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Us Commerce Department News

26 Aug 2020

US Sanctions 24 Companies Over South China Sea Dispute

© Danil Rogulin / Adobe Stock

The United States on Wednesday blacklisted 24 Chinese companies and targeted individuals it said were part of construction and military actions in the South China Sea, its first such sanctions move against Beijing over the disputed strategic waterway.The U.S. Commerce Department said the two dozen companies played a “role in helping the Chinese military construct and militarize the internationally condemned artificial islands in the South China Sea.”Separately, the State Department said it would impose visa restrictions on Chinese individuals “responsible for…

22 Apr 2019

Export Licensing: Tips U.S. Exporters Shouldn’t Overlook

Each year, the U.S. Department of Commerce receives thousands of inquiries from businesses looking to export, many of which involve licensing questions. The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), together with other USG agencies, is responsible for export licensing and controls. BIS export licenses may be required for items (commodities, software, or technology) with proliferation, military, or terrorist uses, or which warrant control for other reasons. Export licensing requirements can apply to a wide array of products, including marine technologies.

20 Feb 2018

China, not Trump, Drives U.S. Coal Revival

If China does seek a way to retaliate against U.S. proposals to impose import curbs on steel and aluminium, then targeting President Donald Trump's favoured coal would be tempting. One of Trump's key campaign promises in the 2016 election victory was to end the war on what he termed "beautiful, clean" coal. Figures released last week by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) suggest he has met with some success. U.S. coal output surged the most in 16 years to reach 773 million short tonnes, equivalent to about 701 million metric tonnes, in 2017, the EIA said on Feb. 16. Coal miners produced about 40.8 million tonnes more in 2017 than in 2016, the EIA said. So far, so good for Trump. But the problem is that virtually all of the good news for U.S.

25 Oct 2017

US Marine Sanctuary Oil Drilling Report Sent to Trump, Not Public

(Photo: David J. Ruck/NOAA)

U.S. Commerce Department Secretary Wilbur Ross sent a report to the White House on Wednesday containing recommendations on whether to change the boundaries of 11 marine sanctuaries to allow more oil and gas drilling, but the report was not made public. Commerce reviewed sanctuaries containing 425 million acres of coral reefs, marine mammal habitats and pristine beaches, as part of an administration strategy to open new areas to oil and gas drilling. The goal was to “put the energy needs of American families and businesses first,” according to the order Trump signed in April that triggered it.

07 May 2015

US Sen. Murkowski Plans Bill to Kill Oil Export Ban

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski said on Thursday she will unveil a bill next week to reverse the U.S. oil export ban in an effort to build support for killing the 1970s-era restriction that drillers say threatens to choke the domestic energy boom. Murkowski, the Republican chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said she will unveil the bill on Tuesday, although it was uncertain when the measure would get a vote in her committee. "I am going to be looking for every opportunity we might have to advance it," Murkowski said in a press conference.

20 Nov 2014

US Sets Import Duties on Containers from China

Photo courtesy of the Port of Los Angeles

The U.S. Commerce Department on Thursday set duties on imports of rail and road transport containers from China after finding the goods were sold below cost in the United States. Under the department's preliminary decision, 53-foot domestic dry containers will face anti-dumping duties of up to 153.24 percent after a complaint from Stoughton Trailers. Some containers, including those produced by China International Marine Containers, face a lower 24.27 percent rate. In 2013, about $184 million worth of such containers were imported from China.

05 Nov 2014

BHP to Test U.S. Oil Export Legal Limits

BHP Billiton Ltd is set to be the first company to export lightly processed ultra-light U.S. oil without explicit permission from the government, further testing the limits of an increasingly contentious ban on foreign sales. Eight months after two other U.S. energy firms said they had received the first formal authorization to sell domestic condensate abroad, BHP said it had determined that its oil would also meet the legal criteria for export since it was being minimally processed in distillation towers in South Texas. "We took the necessary time to thoroughly examine the issues involved and ensure that the processed condensate was eligible for export…

06 Oct 2014

Feds Query Energy Firms Ahead of Export Rulings

The U.S. Commerce Department has taken a small step toward resolving some two-dozen pending requests to export lightly processed oil this summer, asking energy companies to fill out a one-page questionnaire about their plans, sources familiar with the document told Reuters. The nine questions may help the department map out a further easing of the four-decade old ban on crude exports. In August, the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) sent a standard set of nine questions to companies that had requested rulings on whether they could export an ultra-light oil called condensate, people who had seen the questionaire told Reuters. Those requests have been "held without action" since July, effectively removing any time frame for a decision, Reuters has reported.

