[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 135 (Thursday, July 15, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41157-41161]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-17203]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
U.S. Cleantech Trade & Investment Mission
AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
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Mission Description
The United States Department of Commerce's International Trade
Administration, U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (USFCS), and
Economic Development Administration (EDA) are holding the first ever
U.S. Clean Technology Trade & Investment Mission to Lyon, France,
November 29-December 2, 2010 and to Brussels, Belgium, December 2-4,
2010. This joint mission will be led by senior Department of Commerce
officials Brian McGowan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic
Development, and Karen Zens, Deputy Assistant Secretary for
International Operations (OIO) of the USFCS. This mission is designed
to advance President Obama's economic growth initiatives and Secretary
Locke's goal of simplifying access to the Department of Commerce's
diverse suite of resources-all for the purpose of employment
generation. This initiative will support both bureaus' job creation
goals by increasing exports and attracting foreign direct investment
(FDI), placing a particular emphasis on the clean technology sector.
This mission is especially significant as it includes, for the
first time ever, both U.S. companies and delegates from U.S.
communities. Please see the section titled ``Participation
Requirements'' below for more information on community delegates and
selection criteria that will be used to evaluate applicants. While
traditional trade missions are limited to business-to-business
connections, the addition of communities in this model provides much
broader access to U.S. companies by leveraging regional business
networks. Community delegates will
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focus on clean technologies as a key component of their regional
strategies for increasing exports and attracting FDI. Therefore, this
new model allows the mission to advance a variety of Presidential and
Department of Commerce priorities simultaneously, including job
creation, export development, attracting FDI, building the green
economy, and advancing regional innovation clusters.
Commercial Setting
France
France is an economic and political leader in the Eurozone due to
its size, location, large economy, membership in European
organizations, and energetic diplomacy. With a GDP of $2.865
trillion,\1\ France is the world's fifth-largest economy. France's
economy also ranks the second highest in trade volume for Western
Europe (after Germany).
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\1\ All currencies given are in U.S. dollars.
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Both trade and investment between the U.S. and France are strong
and are key factors for companies and communities to participate in the
mission. On average, over 1 billion dollars in commercial transactions
take place between France and the U.S. every day, with the U.S. being
France's sixth largest supplier and its sixth largest customer. France
ranks as the United States' eighth largest trading partner for total
trade. Currently, there are approximately 2,300 French subsidiaries in
the U.S. that provide more than 520,000 jobs and that generate an
estimated $235 billion in turnover annually. As for investment, the
U.S. is the top destination for French investments worldwide. In 2008,
French direct investment inflow to the U.S. was approximately $14
billion. Foreign firms have invested in the U.S. through acquisitions
and with greenfield investments. Between 2004 and 2008, France's FDI
stock in the United States increased from $138 billion to over $163
billion. This makes this mission an ideal platform for companies and
communities to position themselves for investment and export successes.
Further, French FDI to the U.S. supports almost 500,000 jobs.
Concurrently, the U.S. is the largest foreign direct investor in
France, employing over 650,000 French citizens with aggregate
investment estimated at $75 billion in 2008. This makes the U.S. more
attractive to French investors and foreign direct investment.
Renewable Energy
France possesses vast renewable energy resources, including wind,
geothermal energy, and biomass, all of which have shown substantial
growth in recent years. France is also currently ranked 2nd highest in
the EU in terms of biofuel production and use. A continued increase in
the level of production helps consolidate the nation's position. Both
tax reductions and capital grants are in place to promote biofuels. In
addition, major potential exists in the area of solid biomass. Biomass
accounts for two thirds of all the renewables used in France today and
hydro power for another third.
As France's government sets new goals in terms of green energy,
U.S. communities have a window of opportunity to promote their regional
businesses to play a pivotal role in providing the means to increase
renewable energy capacity. Wind and solar power especially are at the
core of a new push by the French government to increase the renewable
share of total energy consumption from 6.7 percent in 2004 to 20
percent by 2020. Also, installed capacity for photovoltaic (PV) power
is to increase from 32.7 MW in 2006--about 100 times less than
Germany--to 3,000 MW by 2020. In addition, 5 million solar thermal
units are to be installed in buildings by 2020, 80 percent of these in
homes. All these factors considered create a large market of potential
buyers for U.S. businesses, and therefore provide strong job creation
potential for U.S. communities that are working to develop regional
innovation clusters focused on the cleantech sector.
