FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
Beijing, China
MRS. OBAMA: (Applause.) Thank you. Well, ni-hao. (Laughter.) It is such a pleasure and an honor to be here with all of you at this great university, so thank you so much for having me.
Now, before I get started today, on behalf of myself and my husband, I just want to say a few very brief words about Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. As my husband has said, the United States is offering as many resources as possible to assist in the search. And please know that we are keeping all of the families and loved ones of those on this flight in our thoughts and prayers at this very difficult time.
Now with that, I want to start by recognizing our new Ambassador to China, Ambassador Baucus; President Wang; Chairman Zhu; Vice President Li; Director Cueller; Professor Oi, and the Stanford Center; President Sexton from New York University, which is an excellent study abroad program in Shanghai; and John Thornton, Director of the Global Leadership Program at Tsinghua University. Thank you all for joining us.
But most of all, I want to thank all of the students who are here today. And I particularly want to thank Eric Schaefer and Zhu Xuanhao for that extraordinary English and Chinese introduction. That was a powerful symbol of everything that I want to talk with you about today.
See, by learning each other’s languages, and by showing such curiosity and respect for each other’s cultures, Mr. Schafer and Ms. Zhu and all of you are building bridges of understanding that will lead to so much more. And I’m here today because I know that our future depends on connections like these among young people like you across the globe.
That’s why when my husband and I travel abroad, we don’t just visit palaces and parliaments and meet with heads of state. We also come to schools like this one to meet with students like you, because we believe that relationships between nations aren’t just about relationships between governments or leaders -- they’re about relationships between people, particularly young people. So we view study abroad programs not just as an educational opportunity for students, but also as a vital part of America’s foreign policy.
Through the wonders of modern technology, our world is more connected than ever before. Ideas can cross oceans with the click of a button. Companies can do business and compete with companies across the globe. And we can text, email, Skype with people on every continent.
So studying abroad isn’t just a fun way to spend a semester; it is quickly becoming the key to success in our global economy. Because getting ahead in today’s workplaces isn’t just about getting good grades or test scores in school, which are important. It’s also about having real experience with the world beyond your borders –- experience with languages, cultures and societies very different from your own. Or, as the Chinese saying goes: “It is better to travel ten thousand miles than to read ten thousand books.”
But let’s be clear, studying abroad is about so much more than improving your own future. It’s also about shaping the future of your countries and of the world we all share. Because when it comes to the defining challenges of our time -– whether it’s climate change or economic opportunity or the spread of nuclear weapons -- these are shared challenges. And no one country can confront them alone. The only way forward is together.
That’s why it is so important for young people like you to live and study in each other’s countries, because that’s how you develop that habit of cooperation. You do it by immersing yourself in one another’s culture, by learning each other’s stories, by getting past the stereotypes and misconceptions that too often divide us.
That’s how you come to understand how much we all share. That’s how you realize that we all have a stake in each other’s success -- that cures discovered here in Beijing could save lives in America, that clean energy technologies from Silicon Valley in California could improve the environment here in China, that the architecture of an ancient temple in Xi’an could inspire the design of new buildings in Dallas or Detroit.
And that’s when the connections you make as classmates or labmates can blossom into something more. That’s what happened when Abigail Coplin became an American Fulbright Scholar here at Peking University. She and her colleagues published papers together in top science journals, and they built research partnerships that lasted long after they returned to their home countries. And Professor Niu Ke from Peking University was a Fulbright Scholarship -- Scholar in the U.S. last year, and he reported -- and this is a quote from him -- he said, “The most memorable experiences were with my American friends.”
These lasting bonds represent the true value of studying abroad. And I am thrilled that more and more students are getting this opportunity. As you’ve heard, China is currently the fifth most popular destination for Americans studying abroad, and today, the highest number of exchange students in the U.S. are from China.
But still, too many students never have this chance, and some that do are hesitant to take it. They may feel like studying abroad is only for wealthy students or students from certain kinds of universities. Or they may think to themselves, well, that sounds fun but how will it be useful in my life? And believe me, I understand where these young people are coming from because I felt the same way back when I was in college.
