U.S firms must report data on certain contracts for the sale of defense articles and services and information on offsets transactions by June 15, the Bureau of Industry and Security said. U.S. firms are required to report information on contracts for the sale of defense articles or defense services to foreign countries or firms that are subject to offsets agreements exceeding $5 million in value. Offsets are compensation practices required as a condition of purchase, in government-to-government or commercial sales of defense articles or services. U.S. firms are also required to report information on offsets transactions completed in performance of existing offsets commitments, for which offsets credit of $250,000 or more has been claimed from the foreign representative. The Department of Commerce releases an annual report to Congress with a summary of this information. Firms should report data from 2012 contracts, the Bureau said.

The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for April 9:

The Bureau of Industry and Security's Emerging Technology and Research Advisory Committee (ETRAC) will hold a partially public meeting on April 25-26. The Committee advises the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Export Administration on emerging technology and research activities, including those related to deemed exports. The meeting will be at the Herbert Hoover Building, 14th Street N.W., Washington D.C. beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET both days. Those wishing to attend via teleconference should email Yvette.Springer@bis.doc.gov by April 18. There are also a limited number of seats available for the public session.

U.S. implementation of a World Trade Organization ruling on the use of the dolphin-safe label on tuna products doesn't go far enough, said the Campaign for Eco-Safe Tuna. The group said the current dolphin-safe label fails to adequately ensure consumers that no dolphins were harmed in the capture of tuna bearing the label. While the draft regulations proposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Commerce acknowledge this reality, they don't protect dolphins or provide consumers with accurate information, the campaign said.

The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for April 8:

The Bureau of Industry and Security denied export privileges to the following individuals, it reported April 2:

The National Marine Fisheries Service issued final regulations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to govern the unintentional taking of marine mammals, by harassment, incidental to port construction and operations related to liquified natural gas imports. The specific rules are for the Port Dolphin Deepwater Port in the Gulf of Mexico, for the period of about June 2013 through May 2018, it said.

The International Trade Administration’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee will meet May 1 at 9:30 a.m. ET to discuss ideas for improving the competitiveness of U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency exporters in foreign markets. The meeting will take place in Washington, D.C. Requests to attend are due by April 26. Written comments must be also be received by that date to be considered.

The International Trade Administration said it will lead a legal services trade mission to China Sept. 16-18. According to the ITA, the mission will introduce law firms without a presence in China to the Chinese market, market U.S. legal services to Chinese companies and individuals, and raise awareness about the U.S. legal and business climate to Chinese companies interested in doing business in the U.S. market. The trade mission will stop in Beijing and Shanghai. Recruitment for the mission will begin immediately and end by Aug. 16. The ITA will begin reviewing applications on a rolling basis beginning April 15.

Led by decreasing imports of industrial supplies and materials, the U.S. international trade deficit in goods and services decreased to $43 billion in February, according to the Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis. That’s a slight decline from January’s $44.5 billion goods and services deficit, the Bureau reported in its U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services Report for February 2013. Both exports and imports increased for the month, but exports had the upper hand: February exports were $186 billion, around a $2 billion increase over January’s number. February imports increased by $ 0.1 billion. The increase in exports of goods included $1.8 billion in industrial supplies and materials, plus other smaller increases in other goods and automotive vehicles, parts and engines. There was also a $2.6 billion decrease in imports of industrial supplies and materials. In the services category, exports and imports increased by $0.2 billion each.