Water Resources Equipment and Services
One of the ``best prospects'' for U.S. business in France is water
resources equipment and services. The total French market for water
treatment equipment and related services is estimated to be worth $23
billion. A stable economy and financial institutions, stronger European
Union (E.U.) regulations, and greater public awareness and the
increasing costs associated with polluting have played a major role in
an expanding market for water treatment equipment and services. In
addition, greater interest in complying with environmental regulations
by national and local government officials has stimulated this market.
Despite the current financial and economic challenges, the water sector
is still expected to grow at a stable rate and provide continued market
opportunities in a number of areas.
Best prospects include wastewater sludge treatment; installation
and maintenance of stand-alone sewage treatment tanks; remote
monitoring technology; and membranes and water filters. Non point
source pollution management and water conservation including leak
detection and reclamation are becoming of major importance.
Pollutec
Pollutec is an International Exhibition of Environmental Equipment,
Technology and Services for industry and local authorities. Pollutec is
a key exhibition for U.S. companies and community delegates to attend
as it is the world's leading event for the environmental market with
8,422 professionals from 110 countries all in search of comprehensive
solutions to the environmental and economic challenges today. This
creates the perfect atmosphere to meet industry professionals and key
players in order to create expansion opportunities and to publicize
products and regions. In its 24th edition, Pollutec will also bring
together 2,400 exhibitors offering products across a range of sectors
and 75,000 trade visitors from industry, local authorities,
construction and the service sector. This year especially the
exhibition has seen a shift in its visitors' prime focus with 39.7% of
the visitors interested in energy, more specifically renewables, energy
saving and efficiency, combating greenhouse gases, and urban mobility.
Companies and communities will be amongst the first to capture this
shift in focus and turn it into tangible exports sales and FDI.
For four days, U.S. community delegates and companies will network
with potential trading and investment partners in the cleantech sector
through customized one-on-one meetings with foreign companies arranged
through a DOC/Pollutec partnership. Meanwhile, they will also learn
about the latest cleantech trends and technologies through the Pollutec
exhibition, which will feature all the techniques for prevention and
treatment of various sources of pollution and more generally the
preservation and implementation of environmental preservation and
sustainable development. Pollutec offers an assortment of exhibition
sectors including: Treatment of pollutant gases; analysis, measurement
and monitoring; energy and greenhouse gases; renewable energy;
CO2 collection and storage; eco-management; biofuel; low
consumption vehicles; electric vehicles; industrial, natural, and
sanitary risks; services and
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sustainable development; waste treatment and services; and recycling.
An outstanding conference program will also run parallel including 320
seminars, presentations, and technical conferences by experts and
associations.
Belgium
Densely populated Belgium is located at the heart of Europe's most
industrialized region. Belgium per capita GDP ranks among the world's
highest with a total of $390.2 billion in 2008. The U.S. ranks as
Belgium's 5th principal trading partner; with Belgium ranked 18th for
largest U.S. trading partner. The Belgian market is small enough that a
huge European-wide commitment to a new product is not necessary, yet
diverse and competitive enough that it offers a representative sample
of potential buyers and competitors. Belgium's trade advantages are
derived from its central geographic location and its highly skilled,
multilingual, and productive workforce. With a total of 10.5 million
people, the population density is the second highest in Europe, after
the Netherlands, and is heavily reliant on international trade for its
prosperity. Belgium's central location in the wealthy region of Europe
makes the country an ideal gateway for exports to Europe. Within a
radius of 300 miles, 140 million EU consumers can be reached
(equivalent to almost 50% of the U.S. population) representing 60% of
Europe's purchasing power. The government has focused its national
reform program on key priorities intended to achieve long-term
sustainable growth prospects, such as protecting the environment.
Belgium is one of the top 20 markets for U.S. environmental
exports. U.S. green exports to Belgium grew by 50% since 2002 and in
2009, U.S. green exports reached \1/2\; billion dollars (40% water, 30%
air pollution control, 24% solid waste, and 6% other). These exports
include products such as chemicals and supplies, and services such as
consulting and engineering. Some of Belgian's leading commercial
sectors for U.S. export and investment are solid waste disposal, water
and wastewater, air, green building, and renewable energy.