See, I came from a working-class family, and it never occurred to me to study abroad -- never. My parents didn’t get a chance to attend college, so I was focused on getting into a university, earning my degree so that I could get a good job to support myself and help my family. And I know for a lot of young people like me who are struggling to afford a regular semester of school, paying for plane tickets or living expenses halfway around the world just isn’t possible. And that’s not acceptable, because study abroad shouldn’t just be for students from certain backgrounds.
Our hope is to build connections between people of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds, because it is that diversity that truly will change the face of our relationships. So we believe that diversity makes our country vibrant and strong. And our study abroad programs should reflect the true spirit of America to the world.
And that’s why when my husband visited China back in 2009, he announced the 100,000 Strong initiative to increase the number and diversity of American students studying in China. And this year, as we mark the 35th anniversary of the normalization of relationships between our two countries, the U.S. government actually supports more American students in China than in any other country in the world.
We are sending high school, college and graduate students here to study Chinese. We’re inviting teachers from China to teach Mandarin in American schools. We’re providing free online advising for students in China who want to study in the U.S. And the U.S.-China Fulbright program is still going strong with more than 3,000 alumni.
And the private sector is stepping up as well. For example, Steve Schwarzman, who is the head of an American company called Blackstone, is funding a new program at Tsinghua University modeled on the Rhodes Scholarship. And today, students from all kinds of backgrounds are studying here in China.
Take the example of Royale Nicholson, who’s from Cleveland, Ohio. She attends New York University’s program in Shanghai. Now, like me, Royale is a first-generation college student. And her mother worked two full-time jobs while her father worked nights to support their family. And of her experience in Shanghai, Royale said -- and this is her quote -- she said, “This city oozes persistence and inspires me to accomplish all that I can.” And happy birthday, Royale. It was her birthday yesterday. (Laughter.)
And then there’s Philmon Haile from the University of Washington, whose family came to the U.S. as refugees from Eritrea when he was a child. And of his experience studying in China, he said, “Study abroad is a powerful vehicle for people-to-people exchange as we move into a new era of citizen diplomacy.”
“A new era of citizen diplomacy.” I could not have said it better myself, because that’s really what I’m talking about. I am talking about ordinary citizens reaching out to the world. And as I always tell young people back in America, you don’t need to get on a plane to be a citizen diplomat. I tell them that if you have an Internet connection in your home, school, or library, within seconds you can be transported anywhere in the world and meet people on every continent.
And that’s why I’m posting a daily travel blog with videos and photos of my experiences here in China, because I want young people in America to be part of this visit. And that’s really the power of technology –- how it can open up the entire world and expose us to ideas and innovations we never could have imagined.
And that’s why it’s so important for information and ideas to flow freely over the Internet and through the media, because that’s how we discover the truth. That’s how we learn what’s really happening in our communities and our country and our world. And that’s how we decide which values and ideas we think are best –- by questioning and debating them vigorously, by listening to all sides of an argument, and by judging for ourselves.
And believe me, I know how this can be a messy and frustrating process. My husband and I are on the receiving end of plenty of questioning and criticism from our media and our fellow citizens. And it’s not always easy, but we wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Because time and again, we have seen that countries are stronger and more prosperous when the voices of and opinions of all their citizens can be heard.
And as my husband has said, we respect the uniqueness of other cultures and societies, but when it comes to expressing yourself freely and worshipping as you choose and having open access to information, we believe those universal rights -- they are universal rights that are the birthright of every person on this planet. We believe that all people deserve the opportunity to fulfill their highest potential as I was able to do in the United States.
And as you learn about new cultures and form new friendships during your time here in China and in the United States, all of you are the living, breathing embodiment of those values. So I guarantee you that in studying abroad, you’re not just changing your own life, you are changing the lives of everyone you meet.
