Press Release

Commerce Secretary Gutierrez Commends New Climate Initiatives

HOUSTON—U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today released the following statement on the USTR announcement regarding the new climate initiatives for the WTO, including a new environmental goods and services agreement (EGSA):

“I applaud today’s announcement that the United States and European Union intend to seek removal of barriers to trade in technologies directly linked to addressing climate change and energy security in the WTO as part of the Doha Round. This is a very important step that corresponds directly to the Doha mandate as well as the President’s energy and climate change initiative.

“This proposal allows WTO members the opportunity to liberalize trade and stimulate growth while eliminating barriers to the clean-energy technologies and services that are critical to addressing the challenge of global climate change. The initiative would provide mutually reinforcing benefits for the global economy and the environment that we share.

“The Department of Commerce looks forward to helping the U.S. Trade Representative in the WTO negotiations on this vital initiative, which could contribute toward important global efforts to address climate change and energy security.”

Background
Two of the Department’s agencies, the International Trade Administration (ITA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), are vital parts of the Administration’s efforts on climate. ITA is responsible for developing U.S. trade policy, identifying and resolving market access issues, administering U.S. trade laws, enhancing the global competitiveness of the U.S. manufacturing and services sectors, and coordinating U.S. trade advocacy efforts on behalf of U.S. businesses. ITA led a Clean-Energy Technologies Trade Mission to India and China in April of 2007 to promote American clean technology goods and services that can help improve the environment. NOAA is charged with helping society understand, plan for, and respond to climate variability and change. The NOAA climate mission is focused on providing a predictive understanding of the global climate system so the public can incorporate the information and products into their decisions. NOAA is a key participating agency in the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) as well as other significant international, national, and regional activities.

A summary of the proposal is available at www.ustr.gov.