The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking public comment by July 30, 2010 on its draft FY 2011-2015 strategic plan, which helps advance Administrator Jackson’s priorities and the mission to protect human health and the environment. Administrator Jackson’s seven priorities are taking action on climate change, improving air quality, protecting America’s waters, cleaning up communities, assuring the safety of chemicals, expanding the conversation on environmentalism and working for environmental justice, and building strong state and tribal partnerships.
Wrapping up the administration’s first trade mission to the Caribbean, Commerce Department senior adviser and Deputy Chief of Staff Rick Wade stressed that geographical proximity and shared historical and cultural ties make the Dominican Republic and Jamaica prime destinations for U.S. goods and services. Wade led a 10-company U.S. trade mission to the region to promote export opportunities June 13-19.
On June 21, 2010, officials of the U.S. and Switzerland signed an enhanced Open Skies Air Transport Agreement, replacing the previous agreement signed in 1995. The new agreement entered into force upon signature. The new agreement includes all of the essential elements of Open Skies and adds the right for airlines of both countries to operate all-cargo flights to third countries without a connection to the home country. In addition, the new agreement extends to Swiss airlines the opportunity to compete under the “Fly America Act” for certain U.S. government civilian agency-funded passenger and cargo traffic between the United States and Switzerland and between non-U.S. points.
The State Department announces meetings on July 8 and August 11, 2010 of the International Telecommunication Advisory Committee to start preparations for the 2010 Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the 2011 ITU Radiocommunication Sector World Radiocommunication Conference Preparatory Meeting.
The International Trade Administration's U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service is organizing a Trade Mission to Brazil to tap opportunities in the private and public security areas in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and Sao Paulo, which will include representatives from a variety of U.S. safety and security equipment firms.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has posted the prepared remarks of Chief Safety Officer McMurray to the National Association of Small Trucking Companies. McMurray discussed the importance of small trucks, the trucking industry, and safety. McMurray also talked about new enforcement initiatives being undertaken by the FMCSA.
The Office of Management and Budget has approved a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration final rule that would eliminate the requirement for most for-hire motor carriers of property and freight forwarders to maintain cargo insurance in prescribed minimum amounts and file evidence of this insurance with FMCSA. Household goods motor carriers and household goods freight forwarders would continue to be subject to this cargo insurance requirement.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission requests comments on a proposed collection of information regarding burden estimates for the marking and instructional literature requirements in the safety standard for infant walkers. Comments are due by August 20, 2010.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has targeted a financial network of the 48th Front, a part of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, which prohibits U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with these individuals and entities, and freezes any assets they may have under U.S. jurisdiction.
The State Department, World Health Organization, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recently issued the following travel warnings, travel alerts, country specific information sheets, and disease outbreak-related information: