Top News
NOAA Scientist Part of International Team Issuing Arctic ‘Report Card’ Showing Continued Climate Changes
Washington (Oct. 17)—The first update of a report tracking the state of the Arctic indicates that some changes in that region are larger and occurring faster than those previously predicted by climate models, while other indicators show some stabilizing. The “Report Card” was issued today by an international team of scientists, including a NOAA lead author. “The Arctic is an extraordinarily interconnected region, so what happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic,” said Richard Spinrad, NOAA assistant administrator for oceanic and atmospheric research. (Release)
U.S.-Mexico Cross-Border Trucking Program Boosts U.S. Exports and Sets High Bar for Safety
Washington (Oct. 17)—U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez, joined by Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, Mexican Communications and Transportation Secretary Luis Tellez and Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan, participated in a press conference to discuss U.S.-Mexican cross-border trucking at the Department of Transportation. U.S. exports to Mexico have grown 189 percent since 1994, and efficient and safe transportation of goods across our border provides U.S. exporters increased opportunities. (Release)
NTIA Assistant Secretary Briefs Congress on Preparing Consumers for the Digital Television Transition
Washington (Oct. 17)—National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information John Kneuer testified before the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet on preparing consumers for the digital television transition. “The Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program has been established, consumer education efforts are increasing daily, and our collaboration with public and private sector organizations is expanding to ensure that all Americans will be prepared for the digital transition.” (More)
Gutierrez Updates Brazil-U.S. Business Council on Visit to Latin America
Washington (Oct. 17)—Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez addressed members of the Brazil-U.S. Business council at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for their 26th annual meeting. Gutierrez recently returned from a visit to Latin America, which included stops in Sao Paolo and Brasilia, where he launched the inaugural U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum. He also visited Uruguay, and later took a bipartisan congressional delegation to Colombia to encourage Congress to pass the pending free trade agreement and help Colombia in its progress toward peace and prosperity. (Remarks)
September 2007 is Eighth-Warmest on Record for Contiguous U.S.
Washington (Oct. 16)—Temperatures in September 2007 were the eighth warmest on record, hot enough to break 1,000 daily high records across the United States, according to scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. The heat also helped spread the worsening drought to almost half of the contiguous U.S., with conditions across the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Tennessee Valley hardest hit. (More)
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Secretaries Paulson and Gutierrez Call for Permanent Extension of Internet Tax Moratorium
Washington (Oct. 16)—U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson and Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez issued a statement calling on Congress to make permanent the moratorium on Internet access taxes and on multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce. The House is scheduled to take up an extension of the Internet Tax Moratorium today. (More)
Gutierrez Praises National Association of Broadcasters’ $697 Million Consumer Education Campaign for Digital Television
Washington (Oct. 15)—U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today issued the following statement on the National Association of Broadcasters’ $697 million consumer education campaign to promote the digital television transition. "The National Association of Broadcasters’ $697 million campaign demonstrates that broadcasters nationwide will work to ensure that all households are aware of the February 17, 2009, transition, so that no consumer will lose television reception because of a lack of information.” (More)
Second Bipartisan Congressional Delegation Led by Gutierrez Sees Real Economic Progress and Change in Colombia
Medellin, Colombia (Oct. 14)—Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez today concluded his second bipartisan U.S. Congressional delegation visit to Colombia in recent weeks, to see the very significant progress that the country has made toward increased economic prosperity, strong democratic governance, and the protection of human rights. The delegation is pictured with Colombian children during a stop to Bojayá, on Saturday, October 13. (More)
Administration Committed to Secure and Prosperous Colombia, Says Gutierrez
Bogota, Colombia (Oct. 12)—Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez addressed members of the Bogota business community, highlighting the economic and political stability that would come with a free trade agreement with the United States. The Secretary is in Colombia hosting his second Congressional delegation in a month to show members of Congress first hand the tremendous turnaround that has occurred in Colombia in recent years. (Remarks)
Bush Urges Congress to Pass Latin FTAs “As Soon as Possible”
Miami (Oct. 12)—President George W. Bush called on Congress to pass pending free trade agreements with Peru, Colombia and Panama, saying: “These agreements will level the playing fields for businesses, workers, and farmers here in the United States. These agreements will help our friends in neighborhoods and help them lift them out of poverty. These agreements will counter the false populism promoted by some nations in the hemisphere. These agreements will strengthen the forces of freedom and democracy throughout the Americas.” (Transcript) (Fact Sheet)