Export applications to face presumption of denial beginning September 1, 2021
WASHINGTON (Commerce Department PR) — On March 1, 2021, the Secretary of State determined pursuant to the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 that the Government of Russia used chemical weapons in violation of international law or lethal chemical weapons against its own nationals.
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Provide a responsive regulatory environment for commercial space activities. The list of commercial space activities is varied and growing, ranging from traditional applications such as satellite telecommunications to emerging ones like space resource utilization. At the same time, the U.S. space industry is governed by multiple federal agencies with disparate regulatory interests, including the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Aviation Administration and Departments of State and Commerce. These agencies often suffer from funding and staffi ng shortages, a situation that creates bottlenecks in licensing processes and slows responsiveness to technological and market changes. The new Administration should work closely with Congress to ensure that the appropriate space regulatory agencies are fully resourced and staffed.
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Here’s a brief item from Politico.com: Suborbital spaceflight provider Virgin Galactic is bringing on Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies to lobby on issues related to Export-Import Bank financing and export control of suborbital spaceflight. Virgin Galactic is a company within Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, dedicated to the future of the space tourism industry. Howard Schweitzer, a former general counsel for Export-Import Bank, will lobby for Cozen O’Connor. Virgin Galactic hasn’t had […]
Taken from "Competing for Space: Satellite Export Policy and U.S. National Security," published by Aerospace Industries Association, January 2012
The United States’ restrictive export laws have devastated the nation’s satellite manufacturing industry, resulting in a loss of $20.8 billion in revenues and nearly 28,000 jobs annually over a 10-year period, according to a new report published by the Aerospace Industries Association. The U.S. share of world satellite manufacturing revenue has dropped from 63 percent to about 30 percent.
SIA and AIA PR — SIA and AIA welcome a proposed amendment to H.R. 1540, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, that would authorize the president to remove satellites and related components from the U.S. Munitions List, subject to certain restrictions and congressional oversight.
More than a decade ago, Congress passed legislation that required all commercial satellites, satellite components, associated technical data and related ground equipment to be treated as “munitions” for export licensing purposes. SIA and AIA have long encouraged Congress to adopt legislation that would allow the executive branch to determine the appropriate export licensing policy for commercial satellites and related items, just as it does for all other technologies that are subject to U.S. export licensing.
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Officials in Washington are moving forward with reforming the nation’s restrictive export laws, which have been blamed for costing U.S. companies business overseas while building up competition abroad.
Rep. C. A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger (D-MD) has introduced the “Strengthening America’s Satellite Industry Act” that would allow most satellites and related components to be removed from United States Munitions List.