And as the great American President John F. Kennedy once said about foreign students studying in the U.S., he said “I think they teach more than they learn.” And that is just as true of young Americans who study abroad. All of you are America’s best face, and China’s best face, to the world -- you truly are.
Every day, you show the world your countries’ energy and creativity and optimism and unwavering belief in the future. And every day, you remind us -- and me in particular -- of just how much we can achieve if we reach across borders, and learn to see ourselves in each other, and confront our shared challenges with shared resolve.
So I hope you all will keep seeking these kinds of experiences. And I hope you’ll keep teaching each other, and learning from each other, and building bonds of friendship that will enrich your lives and enrich our world for decades to come.
You all have so much to offer, and I cannot wait to see all that you achieve together in the years ahead.
Thank you so much. Xie-Xie. (Applause.)
END 11:48 A.M. CST
Sunday, March 23, 2014
ODOMETER FRAUDSTER PLEADS GUILTY IN ROLLBACK SCHEME
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Massapequa, N.Y., Man Pleads Guilty to Rolling Back Odometers in Scheme That Defrauded Dozens of Car Buyers
A Massapequa, N.Y., man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Allentown, Pa., to conspiracy to commit odometer tampering, the Department of Justice announced. The defendant, Edward Capicchioni, 53, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to tamper with odometers and make false odometer certifications. Capicchioni rolled back odometers on used cars and trucks to make the vehicles appear more valuable. Doing business under the company name of The General’s Auto Sales, Capicchioni sold more than 50 vehicles with rolled back odometers.
“Tampering with a car’s odometer in order to trick a would-be buyer is not only pernicious, it is a federal crime,” said Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Division Stuart F. Delery. “A car is an expensive purchase – indeed, for many of us, the most expensive purchase of our lives – and we have a right to know that the car we are buying is what it appears to be. The Department of Justice will continue to take action against those who seek to defraud consumers.”
Capicchioni admitted to purchasing high-mileage cars, sport-utility vehicles and trucks from individual sellers in New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Maryland. Capicchioni then worked with a co-conspirator to roll back and alter the odometers and resold the vehicles at a wholesale auto auction in Pennsylvania. Capicchioni also took steps to hide his odometer fraud scheme. He checked the Carfax public database to see if it included a mileage entry that was higher than the false, lower mileage to which he reset the odometer. When Carfax included a higher mileage, Capicchioni submitted to Carfax fraudulent documentation in the name of the vehicle’s prior owner, in order to have the higher mileage reading removed.
After Carfax discovered Capicchioni’s fraud scheme through an internal investigation, Carfax personnel alerted the Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). NHTSA conducted additional investigation into the full scope of Capicchioni’s criminal activities, and Carfax continued to provide information and assistance throughout NHTSA’s investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney John W. Burke with the Consumer Protection Branch of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Massapequa, N.Y., Man Pleads Guilty to Rolling Back Odometers in Scheme That Defrauded Dozens of Car Buyers
A Massapequa, N.Y., man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Allentown, Pa., to conspiracy to commit odometer tampering, the Department of Justice announced. The defendant, Edward Capicchioni, 53, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to tamper with odometers and make false odometer certifications. Capicchioni rolled back odometers on used cars and trucks to make the vehicles appear more valuable. Doing business under the company name of The General’s Auto Sales, Capicchioni sold more than 50 vehicles with rolled back odometers.
“Tampering with a car’s odometer in order to trick a would-be buyer is not only pernicious, it is a federal crime,” said Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Division Stuart F. Delery. “A car is an expensive purchase – indeed, for many of us, the most expensive purchase of our lives – and we have a right to know that the car we are buying is what it appears to be. The Department of Justice will continue to take action against those who seek to defraud consumers.”
