports were $1.5 billion less than October exports of $179.4 billion. November imports were $2.9 billion more than October imports of $222.6 billion.Full Text

Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts, 3rd quarter 2011

Real spending on travel and tourism decreased at an annual rate of 1.0 percent in the third quarter of 2011 after increasing 3.2 percent (revised) in the second quarter.Full Text

FDA and industry reach agreement in principle on medical device user fees

The FDA and representatives from the medical device industry have reached an agreement in principle on proposed recommendations for the third reauthorization of a medical device user fee program. The recommendations would authorize the FDA to collect $595 million in user fees over five years, plus adjustments for inflation. Details of the agreement, such as the fee structure, are expected to be finalized soon.

FDA approves Gleevec for expanded use in patients with rare gastrointestinal ...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today granted Gleevec (imatinib) regular approval for use in adult patients following surgical removal of CD117-positive gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Today?s action also highlights an increase in overall patient survival when the drug is taken for 36 months rather than the standard 12 months of treatment.

FDA approves Kalydeco to treat rare form of cystic fibrosis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Kalydeco (ivacaftor) for the treatment of a rare form of cystic fibrosis (CF) in patients ages 6 years and older who have the specific G551D mutation in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator (CFTR) gene.

FDA takes action against New York cheese manufacturer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is asking a federal court to prevent a New York cheese manufacturer from operating because of a history of unsanitary conditions and producing cheese in a facility contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria.

November 2011 Surface Trade with Canada and Mexico Rose 12.7 Percent from Nov...

Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American neighbors, Canada and Mexico, was 12.7 percent higher in November 2011 than in November 2010, totaling $76.7 billion (Table 1), according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Pocket Guide to Transportation 2012

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), has published the Pocket Guide to Transportation 2012 - a quick reference guide to significant transportation data.

Interactive State Transportation Facts and Figures

The Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today released State Transportation Facts and Figures, an interactive web transportation mapping application that allows customers to find state-by-state transportation data, comparisons and rankings as well as gives them the ability to download state transportation information.

3rd-Quarter 2011 Domestic Air Fares Rose 6.2% from 3rd Quarter 2010

Average domestic air fares rose to $361 in the third quarter of 2011, up 6.2 percent from the average fare of $340 in the third quarter of 2010 (Table 1), the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today. Cincinnati had the highest average fare, $488, while Atlantic City, NJ, had the lowest, $167.




Arts and Entertainment - Funny Videos - Movie Reviews - Automotive - Career and Jobs - Investing - Games - Farming - Computers - Dating - Fitness - Medicine - Education - Comics - Business Economy - Environment - Finance - Government - Health - Bodybuilding - Music - Music Downloads - Music Videos - News - Travel Recreation - Pets - Philosophy - Sports - Science - Celebrity - Christian - History - Law - Military - HCB Information Blog


Copyright Highclassblogs.com
Fun Cool Stuff