23 Sep 2014

US Sets Import Duties on Chinese Containers

The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday set duties on imports of rail and road transport containers from China after finding the goods were produced using unfair government subsidies. Under Commerce's preliminary decision, 53-foot domestic dry containers, including those produced by China International Marine Containers, will face anti-subsidy duties of up to 10.46 percent after a complaint from Stoughton Trailers. In 2013, about $184 million worth of such containers were imported from China. The duties must still be confirmed in a final decision by Commerce and by the U.S. International Trade Commission. (Reporting by Krista Hughes; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)

17 Sep 2014

Buckeye Pipeline Quietly Makes Key Acquisition

Houston-based logistic firm Buckeye Partners has spent more than $3.5 billion buying assets since 2010, transforming itself from a quiet regional pipeline utility into an emerging energy powerhouse. But the acquisition that may best symbolize its evolution is one the company didn't tout to investors this summer: a Washington lobbyist. After spending most of the past century pumping fuel from one place to another, the 128-year-old company has become a key player in the import and export of North American oil, with an unrivalled network of East Coast and Caribbean fuel depots and an expanding business loading crude oil from trains to tankers.

26 Aug 2014

Mexican Economy Ministry Slams US Sugar Decision

Mexico's Economy Ministry said on Tuesday a preliminary decision by the United States to impose anti-subsidy import duties on Mexican sugar was a setback in trade relations between the neighbors and pledged to fight the decision. The Mexican ministry said the government would continue to defend its rights and exhaust the legal options to protect Mexico's interests under the aegis of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organisation. The U.S. Commerce Department said earlier it would impose duties on Mexican sugar imports as high as 17.01 percent. The preliminary step to slap duties on sugar imports from Mexico, which could still be overturned, is backed by U.S.

20 Aug 2014

Refiners Seek Jones Act Workarounds as Crude Export Debate Heats Up

Photo: PBF Energy

As the first U.S. oil condensate exports head to Asia from the Gulf Coast, crude producers and refiners are exploring ways to get around a century-old law that makes it three times more expensive to ship by water between U.S. ports than to sail to a foreign port. The Jones Act, originally passed to protect the U.S. maritime industry, restricts passage between U.S. ports to ships that are U.S.-built, U.S.-flagged and U.S.-crewed. If oil exports pick up pace while the Jones Act is left in place, U.S.

07 Aug 2014

US Should Lift Crude Oil Export Ban - Washington Post

The United States should lift its nearly four-decade ban on crude oil exports to help encourage domestic production, the Washington Post said in an editorial on Thursday. Booming shale oil production has led to an intense debate over the moratorium, which was imposed by Congress in 1975 in the wake of the Arab oil embargo. Allowing crude oil exports would help address a mismatch between rising light crude output from U.S. shale formations and Gulf Coast refineries better suited to handle heavy crude, the Post argued in an editorial. "The export ban was a desperate ploy in the 1970s to control commodities markets amid spikes in oil prices induced by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries," the newspaper said. Earlier this summer, the U.S.

30 Jul 2014

US Crude Oil Exports Hit 15-year High

U.S. crude oil exports reached 288,000 barrels per day (bpd) in May, the highest levels since April 1999, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed on Wednesday. The increase compares to April figures of 268,000 bpd, data showed. Exports to Canada hit 263,000 bpd, the highest number on record, data showed, unchanged from volumes in the previous month. Meanwhile, exports to Spain, the first on record with the EIA, were 17,000 bpd. Traders said the shipments were likely test batches of Canadian crude by Repsol for its Spanish refineries. Exports of crude to Switzerland increased to 8,000 bpd in May from 5,000 bpd in April. The U.S. Commerce Department approved 13 crude oil re-export licenses in May. Licenses show approvals to Spain and Switzerland.

