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Gutierrez Presents Baldrige Award for Organizational Innovation and Performance Excellence to Five Organizations
Washington (April 23)—Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez presented five U.S. organizations with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest honor for organizational innovation and performance excellence. The ceremony—the 20th in the history of the award—honored the 2007 recipients and marked the first year that nonprofits were eligible to apply for the award. President Bush met with the winners informally to congratulate them at the White House earlier in the day. (More) (Release)
Gutierrez Marks 300 Days Until DTV Transition and Urges Americans to Redeem TV Converter Box Coupons
Washington (April 23)—U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez issued the following statement marking 300 days until the nation makes the switch to digital broadcasting on February 17, 2009: “Today, the nation is 300 days away from the historic digital television transition for all full-power broadcasters. Already, more than 650,000 households have acted by purchasing a converter box and are now experiencing the benefits of digital television with a clearer picture and more programming choices.” (More)
NOAA Announces U.S. Temperatures Near Average in March as Global Land Temperature Sets Record
Washington (April 23)—An analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Climatic Data Center shows that the average temperature for March in the contiguous United States ranked near average for the past 113 years. It was the 63rd warmest March since record-keeping began in the United States in 1895. The average global land temperature last month was the warmest on record and ocean surface temperatures were the 13th warmest. (More)
Business Forum Focused on Increasing Commerce and Trade between the United States and Mongolia
Washington (April 23)—The U.S. Department of Commerce, along with the Mongolian government and the North America-Mongolia Business Council hosted the third annual U.S-Mongolia Business Forum at the Department. Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez kicked-off the day-long event designed to increase business ties and commercial opportunities between the two nations, saying, “The United States greatly values our relationship with Mongolia, and we would like to see even more robust trade between our two nations.” (Remarks)
Commerce Secretary Gutierrez Announces 2008 National Summit on American Competitiveness
Washington (April 22)—U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez announced the Department of Commerce will convene the second national meeting of premier leaders from business, government, and academia to discuss what steps the public and private sectors can take to secure America’s position as the most competitive economy in the 21st century. The 2008 National Summit on American Competitiveness will be held May 22 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. (More) (NSAC Website)
EDA Assistant Secretary Presents $500,000 Investment to Oregon
Hood River, Ore. (April 21)—U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Sandy K. Baruah (far right) and U.S. Representative Greg Walden (far left) presented a $500,000 Economic Development Administration (EDA) investment check to the city of Hood River and the Port of Hood River, Oregon. The investment will help build roadway improvements to the Port of Hood River that will improve the flow of commercial traffic, allowing existing businesses to expand and attract new businesses and jobs to the region. (More)
University of Albany Photo
Commerce’s NIST Signs Cooperative Agreement with University of Albany Nanotechnology College
Albany, N.Y. (April 21)—NIST Acting Director James M. Turner joined U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) Vice President Alain Kaloyeros in signing a MOU with the University at Albany-State University of New York. The agreement will assist in the development of state-of-the-art nanoscale measurement tools and standards necessary for creating ever-smaller computer chips that perform tasks more quickly and reduce power consumption for a wide range of electronic devices from cell phones to desktop computers. (More)
White House Photo
President Bush Participates in Joint Press Availability with President Lee Myung-Bak of the Republic of Korea
Camp David (April 19)—During meetings at Camp David, President Bush and President Lee Myung-Bak addressed the media regarding a variety of key bilateral issues, including the pending free trade agreement between our two nations. On Friday, the Korean government announced a lift on the ban of U.S. beef, which had been a key obstacle to consideration of the agreement. President Bush said, “This is good news for Korean consumers and it's good news for American beef producers.” (Transcript) (Gutierrez Statement) (Schwab Statement)
ITA Deputy Assistant Secretary Addresses Importance of Security and Prosperity in North America
Washington (April 18)—The Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA) Deputy Assistant Secretary Walter Bastian addressed the importance of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) at a press conference at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The SPP was launched in March of 2005 as a trilateral effort to increase security and enhance prosperity among the United States, Canada and Mexico through greater cooperation and information sharing and programs to keep our borders closed to terrorism yet open to trade. (More)
NOAA: U.S. Temperatures Near Average in March as Global Land Temperature Sets Record
Washington (April 17)—An analysis by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center shows that the average temperature for March in the contiguous United States ranked near average for the past 113 years. It was the 63rd warmest March since record-keeping began in the United States in 1895. The average global land temperature last month was the warmest on record and ocean surface temperatures were the 13th warmest.Combining the land and the ocean temperatures, the overall global temperature ranked the second warmest for the month of March.Global temperature averages have been recorded since 1880. (More)