Capicchioni admitted to purchasing high-mileage cars, sport-utility vehicles and trucks from individual sellers in New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Maryland. Capicchioni then worked with a co-conspirator to roll back and alter the odometers and resold the vehicles at a wholesale auto auction in Pennsylvania. Capicchioni also took steps to hide his odometer fraud scheme. He checked the Carfax public database to see if it included a mileage entry that was higher than the false, lower mileage to which he reset the odometer. When Carfax included a higher mileage, Capicchioni submitted to Carfax fraudulent documentation in the name of the vehicle’s prior owner, in order to have the higher mileage reading removed.
After Carfax discovered Capicchioni’s fraud scheme through an internal investigation, Carfax personnel alerted the Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). NHTSA conducted additional investigation into the full scope of Capicchioni’s criminal activities, and Carfax continued to provide information and assistance throughout NHTSA’s investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney John W. Burke with the Consumer Protection Branch of the U.S. Department of Justice.
STUDY SHOWS ROCKY MOUNTAIN WILDFLOWER SEASON HAS LENGTHENED
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Rocky Mountain wildflower season lengthens by more than a month
39-year bloom count reveals changes attributed to warmer climate
A 39-year study of wildflower blooms in a Colorado Rocky Mountain meadow shows that more than two-thirds of alpine flowers have changed their blooming patterns in response to climate change.
Not only are half the flowers beginning to bloom weeks earlier, but more than a third are reaching their peak blooms earlier, and others are producing their last blooms later in the year.
The blooming season, which used to run from late May through early September, now lasts from late April to late September, according to University of Maryland ecologist David Inouye.
The wildflower records, made up of more than two million blooms, suggest that flowering plants' responses to climate change are more complex than previously believed, with different species responding in unexpected ways.
The combinations of flowering species that bloom together are changing, too, with potential effects on insects and birds.
Studies that focus only on the date of flowers' first blooms--as most do--understate these changes, says Inouye, co-author of a paper published in this week's issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
"Long-term data are essential to understanding every environmental challenge the world faces," says Saran Twombly, a program director in the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the research.
"This study relies on long-term data to drive home the fact that species' responses to climate change are complex."
Phenology, the study of the timing of seasonal events, is crucial to knowing how climate change affects plants, animals and the relationships that bind them into natural communities.
To answer these questions, phenologists are collecting new data and poring through old records, such as amateur naturalists' notebooks.
"Most studies rely on first dates of events like flowering or migration because they use historical data sets that were not intended as scientific studies," Inouye says.
"First flowering is easy to observe. You don't have to take the time to count flowers. So that's often the only information available.
"It's taken a lot of effort to get the comprehensive insights needed for this analysis, which helps us understand how ecological communities may change in the future."
By counting blooms in each of 30 plots every other day, up to five months per year, for four decades, Inouye and colleagues amassed a data set including more than two million flowers.
For the study, University of Arizona biologist Paul CaraDonna, University of Maryland biologist Amy Iler and Inouye analyzed data on the 60 most common species.
Bloom times are changing fast, the researchers found.
The date the first spring flower appears has advanced by more than six days per decade over the course of the study.
The spring peak, when masses of wildflowers burst into bloom, has moved up by five days per decade.
And the last flower of fall occurred about three days later every decade. "The flowering season is about one month longer than it used to be," Iler says, "which is a big change for a mountain ecosystem with a short growing season."
Of all the species that have changed their flowering schedules in some way, only 17 percent shifted their entire bloom cycles earlier. The rest showed more complicated changes.
"First flowering isn't always the best predictor of all the changes we find," CaraDonna says.
"There's a lot more going on than you can get from this single, simple measure. So, it's important to take a closer look to understand all the ways climate change affects these wildflower communities."
As the plants' bloom patterns continue to change, researchers expect that some plants that bloomed simultaneously will no longer overlap, and others will start blooming together for the first time.
Ecologists refer to these new combinations as "'no-analog' communities."
"We usually think of no-analog communities as something that happens when plants or animals move into areas where they haven't lived before, creating novel combinations of species," Iler says.
"For example, we have red foxes at our study site now. It used to be too cold for them in winter. Now the marmots that live there have to deal with a new predator.