The total stock of Belgian FDI in the U.S. was $18.6 billion in
2008, making it the 15th largest direct investor in the U.S. The flow
of FDI from Belgium to the U.S. was negative $5.8 billion in 2008, a
substantial decrease from the $13.9 million inflow to the U.S. in 2007.
However, overall between 2004 and 2008, Belgian FDI stock in the United
States increased from $12.6 billion to $18.6 billion. Belgian FDI in
the U.S. supports 141,000 jobs.
Invest In America
Belgium has also hosted two Department of Commerce Invest In
America (IIA) events, and those events resulted in greater success than
other IIA events in any other country to date. The first IIA event from
just a year and a half ago has produced five investment successes in
California, Indiana, Virginia and Florida. However there are other
successes that have not yet been recorded making it an even larger
success. The most recent IIA event held a few months ago has already
produced three investments. The Council of American States in Europe
(C.A.S.E.), which helps European companies locate production sites or
sales and distribution operations for their products and services in
the U.S., has stated emphatically that Brussels holds the most
qualified participants and generates the most investment results
compared with other investment roadshows. The past events have
attracted participants from the Netherlands, Germany, France and the
UK, and we expect similarly broad participation in this portion of the
mission as well.
Water & Wastewater
In 2009, 40% of U.S. environmental exports to Belgium are related
to water and wastewater. This equaled over USD 200 million in products
and services. Trends and best prospects for this sector are
infrastructure projects to build wastewater treatment plants or more
specifically small--scale ``start to finish'' wastewater treatment
projects or water filtration systems for drinking water.
Solid Waste Disposal and Treatment
As Belgium faces numerous pollution problems, they realize that
proper management of solid waste is a central pillar of forward-
looking, sustainable environmental policies. As a result, it is
attempting to figure out how to minimize the environmental impacts from
waste treatment, while optimizing energy and material recovery and
minimizing the costs.
In 2009 24% of U.S. environmental exports to Belgium were related
to solid waste, recycling and soil remediation. This equaled USD 110
million in products and services. Compared to other EU countries,
Belgium is at the forefront of solid waste disposal and treatment. For
example, Belgium has a voluntary waste policy program. This means that
municipalities, under certain agreements, can receive subsidies by
achieving pre-specified residential solid waste targets. Also, through
their advanced separate trash collection programs, the residual waste
items in Flanders (Flemish speaking part of Belgium) have been reduced
to about 160 kg per capita, per year whereas the European average for
waste items is about 320 kg per capita. Best prospects for U.S. firms
in this sector include but are not limited to plastic sorting
technology, waste separation, selective collection systems, and waste-
to-energy technologies.
It is also important to note that a trade and investment mission to
Belgium does not preclude exposure and partnership opportunities with
other European countries. On the contrary, groups from other countries
operate a large part of the Belgian waste market, making Belgium an
optimal choice for U.S. companies and communities to pursue trade and
FDI opportunities.
Energy
The energy sector has long been one of Belgium's leading
industries. Current shifts such as de-regulation and liberalization,
the discussion on the phasing or non-phasing out of nuclear energy and
the push for renewable energy creates a great export opportunity to
U.S. companies to enter the market. Nuclear energy still accounts for
more than 50% of Belgium's electricity production. However, under the
efforts from the former ``green'' government to phase out nuclear
energy between 2015 and 2025, there is major room for improvement on
energy efficiency. A commission of experts concluded that phasing out
nuclear energy should be compensated by the construction of gas plants,
the exploitation of wind energy, biomass and cogeneration and a
reduction in electricity consumption, or higher efficiency of
electricity production. Each region actively promotes these new
technologies through various financial incentives. The level of
subsidies varies according to the type of enterprise and the
introduction of new energy efficiency policies, particularly
environmental. This drive towards clean energy provides a prime
opportunity for U.S. cleantech regional innovation clusters to boost
exports to Belgium.
Mission Goals
Support the President's initiative to double exports
during the next five years to support 2 million American jobs by
connecting U.S. communities and companies with potential European
trading partners.
