Department Of Commerce News

In early April, NOAA Ship Rainier will begin to map and characterize more than 8,000 square nautical miles of federal waters off Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. This project is part of the Department of Commerce's implementation of the U.S. Offshore Critical Minerals Mapping Plan, as described in President Trump’s Executive Order 14285: Unleashing America's Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources.Rainier is a hydrographic survey ship staffed by NOAA Corps Officers and professional mariners.

The Pasha Group, a leader in integrated global logistics and maritime services, announced that Cary Davis has joined the company as Vice President of Government Affairs to lead advocacy and corporate communications. In this role, Davis will oversee federal, state, and local government relations; industry and stakeholder engagement; media relations; and strategic communications in support of Pasha’s long-term growth and service to customers and communities.A business leader and trade attorney, Davis brings deep experience in maritime policy, infrastructure finance, and public affairs.

India hopes trade talks with the U.S. will continue even as the U.S. hiked tariffs on its exports to 50% due to New Delhi's purchase of sanctioned Russian oil, two lawmakers said on Monday, citing a briefing to a parliamentary panel on foreign affairs.Last week, President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods due to Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil, bringing the total duty on Indian exports to the U.S. to 50% - among the highest of any American trading partner."Our relations with the U.S.

About 55% of India's merchandise exports to the United States will be subject to the tariff imposed by President Donald Trump's administration, the Indian government said on Monday.Last week, Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods as punishment for Delhi's purchases of Russian oil. That raised the total duty on Indian exports to the U.S.

Thousands of license applications by U.S. companies to export goods and technology around the globe, including to China, are in limbo because turmoil at the agency in charge of approving them has left it nearly paralyzed, two sources said.While U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has become a familiar face touting President Donald Trump's tariff and trade deals, sources said the export bureau under Lutnick's command has failed to issue expected new rules, stifled communications with industry representatives…

The U.S. sent letters to Enterprise Products and Energy Transfer on Wednesday informing the companies they could load ethane on vessels destined for China but could not unload the ethane in China without authorization, according to a person familiar with the matter and copy of one letter.The letters from the U.S. Department of Commerce follow a licensing requirement imposed several weeks ago on the companies' exports of ethane to China, which halted shipments and led to vessels anchoring in or hovering around the U.S. Gulf Coast.The letters may signal the U.S.

The U.S. in recent days suspended licenses for nuclear equipment suppliers to sell to China's power plants, according to four people familiar with the matter, as the two countries engage in a damaging trade war.The suspensions were issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the people said, and affect export licenses for parts and equipment used with nuclear power plants.Nuclear equipment suppliers are among a wide range of companies whose sales have been restricted over the past two weeks as the U.S.-China trade war shifted from negotiating tariffs to throttling each other's supply chains.

Deep-sea mining firm The Metals Co asked the Trump administration on Tuesday to approve its plans to mine the international seabed, making it the first such company to seek the government's permission to operate outside U.S. territorial waters.Last week President Donald Trump signed an order aiming to jumpstart mining in both domestic and international waters in an attempt to boost U.S. access to critical minerals and reduce China's market control.The move ratchets up tension between Washington and the United Nations-backed International Seabed Authority…

The White House is weighing an executive order that would fast-track permitting for deep-sea mining in international waters and let mining companies bypass a United Nations-backed review process, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the deliberations.If signed, the order would mark U.S. President Donald Trump's latest attempt to tap international deposits of nickel, copper and other critical minerals used widely across the economy after recent efforts in Greenland and Ukraine.

President Donald Trump's plan to revive U.S. shipbuilding using massive fees on China-linked ship visits to American ports is causing U.S. coal inventories to swell and stoking uncertainty in the embattled agriculture market, as exporters struggle to find ships to send goods abroad.Trump is drafting an executive order that would rely on funding from a U.S. Trade Representative proposal to levy fines of up to $1.5 million on China-made ships or vessels from fleets that include ships made in China.Those potential port fees have limited the availability of ships needed to move agriculture…

The Biden administration on Friday announced the creation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary along California's central coast, a victory for the Chumash tribe that pursued the designation for a decade.The newly formed sanctuary is part of U.S. President Joe Biden's goal to protect 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.The sanctuary excludes areas where transmission cables and other infrastructure to support planned offshore wind facilities could be installed, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in a statement.