"But this study shows that even when species don't actually move, changes in the timing of key events in their life cycles may also result in no-analog communities, where species may interact differently than before."
The changes are likely to have a strong effect--for better or worse--on pollinating insects and migratory birds.
For example, Inouye says, hummingbirds that summer in the Rocky Mountains time their nesting so their eggs hatch at peak wildflower bloom, when there is plenty of flower nectar for hungry chicks.
But as the bloom season lengthens, the plants are not producing more flowers. The same number of blooms is spread out over more days, so at peak bloom there may be fewer flowers.
Will there be enough food for the hummingbirds' young?
To find out, Inouye plans to fit adult hummingbirds with radio transmitters to study how they interact with this summer's blooms.
-NSF-
Rocky Mountain wildflower season lengthens by more than a month
39-year bloom count reveals changes attributed to warmer climate
A 39-year study of wildflower blooms in a Colorado Rocky Mountain meadow shows that more than two-thirds of alpine flowers have changed their blooming patterns in response to climate change.
Not only are half the flowers beginning to bloom weeks earlier, but more than a third are reaching their peak blooms earlier, and others are producing their last blooms later in the year.
The blooming season, which used to run from late May through early September, now lasts from late April to late September, according to University of Maryland ecologist David Inouye.
The wildflower records, made up of more than two million blooms, suggest that flowering plants' responses to climate change are more complex than previously believed, with different species responding in unexpected ways.
The combinations of flowering species that bloom together are changing, too, with potential effects on insects and birds.
Studies that focus only on the date of flowers' first blooms--as most do--understate these changes, says Inouye, co-author of a paper published in this week's issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
"Long-term data are essential to understanding every environmental challenge the world faces," says Saran Twombly, a program director in the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the research.
"This study relies on long-term data to drive home the fact that species' responses to climate change are complex."
Phenology, the study of the timing of seasonal events, is crucial to knowing how climate change affects plants, animals and the relationships that bind them into natural communities.
To answer these questions, phenologists are collecting new data and poring through old records, such as amateur naturalists' notebooks.
"Most studies rely on first dates of events like flowering or migration because they use historical data sets that were not intended as scientific studies," Inouye says.
"First flowering is easy to observe. You don't have to take the time to count flowers. So that's often the only information available.
"It's taken a lot of effort to get the comprehensive insights needed for this analysis, which helps us understand how ecological communities may change in the future."
By counting blooms in each of 30 plots every other day, up to five months per year, for four decades, Inouye and colleagues amassed a data set including more than two million flowers.
For the study, University of Arizona biologist Paul CaraDonna, University of Maryland biologist Amy Iler and Inouye analyzed data on the 60 most common species.
Bloom times are changing fast, the researchers found.
The date the first spring flower appears has advanced by more than six days per decade over the course of the study.
The spring peak, when masses of wildflowers burst into bloom, has moved up by five days per decade.
And the last flower of fall occurred about three days later every decade. "The flowering season is about one month longer than it used to be," Iler says, "which is a big change for a mountain ecosystem with a short growing season."
Of all the species that have changed their flowering schedules in some way, only 17 percent shifted their entire bloom cycles earlier. The rest showed more complicated changes.
"First flowering isn't always the best predictor of all the changes we find," CaraDonna says.
"There's a lot more going on than you can get from this single, simple measure. So, it's important to take a closer look to understand all the ways climate change affects these wildflower communities."
As the plants' bloom patterns continue to change, researchers expect that some plants that bloomed simultaneously will no longer overlap, and others will start blooming together for the first time.
Ecologists refer to these new combinations as "'no-analog' communities."
"We usually think of no-analog communities as something that happens when plants or animals move into areas where they haven't lived before, creating novel combinations of species," Iler says.
"For example, we have red foxes at our study site now. It used to be too cold for them in winter. Now the marmots that live there have to deal with a new predator.
"But this study shows that even when species don't actually move, changes in the timing of key events in their life cycles may also result in no-analog communities, where species may interact differently than before."