Promote the U.S. green economy by connecting
representatives of U.S. regional innovation clusters focused on
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cleantech with potential foreign investors and trading partners.
Progress in addressing cleantech market access barriers to
trade and investment between participating nations.
Increase awareness of President Obama's priorities in
promoting exports.
Welcome foreign direct investment in the cleantech sector.
Help companies gain valuable international business
experience in the rapidly growing renewable energy and cleantech
market.
Help U.S. communities strengthen their engagement in the
worldwide marketplace, which will lead to increased exports and FDI,
and, in turn, job creation.
Mission Scenario
Participants will gain from operating on a two track mission:
Export promotion and foreign direct investment attraction. Companies
will promote their products and services while communities will promote
the competitiveness of their economic regions as promising investment
opportunities for foreign companies. U.S. companies and communities
will benefit through open opportunities via matchmaking support to
facilitate discussions with international firms at Pollutec in Lyon,
and in networking forums in Brussels. ITA will be able to expand its
trade mission model from a ``U.S. company to foreign company'' to
``U.S. community to foreign company'' format. As each U.S. community
represents many companies, this format offers the potential for
exponential growth in U.S. exports and of FDI in the U.S.
Timetable
The proposed schedule allows for four days in Lyon and two
days in Brussels.
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Day of week Date Activity
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Monday............................ Nov 29, Lyon......... Clean technology site visit organized by ERAI (Rhone-Alps Economic Development Agency) TBC.
Delegation Greeting Briefing by ERAI and U.S. Commercial Service.
Social/networking mixer with ERAI TBC.
Tuesday........................... Nov 30, Lyon......... Exhibition and Conference Opening ceremonies.
U.S. Technology Country of Honor Networking Luncheon TBC Conference presentations.
Evening Lyon City Hall Reception--500 guests (U.S. delegation as the guest of honor) TBC.
Wednesday......................... Dec 1, Lyon.......... Conference Presentations.
One-on-One Matchmaking.
U.S. Pavilion Exhibition activities.
Thursday.......................... Dec 2, Lyon/Brussels. Conference Presentations.
One-on-One Matchmaking.
U.S. Pavilion Exhibition activities.
U.S. Pavilion afternoon onsite reception.
Depart for Brussels via train or air.
U.S. Ambassador's Reception (TBC).
Friday............................ Dec 3, Brussels...... Company Delegates Visit to Nike Logistics Center/Business Roundtable.
Community Delegates hold Invest in America program at U.S. Commercial Service Offices.
Combined business networking luncheon.
NATO Visit to discuss cleantech needs for new NATO/HQ.
Saturday.......................... Dec 4, Brussels...... Depart.
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Package Includes:
Matchmaking and networking.
Access to VIP lounge.
Networking receptions and luncheon (TBC).
U.S. Pavilion exposure including promotion through shared
exhibit space (literature display) and meeting point.
Access to Pollutec trade exhibition, conference, and
presentations.
Visit to cleantech cluster in Rhone-Alps region (TBC).
Participation Requirements
All parties interested in participating in the U.S. Cleantech Trade
& Investment Mission must complete and submit an application package
for consideration by the Department of Commerce. All applicants will be
evaluated on their ability to meet certain conditions and best satisfy
the selection criteria as outlined below. A maximum of 20 companies and
20 community delegates will be considered for the mission.
I. Fees and Expenses: After a company or community delegate has
been selected to participate on the mission, a participation fee paid
to the U.S. Department of Commerce is required.
The participation fees are:
Companies:
[cir] Large company (for one representative): $3588
[cir] Small or medium-sized (less than 500 employees) company (for
one representative): $3395
Community delegate (one person): $2195 \2\
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\2\ The Department continues to review the fee for community
delegate participation and options for direct financing of the
economic development component mission expenses, which could lower
the cost for community delegates. Please see the trade mission
website at [insert web address] for the most current information.
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Additional representatives (company or community
delegate): $400 per participant
Expenses for travel, including airfare, lodging, in-country
transportation (except for airport transfers and bus transportation to/
from group meetings), meals, and incidentals, will be the
responsibility of each mission participant.