Kitsap Transit has been awarded $1.2 million to design an all-electric, zero-emission fast ferry demonstration vessel and its accompanying shoreside charging infrastructure, the Washington State Department of Commerce announced. This funding complements a previous $4 million grant from the state legislature aimed at developing a scaled-down version of the 150-passenger Foil Ferry, engineered by Glosten and Bieker Boats, which is intended to validate the technology's viability for future operations on Puget Sound.The $4 million grant will become available on January 1…

The Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced the availability of up to $54 million across two funding opportunities to address marine debris throughout the coastal and Great Lakes states, territories and Freely Associated States.The opportunities are a part of NOAA’s Climate-Ready Coasts Initiative under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.The two funding opportunities include:• Marine Debris Removal…

In recent weeks the U.S. Supreme Court has fundamentally changed the ways that laws are interpreted and enforced by federal agencies. These decisions will have far-reaching impacts on heavily-regulated sectors, such as the U.S. maritime industry, potentially altering the balance of power between stakeholders and federal regulators.Civil penalties require 7th Amendment protectionsOn June 27, 2024, in SEC v. Jarkesy, the Supreme Court held that under the Seventh Amendment, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) must bring civil-penalty actions for securities fraud in federal court…

Sales and jobs in the United States' marine industry are on the rise, according to the most recent statistics from the annual Marine Economy Satellite Account (MESA) released by two Department of Commerce agencies — NOAA and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).In 2022, the American marine economy contributed a total of $476 billion in economic impact, making up nearly 2% of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). It generated $777 billion in sales, and supported 2.4 million jobs in 2022.“A strong, sustainable marine economy helps build a greater, more Climate-Ready Nation,” U.S.

“Each Career Connect Washington program is codeveloped with businesses and educators, so each program we build or expand meets the needs of industry and students.” -Andrew Clemons, Grant Administrator, State of Washington.In March, the U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation announced a new workforce development webpage – for electric vehicle job opportunities.A centralized focus, especially from the top, is a big help for an industrial sector looking for tens of thousands of smart and talented people.

On May 5, 2023, the White House announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was “taking the next step to invest $3 billion in its Clean Ports Program to fund zero-emission port equipment and technology and to help ports develop climate action plans to reduce air pollutants, improve air quality and public health in neighboring communities, and advance environmental justice.” That “next step” was the issuance of a Request for Information to inform EPA of the availability…

Recent changes have opened up the Capital Construction Fund program to owners and operators of vessels on the U.S. inland waterways.Among the programs offered by the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Maritime Administration (MARAD) to promote the growth and modernization of the U.S. maritime industry, the Capital Construction Fund (CCF) program is one that has remained largely unavailable to the owners and operators of vessels on the inland waterways—until now.Created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936…

The Department of Commerce and NOAA announced the availability of up to $28 million across two funding opportunities to address marine debris throughout the coastal U.S., Great Lakes, territories and Freely Associated States. These two Fiscal Year 2024 funding opportunities are part of NOAA’s Climate-Ready Coasts initiative under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and allow NOAA to support impactful, large-scale marine debris removal projects, as well as the installation…

America’s marine economy contributed $432 billion in economic impact in 2021, making up nearly 2% of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).That is according to the most recent statistics from the annual Marine Economy Satellite Account released by two Department of Commerce agencies —NOAA and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The marine economy statistics include activities in the US ocean, coasts and major water bodies such as the Great Lakes, Puget Sound and Chesapeake Bay.From 2020 to 2021…

NOAA has selected Mike Brennan, Ph.D., to serve as the next director of NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, as preparations continue ahead of the 2023 hurricane season. He will assume this new role effective today, April 10, 2023.“The NHC director is one of the most visible and important jobs in the nation, and Mike possesses the right combination of experience, leadership and personal traits to prepare and guide us through major storms,” said Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., NOAA Administrator.

Canada is one of 20 markets to be featured at the Discover Global Markets: The Blue Economy export forum September 20-22, 2022The growing demand for marine technologies is generating new export possibilities for U.S. companies. To help American businesses pursue these opportunities, the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA) is hosting Discover Global Markets: The Blue Economy, in Providence, Rhode Island, Sept. 20-22, 2022. Based at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, Canada Senior Commercial Specialist Tracey Ford is leading a delegation with a Canadian buyer to the event.

America’s marine economy contributed about $361 billion of the nation’s gross domestic product in 2020. That is according to the most current results of the annual Marine Economy Satellite Account released today by two Department of Commerce agencies, NOAA and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).These numbers are from the first year of the coronavirus pandemic and represent a 5.8%, or $23 billion, reduction in real terms (adjusted for inflation) from 2019, outpacing the general…