The changes are likely to have a strong effect--for better or worse--on pollinating insects and migratory birds.
For example, Inouye says, hummingbirds that summer in the Rocky Mountains time their nesting so their eggs hatch at peak wildflower bloom, when there is plenty of flower nectar for hungry chicks.
But as the bloom season lengthens, the plants are not producing more flowers. The same number of blooms is spread out over more days, so at peak bloom there may be fewer flowers.
Will there be enough food for the hummingbirds' young?
To find out, Inouye plans to fit adult hummingbirds with radio transmitters to study how they interact with this summer's blooms.
-NSF-
Saturday, March 22, 2014
CFTC CHARGES COMPANY, OWNER WITH ILLEGAL, OFF-EXCHANGE TRANSACTIONS
FROM: COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION
CFTC Charges Florida-Based Gold Distributors Inc. and Its Owner, Jordan Cain, with Engaging in Illegal, Off-exchange Commodity Transactions
Washington, DC – The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today announced that it filed a civil injunctive enforcement action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida against Defendants Gold Distributors Inc. (GDI) of Hallandale Beach, Florida, and its sole owner, Jordan Cain of Miami, Florida. The CFTC Complaint charges the Defendants with engaging in illegal, off-exchange financed transactions in precious metals with retail customers.
According to the Complaint, between January 2012 and February 2013, GDI and Cain solicited retail customers by telephone and in person to buy physical precious metals, such as gold and silver, in off-exchange leverage transactions. Customers paid GDI a portion of the purchase price for the metals, and another entity, AmeriFirst Management, LLC (AmeriFirst), financed the remainder of the purchase price, while charging the customers interest on the amount they purportedly loaned to customers, the Complaint alleges.
Retail customers engaging in financed transactions with GDI were told that they were borrowing money to purchase precious metals, according to the Complaint. Under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Dodd-Frank), financed transactions such as those conducted by GDI, are illegal off-exchange transactions unless they result in actual delivery of metal within 28 days. The Complaint alleges that GDI’s customers never took delivery of the precious metals they purportedly purchased.
The Complaint further alleges that when GDI engaged in these illegal transactions it was acting as a dealer for metals merchant AmeriFirst, which the CFTC charged with fraud and other violations in federal court in Florida on July 30, 2013 (see CFTC Press Release 6655-13). As alleged in the CFTC Complaint against AmeriFirst and the Complaint in this case, neither GDI nor AmeriFirst purchased or held metal on the customers’ behalf. The Complaint alleges that Defendants’ customers thus never owned, possessed, or received title to the physical commodities that they believed they purchased. Cain, as the owner, operator and controlling person of GDI, is liable for GDI’s violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC Regulations, according to the Complaint.
In its continuing litigation, the CFTC seeks disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, restitution for the benefit of defrauded customers, civil monetary penalties, permanent registration and trading bans, and a permanent injunction from future violations of federal commodities laws, as charged.
CFTC Division of Enforcement staff members responsible for this action are Nathan B. Ploener, Christopher Giglio, Lenel Hickson, Jr., and Manal M. Sultan.
CFTC Charges Florida-Based Gold Distributors Inc. and Its Owner, Jordan Cain, with Engaging in Illegal, Off-exchange Commodity Transactions
Washington, DC – The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today announced that it filed a civil injunctive enforcement action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida against Defendants Gold Distributors Inc. (GDI) of Hallandale Beach, Florida, and its sole owner, Jordan Cain of Miami, Florida. The CFTC Complaint charges the Defendants with engaging in illegal, off-exchange financed transactions in precious metals with retail customers.
According to the Complaint, between January 2012 and February 2013, GDI and Cain solicited retail customers by telephone and in person to buy physical precious metals, such as gold and silver, in off-exchange leverage transactions. Customers paid GDI a portion of the purchase price for the metals, and another entity, AmeriFirst Management, LLC (AmeriFirst), financed the remainder of the purchase price, while charging the customers interest on the amount they purportedly loaned to customers, the Complaint alleges.
