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

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

The International Trade Administration announced that it is expanding its trade mission to Egypt April 11-16 to include companies from all industries and sectors. Companies that apply by March 14 will be considered. The mission was originally announced in June 2012, and then postponed in February.

The International Trade Administration will lead a June 15-19 trade mission to the Trade Americas - Opportunities in Central America conference in San Jose, Costa Rica. Following the conference, participants will be able to participate in one-on-one business appointments arranged by the ITA. Participants may also choose to participate in stops in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize or Nicaragua after the conference for one-on-one business appointments. Recruitment for the mission will begin immediately and conclude by May 17. The ITA will review applications and make selection decisions on a rolling basis beginning March 15, until the maximum of 30 participants is selected.

The International Trade Administration will lead a trade policy mission to Hanoi, Vietnam and Beijing and Sanmen, China May 16-23 for the civil nuclear sector. The mission will connect U.S. companies with key contacts in the target markets, and promote U.S. market access in the two countries. Participants will have the option of observing the Association of South East Asian Nations energy cooperation workshop on May 15. Recruitment for the mission will begin immediately and conclude by April 15. The ITA will review applications and make selection decisions on a rolling basis beginning April 20.

The International Trade Administration is accepting applications for a trade mission to Bogotá, Colombia, for U.S. companies to increase exports to the country, said a Federal Register notice to be published March 11. The mission -- open to all U.S. companies with growing potential in Colombia -- will feature meetings with Colombian businesses, government officials, industry representatives, as well as U.S. embassy market briefings, the notice said. Applications for the mission, which will take place Sept. 9-12, can be submitted to the Department of Commerce from now through June 7.

The Commerce Secretary will lead a May 2013 trade mission to Sao Paulo and Brasilia, Brazil; Bogota, Colombia; and Panama City, Panama for export-ready firms in the infrastructure industries, including engineering, transportation, energy, and safety and security, the International Trade Administration said. The mission will include government and business-to-business meetings, market briefings, and networking events, it said. Up to 20-25 companies will be selected to participate. The ITA will begin to review applications immediately, and will evaluate applications March 8 and March 22.

The International Trade Administration is asking exporters of goods and services related to landfill standards (here), management of medical waste (here), and management of universal waste (here), to self-identify by March 19 if they are interested in participating in the agency’s U.S. Environmental Solutions Toolkit. Companies that submit their website address, contact information, and business category (as identified in the notice) will be identified on the environmental toolkit website. The environmental toolkit provides information to foreign consumers on solving environmental problems, as well as a catalogue of U.S. producers of green technologies. It also provides exporters with access to services, including market research; export counseling; and financing, the ITA has said.

The International Trade Administration is planning an auto supply chain trade mission to Mexico to match U.S. companies with potential end-users and distributors in Mexico, said a Federal Register notice to be published March 11. The mission, Sept. 23-26, 2013, will visit Monterrey and Mexico City, and include presentations from Ford, General Motors and information on Mexican purchasing processes. Applications can be submitted to the Department of Commerce on a rolling basis between now and July 12.

The monthly trade deficit increased by about 16 percent from December 2012 levels to $44.4 billion in January, due to a drop in exports and an increase in imports, the Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis said in their U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services Report for January 2013. The report showed that exports decreased by $2.1 billion to $184.5 billion in January. Most of that decrease came from industrial supplies and materials, a $2.6 billion decline, the report said. Imports increased by $4.1 billion from December, to $228.9 billion in January. The majority of that increase -- $4 billion -- was also due to industrial supplies and materials.