All structural checks indicate that the Department of Commerce headquarters building (HCHB) is safe and we expect all employees to report to work Wednesday, August 24th, at their regularly scheduled time. Federal employees should check with www.opm.gov for further updates and leave guidelines, which will be posted by 4:00 AM Wednesday. The DOC Status Line (202-482-7400) will be updated accordingly.
For
the first time, scientists are using advanced technology and an innovative
vessel to study, image, and map the unexplored offshore Northern San Andreas
Fault from north of San Francisco to its termination at the junction of three
tectonic plates off Mendocino, California.
The team includes scientists from NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, Oregon State University, the California Seafloor Mapping Program, the U.S. Geological Survey and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The expedition which concludes Sunday is sponsored by NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.
While the fault on land is obscured by erosion, vegetation and urbanization in many places, scientists expect the subsea portion of the fault to include deep rifts and high walls, along with areas supporting animal life. The expedition team is using high-resolution sonar mapping, subsurface seismic data and imaging with digital cameras for the first-ever three-dimensional bathymetric-structural map that will model the undersea Northern San Andreas Fault and its structure. Little is known about the offshore fault due to perennial bad weather that has limited scientific investigations.
Pennsylvania companies gained insight into medium- and long-term plans for rebuilding efforts in Haiti and learned how they can engage in the process today at a Haiti Reconstruction Forum in Philadelphia. Rick Wade, senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and head of the Commerce Department’s Haiti business outreach, delivered the conference’s opening and closing remarks.
“Addressing Haiti’s tragedy has been a clear priority for the Obama administration and significant resources have been devoted to help the victims of the earthquake,” Wade said. “Many U.S. and international firms will play a crucial role in Haiti’s recovery by providing the type of investment and technical training that Haiti needs to ensure its long-term development.”
Hosted by the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration and the World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia, the event connected public sector experts in procurement, trade and financing with Pennsylvania companies offering expertise in critical areas such as power and energy, transportation and port construction, housing, health care, machinery and apparel joint ventures.
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/