Retail customers engaging in financed transactions with GDI were told that they were borrowing money to purchase precious metals, according to the Complaint. Under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Dodd-Frank), financed transactions such as those conducted by GDI, are illegal off-exchange transactions unless they result in actual delivery of metal within 28 days. The Complaint alleges that GDI’s customers never took delivery of the precious metals they purportedly purchased.
The Complaint further alleges that when GDI engaged in these illegal transactions it was acting as a dealer for metals merchant AmeriFirst, which the CFTC charged with fraud and other violations in federal court in Florida on July 30, 2013 (see CFTC Press Release 6655-13). As alleged in the CFTC Complaint against AmeriFirst and the Complaint in this case, neither GDI nor AmeriFirst purchased or held metal on the customers’ behalf. The Complaint alleges that Defendants’ customers thus never owned, possessed, or received title to the physical commodities that they believed they purchased. Cain, as the owner, operator and controlling person of GDI, is liable for GDI’s violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC Regulations, according to the Complaint.
In its continuing litigation, the CFTC seeks disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, restitution for the benefit of defrauded customers, civil monetary penalties, permanent registration and trading bans, and a permanent injunction from future violations of federal commodities laws, as charged.
CFTC Division of Enforcement staff members responsible for this action are Nathan B. Ploener, Christopher Giglio, Lenel Hickson, Jr., and Manal M. Sultan.
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S WEEKLY ADDRESS FOR MARCH 22, 2014
FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
Weekly Address: Rewarding Women's Hard Work and Increasing the Minimum Wage
WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama highlighted the importance of making sure our economy rewards the hard work of every American – including America’s women. The President reiterated his call for Congress to ensure that women earn equal pay for equal work and increase the minimum wage to $10.10, which would give nearly 28 million Americans the raise they deserve. He underscored his belief that providing opportunity for working women and families is the right thing to do for our economy, because when women succeed, America succeeds.
The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online atwww.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, Saturday, March 22, 2014.
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
March 22, 2014
Weekly Address
The White House
March 22, 2014
Hi, everybody. This week, I visited a community college in Florida, where I spoke with students about what we need to do to make sure our economy rewards the hard work of every American.
More specifically, I spoke about making sure our economy rewards the hard work of women.
Today, women make up about half of our workforce, and more than half of our college graduates. More women are now their families’ main breadwinner than ever before.
But in a lot of ways, our economy hasn’t caught up to this new reality yet. On average, a woman still earns just 77 cents for every dollar a man does. And too many women face outdated workplace policies that hold them back – which in turn holds back our families and our entire economy.
A woman deserves to earn equal pay for equal work, and paid leave that lets you take a day off to care for a sick child or parent. Congress needs to act on these priorities.
And when women hold most lower-wage jobs in America, Congress needs to raise the minimum wage. Because no woman who works full-time should ever have to raise her children in poverty.
Now, the good news is that in the year since I first called on Congress to raise the minimum wage, six states have passed laws to raise theirs. More states, counties, and cities are working to raise their minimum wages as we speak. Small businesses like St. Louis-based Pi Pizzeria, are raising their wages too – not out of charity, but because it’s good for business. And by the way, Pi makes a really good pizza. And in this year of action, I signed an executive order requiring federal contractors to pay their employees a fair wage of at least ten dollars and ten cents an hour.
But if we’re truly going to reward the hard work of every American, Congress needs to join the rest of the country and pass a bill that would lift the federal minimum wage to ten dollars and ten cents an hour. This wouldn’t just raise wages for minimum wage workers – its effects would lift wages for nearly 28 million Americans across this country. It will give businesses more customers with more money to spend, and grow the economy for everybody. So call up your Member of Congress and let them know it’s time for “ten-ten.” It’s time to give America a raise.
A true opportunity agenda is one that works for working women. Because when women succeed, America succeeds. We do better when everyone participates, and when everyone who works hard has the chance to get ahead. That’s what opportunity means – and it’s why I’ll keep fighting to restore it.