14 Jul 2008

NOAA Takes First Broad Look at Soot from Ships

Tug boats puff soot into the air in Alameda Harbor, Calif. (Photo credit: NOAA )

Tugboats puff out more soot for the amount of fuel used than other commercial vessels, and large cargo ships emit more than twice as much soot as previously estimated, according to the first extensive study of commercial vessel soot emissions. Scientists from NOAA and the conducted the study and present their findings in the July 11 issue of the journal Geophysical Research Letters. The primary sources of soot, or small particles of black carbon, are fossil fuel combustion, wildfires, and burning vegetation for agricultural purposes.

18 Jun 2007

NOAA, USCG Provide Commercial Mariners with Guide to Right Whale Protection

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service and the U.S. Coast Guard announce the availability of "A Prudent Mariner's Guide to Right Whale Protection" - an interactive, multi-media CD program that serves as a guide and voluntary training resource for commercial mariners operating in right whale habitats along the U.S. Atlantic coast. The CD, distributed free-of-charge upon request, provides a comprehensive collection of right whale information delivered in a compact and user-friendly format. The program includes: crew training information about right whales, recommended navigational actions when operating in right whale habitat, a guide to reporting sightings of dead or injured right whales, an informative video presentation, and a short follow-up quiz.

29 Sep 2006

NOAA Team Assesses Debris Impacts in Gulf Region

view of side scan sonar image of sunken ship in Pascagoula, Miss. NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration and Office of Coast Survey, working with the U.S. Coast Guard and other federal and state agencies, are assisting with Gulf of Mexico recovery efforts by performing hydrographic surveys and risk assessments of underwater debris left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The mapping aspect of the project will aid in the risk assessment and prioritization of the removal of debris to restore safe navigation and re-establish commercial fishing in the regions. The survey work will include sounding measurements to determine the depth of the debris…

02 Sep 1999

Settlement to Clear Way for Restoration Projects in Tampa Bay

The state of Florida, the federal government and several corporations have agreed to a more than $8 million settlement to fund restoration projects for natural resources damaged in a 1993 oil spill in Tampa Bay. An 11-acre degraded mangrove system will be improved, two acres of salt marsh will be replanted, and millions of dollars for other natural resource restoration work will be paid by those responsible for the oil spill, the U.S. Commerce Department's NOAA, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the U.S. Department of Justice said. State and federal officials worked closely with those responsible for the spill to forge a settlement under which the Bouchard Transportation Company Inc.…

31 Jul 2001

Oil Prices Are Down … But Are They Out?

U.S. oil prices fell Monday on renewed concerns that the OPEC cartel's recent cut in production would not be enough to counter the impact of a global economic slowdown. U.S. light sweet crude for September delivery traded down 1.4 percent, or 23 cents, at $26.96 a barrel. London Brent futures for September delivery traded down 21 cents to $24.98 a barrel. Oil prices have declined steadily since late May amid increasing evidence that the global economic slowdown is eating into demand for petroleum this year. Concern over falling prices and a sustained rise in spare petroleum stocks spurred the OPEC producer cartel to agree last week to a 1 million barrels per day (bpd) output cut. But traders were reluctant to push prices up without indications that the world economy is rebounding.

18 Jul 2006

NOAA Launches New Marine Science Portal

View of the USS Monitor wreck, which sank on Dec. 31, 1862, and now teams with marine life. NOAA and Immersion Presents launched oceanslive.org, a marine science portal that offers live video and special content to educate people of all ages about the ocean, including national marine sanctuaries. Immersion Presents is an after-school science education program founded by ocean explorer Robert Ballard. "NOAA is excited to offer this dynamic Internet-based resource, which will allow students, educators and the public to share in the thrill of discovery while learning more about the natural and cultural treasures of our national marine sanctuaries and the underwater world," said NOAA National Marine Sanctuary program director Daniel J. Basta.

14 Sep 2006

Ellicott Dredges Receives Export Achievement Award

The U.S. Commerce Department awarded Ellicott Dredges, a Division of Baltimore Dredges, LLC, its 2006 Export Achievement Award on September 8. The Award was presented by Congressman Ben Cardin (Democratic nominee for US Senate in Maryland) and Commerce Deputy Assistant Secretary Colleen Litkenhaus. New Contracts in Iraq Bill Burwell of the Commerce Dept. said "Ellicott earned the award for its outstanding track record over the past several years in increasing its exports dramatically..."