President Barack Obama today submitted to Congress an $8.9 billion FY 2011 budget request for the U.S. Commerce Department. The budget reflects priorities that will spur the growth of U.S. exports and the jobs that come with them, improve our scientific and technological capabilities and upgrade our capabilities for weather and climate observations and forecasting. (Press release)
Delivering the keynote address at the U.S.-China Business Council’s Forecast 2010 conference, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced he will lead the Obama administration’s first cabinet-level trade mission when he travels to China and Indonesia this May. The clean energy business development missions will promote exports of leading U.S. technologies related to clean energy, energy efficiency and electric energy storage, transmission, and distribution. The mission will take place May 15-25, and make stops in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing, China, and Jakarta, Indonesia. (More) (Remarks)
In a new video collage on the White House Web site, Secretary Gary Locke reports back to the American people on everything the U.S. Department of Commerce has accomplished in the first year of the Obama administration and its goals for the year ahead. “Like the President,” Secretary Locke notes, in 2010, “we will be working every day to ensure that every American who wants a job can get one.” The collage also features video of all of the other Cabinet Heads discussing the success and futures of their own departments and agencies. (Video Cabinet agency reports)
Photo: NASA
Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued an initial list of standards, a preliminary cyber security strategy, and other elements of a framework to support transforming the nation’s aging electric power system into an interoperable “Smart Grid,” a key component of the Obama administration’s energy plan and its strategy for American innovation. By integrating digital computing and communication technologies and services with the power-delivery infrastructure, the Smart Grid will enable bidirectional flows of energy and two-way communication and control capabilities. (More) (Release)
The Commerce Department’s Economics and Statistics Administration issued a new report for Vice President Biden’s Middle Class Task Force: Middle Class in America. The report, which identifies what it means to be middle class in America today, uses a host of measures to show that it is more difficult today to both attain and maintain a middle-class lifestyle than it was two decades ago. “This report highlights the gravity of the economic realities facing American families aspiring to a middle-class lifestyle," Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. (More) (Report—PDF) (White House press release) (Middle Class Task Force Web site)
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke welcomed First Lady Michelle Obama to the department as part of her goal to visit each cabinet agency. Today’s was her 15th agency visit. With some of the longest-serving employees behind her, she thanked all Commerce Department employees for the work they do every day to make businesses more competitive and create jobs. (Secretary’s remarks) (Additional photo 1) (Additional photo 2)
The U.S. Department of Commerce is mobilizing to assist in the earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. “In response to President Obama’s pledge of support, the Department of Commerce has mobilized resources to assist the Haitian people,” said Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. Commerce’s NOAA is sending a multi-tiered disaster response team to conduct emergency surveys and damage assessment of key Haitian ports. BIS is expediting the licensing process to speed up the export of humanitarian items. For more information on the effort and what you can do to help, visit the White House’s site on earthquake relief. (More) (Haiti Earthquake Relief Web site)
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke met with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) to discuss approaches to fixing an "innovation deficit" hindering America's ability to develop new businesses and create new jobs. PCAST is an advisory group of the nation’s leading scientists and engineers who provide advice to President Obama, offering insights and policy recommendations concerning a full range of issues in science, technology, and innovation. PCAST is administered by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). (Remarks)
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke delivered the keynote address at the “Clean Energy Jobs in the Global Marketplace” forum at the U.N. Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen today. Locke discussed the Obama administration’s historic investments in clean energy and commitment to build a sustainable, clean energy global economy that drives investment and creates jobs at home and abroad. While President Obama has already done more to mitigate climate change than any president in U.S. history, Locke stressed that this is only the beginning of what must be done. (Remarks)
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke will travel to Copenhagen on Friday to discuss the Obama administration’s commitment to meet clean energy and climate change challenges and the promise clean energy development holds for spurring innovation, reinvigorating the economy and creating jobs. Secretary Locke has been a leading voice in the administration promoting innovation and investment in the clean energy economy. (More) (Commerce COP-15 Web site) (U.S. Center Web site)
Bureau of Economic Analysis' BEA Blog
http://blog.bea.gov/
Census' The Director's Blog
http://directorsblog.blogs.census.gov/
Census' Global Reach
http://blogs.census.gov/globalreach/
Census' Random Samplings
http://blogs.census.gov/
ESA's Chief Economist's Blog
http://www.esa.doc.gov/blog
ITA's Tradeology
http://blog.trade.gov/
MBDA's Minority Biz Blog
http://www.mbda.gov/blog
NIST's Tech Beat
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/tech-beat/
The NTIA Blog
http://www2.ntia.doc.gov/blog
PTO's Director's Forum: David Kappos' Public Blog
http://www.uspto.gov/blog/