Companies and community delegates can also choose to separately
purchase their own exhibit in the U.S. Pavilion. Hotels are at a
premium and sell out quickly; an early commitment to Pollutec is highly
recommended.
II. Conditions for Participation:
All Applicants, whether a company or a community delegate, must:
Submit a completed and signed mission application, and, if
selected, a signed Participation Agreement, and a completed Market
Interest Questionnaire.
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Certify that the products and services to be promoted
through the mission are either produced in the United States or
marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have at least 51 percent
U.S. content of the value of the finished product or service.
If the Department of Commerce receives an incomplete
application, the Department may reject the application, request
additional information, or take the lack of information into account
when evaluating the applications.
Companies must include adequate information on:
The company's products and/or services, primary market
objectives, and goals for participation, and previous company
activities or initiatives participated in to advance regional economic
development.
Community Delegates may be a:
State or local government official,
University official,
Non-profit representative, or
Representative of an EDA-recognized regional entity.
In addition, each Community Delegate must be
The authorized representative of the governmental entity or
entities responsible for implementing a regional, State, or local
economic development strategy. At the time of application, a community
delegate must demonstrate that they are the authorized representative
by providing documentation as follows:
[cir] For delegates representing the entity responsible for
implementing a regional plan and EDA-recognized regional entities, the
delegate must provide either:
[cir] A letter from the director or governing body of the regional
entity, or
[cir] A letter or resolution from each governmental entity that
makes up a region (for example, a resolution passed by the county
commission of each county that makes up a region),
[cir] For delegates representing a State, the delegate must provide
a letter from the applicable Governor or the Governor's designated
representative, and
[cir] For delegates representing a local government, the delegate
must provide a resolution passed by or letter from the local government
(for example, a letter from the city's mayor or a resolution passed by
the county commission, as applicable).
The Department of Commerce may consider applications from
non-profit organizations that represent such communities on a national
basis. Authorized representative documentation is not required for such
organizations.
Community Delegates must demonstrate at the time of
application how their community's economic development strategy
promotes increased exports and foreign direct investment in general,
and the green economy in particular.
Additional representatives accompanying community delegates
must adhere to the selection criteria applicable to community
delegates.
III. Selection Criteria for Participation:
The following factors will be used to select participants:
Companies:
[cir] Suitability of the company's products or services for the
renewable energy and cleantech market,
[cir] Participation in coordinated economic development strategies
for their community,
[cir] Potential for business in France and Belgium, including the
likelihood of exports resulting from the mission,
[cir] Consistency of the applicant's goals and objectives with the
stated scope of the mission.
Community delegates:
[cir] Consistency of the community's economic strategic plan with
the stated scope of this mission,
[cir] Broad U.S. geographic diversity,
[cir] Industry cluster representation related to advancing the
green economy, and
[cir] Community economic distress levels.
Referrals from political organizations and any documents containing
references to partisan political activities (including political
contributions) will be removed from an applicant's submission and not
considered during the selection process.
Timeframe for Recruitment and Applications
Mission recruitment will be conducted in an open and public manner,
including publication in the Federal Register, posting on the Commerce
Department trade mission calendar (http://www.ita.doc.gov/doctm/tmcal.html) and other Internet Web sites, press releases to general and
trade media, e-mail, direct mail, broadcast fax, notices by industry
trade associations and other multiplier groups, and publicity at
industry meetings, symposia, conferences, and trade shows. The ITA and
EDA will explore and welcome outreach assistance from other interested
organizations, including other U.S. Government agencies. Recruitment
for the mission will begin immediately and close on August 15, 2010 for
community delegates and October 15, 2010 for companies. The staggered
timeline allows for logistical flexibility for community delegates.
Applications received after that time will be considered only if space
and scheduling constraints permit.
Information can also be obtained by contacting the mission contacts
listed below.
Contacts
Companies, please contact:
U.S. Commercial Service, Name: Teresa Yung, E-mail:
[email protected], Phone: (202) 482-5496;
Community delegates, please contact:
Economic Development Administration, Name: Bryan Borlik, E-mail:
[email protected].
Teresa Yung,
Global Trade Programs, Commercial Service Trade Missions Program.
[FR Doc. 2010-17203 Filed 7-14-10; 8:45 am]
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