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Statement by Secretary Gutierrez on First Quarter GDP
Washington (April 30)—Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez released the following statement on the estimate of real gross domestic product (GDP), which showed that the American economy grew at a rate of 0.6 percent in the first quarter of 2008: “As expected, first quarter growth was slow. The numbers reaffirm the importance of continuing immediate and long term efforts to strengthen our economy. The President took quick action to jumpstart our economy by advancing bipartisan economic stimulus legislation in February.” (More)
NOAA Begins Ocean Data Integration Effort
Washington (April 30)—The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has launched a major initiative to link together a wealth of ocean observation data from a wide variety of federal and non-federal sources. The project will make ocean temperature, salinity, water level, current, wind and wave data gathered by NOAA and other organizations easier to access and use than ever before. (More)
NIST Studies Emerging Microcircuit Manufacturing Technology
Gaithersburg, Md. (April 30)—In what should be good news for computer-chip manufacturers, recent studies by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have helped resolve two important questions about an emerging microcircuit manufacturing technology called nanoimprint lithography—yes, it can accurately stamp delicate structures on advanced microchips, and, no, it doesn’t damage them, but in fact makes them better. (More)
Gutierrez Highlights Research, Patent Reform and Openness as Essential to American Competitiveness
Washington (April 29)—U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez participated in a panel with Secretary of Energy Sam Bodman and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings as part of the National Academies Convocation on the “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” report, which highlighted ways to fuel America’s economic competitiveness in the future. “…companies like Google, Dell, Cisco and eBay didn’t exist 30 years ago,” said Gutierrez. “But they were founded in America—a place where creativity and initiative are encouraged and rewarded.” (Remarks)
EDA Deputy Assistant Secretary Addresses Importance of Corporate Investment in Economic Development
Anaheim, Calif. (April 28)—U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Ben Erulkar (third from left) delivered remarks on the importance of corporate investment in economic development and participated in a discussion as a panelist on the “How Will Tomorrow Be Different that Today?” opening plenary panel of the Business Civic Leadership Center’s National Conference on Corporate Community Investment. (More)
Gutierrez Co-Chairs Second Meeting of U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum in Washington
Washington (April 28)—U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez and Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs Dan Price co-chaired the second meeting of the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum with Brazilian Presidential Chief of Staff Minister Dilma Rousseff and Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade Miguel Jorge. “We are building a strong foundation for an economic relationship that’s growing and this forum is an important part of that dialogue,” said Gutierrez. (Release)
NOAA Announces Air Quality Awareness Week
Washington (April 28)—The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced May marks the beginning of ozone season in most areas of the country—a good time to make sure that you check your daily Air Quality Index (AQI) and forecast information to help you protect your health. “Be Air Aware: Keep an Eye on the AQI” is the theme of this year’s Air Quality Awareness Week, April 28 to May 2. NOAA and the Environmental Protection Agency established the awareness week to remind Americans of the importance air quality forecasts can play in their daily lives. (More)
NIST Hosts Annual Interoperability Week
Gaithersburg, Md. (April 28)—The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is hosting the third annual Interoperability Week Conference April 28—May 2. Researchers at the conference will address emerging standards for transmitting data among machines that use different software programs and operating systems, sharing solutions to interoperability issues and using XML-based standards to promote interoperability in business processes. (More)
Gutierrez Unveils Colombia Tariff Ticker during Press Conference with Congressional Leadership at the Capitol
Washington (April 24)—At a press conference in the United States Capitol, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez, flanked by House and Senate leaders unveiled the “Colombia Tariff Ticker,” which calculates the dollar value U.S. exports have faced in Colombian tariffs since the signing of the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. “The tariffs imposed on American exporters tick upward—roughly $22 dollars per second, almost $2 million dollars per day and nearly $1 billion dollars in the past 520 days,” said Gutierrez. (Press Release) (Transcript)
NOAA Announces New Tools to Accurately Measure Climate Change
Washington (April 24)—The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced it will install the last nine of the 114 stations as part of its new, high-tech climate monitoring network. The stations track national average changes in temperature and precipitation trends. The U.S. Climate Reference Network (a CRN station is pictured here) is on schedule to activate these final stations by the end of the summer. NOAA also is modernizing 1,000 stations in the Historical Climatology Network (HCN), a regional system of ground-based observing sites that collect climate, weather and water measurements. (More)