Thanks, everybody, and have a great weekend.
U.S. EXTENDS WARM WISHES TO PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN ON ANNIVERSARY OF LAHORE RESOLUTION
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
74th Anniversary of the Lahore Resolution
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
March 22, 2014
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I extend warm wishes to the government and people of Pakistan on the 74th anniversary of the signing of the Lahore Resolution, which laid the foundation for Pakistan’s independence.
Building stronger ties with the people of Pakistan has long been a deep personal commitment of mine. I was privileged to sponsor what became known as the Kerry-Lugar-Berman bill in Congress, which provided significant economic assistance to the people of Pakistan beginning several years ago. And we continue to deepen our partnership with Pakistan today, as both of our nations work to build peace and prosperity in Pakistan and the region.
President Obama and I were pleased to welcome Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Washington last year, a visit that highlighted the strength of our relationship and our commitment to partnership. That’s why we reinvigorated our Strategic Dialogue based on shared priorities. And that’s why we will continue to work with Pakistan on areas of mutual interest, from combating the forces of extremism, to bolstering our economies and those of the region, to helping Pakistan address its energy challenges, to increasing access to education.
I have visited Pakistan many times, both as a Senator and as Secretary of State. I have experienced firsthand the extraordinary hospitality and friendship that the people of Pakistan have to offer. Our relationship is strong because our people-to-people ties with Pakistan are growing even stronger through the thousands of professional and academic exchanges that take place between our countries each year.
On this special day, we remember the message of “hope, courage, and confidence” the Quaid-e-Azam delivered to the Pakistani people in his Eid-ul-Azha Message in 1947. Together, we must face our challenges with the same hope and determination.
74th Anniversary of the Lahore Resolution
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
March 22, 2014
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I extend warm wishes to the government and people of Pakistan on the 74th anniversary of the signing of the Lahore Resolution, which laid the foundation for Pakistan’s independence.
Building stronger ties with the people of Pakistan has long been a deep personal commitment of mine. I was privileged to sponsor what became known as the Kerry-Lugar-Berman bill in Congress, which provided significant economic assistance to the people of Pakistan beginning several years ago. And we continue to deepen our partnership with Pakistan today, as both of our nations work to build peace and prosperity in Pakistan and the region.
President Obama and I were pleased to welcome Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Washington last year, a visit that highlighted the strength of our relationship and our commitment to partnership. That’s why we reinvigorated our Strategic Dialogue based on shared priorities. And that’s why we will continue to work with Pakistan on areas of mutual interest, from combating the forces of extremism, to bolstering our economies and those of the region, to helping Pakistan address its energy challenges, to increasing access to education.
I have visited Pakistan many times, both as a Senator and as Secretary of State. I have experienced firsthand the extraordinary hospitality and friendship that the people of Pakistan have to offer. Our relationship is strong because our people-to-people ties with Pakistan are growing even stronger through the thousands of professional and academic exchanges that take place between our countries each year.
On this special day, we remember the message of “hope, courage, and confidence” the Quaid-e-Azam delivered to the Pakistani people in his Eid-ul-Azha Message in 1947. Together, we must face our challenges with the same hope and determination.
AFTERMATH OF THE STORM OVER NEW ZEALAND
A powerful storm passed over New Zealand’s South Island in March 2014 and brought gale-force winds, torrential rains, and flooding to the city of Christchurch. A total of 74 millimeters (3 inches) of rain fell on March 4-5, according to MetService, New Zealand’s national meteorological service. More than 100 homes flooded and more than 4,000 lost power around the country’s third most populous city. Skies had cleared enough by March 6, 2014, for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite to acquire this image showing the aftermath. Coastal communities are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the risk of damage and danger from flooding. NASA and NOAA are together launching a new opportunity for citizens to work with us on the very important topic of coastal flooding. This coastal flooding challenge is part of NASA’s third International Space Apps Challenge - a two-day global mass collaboration event on April 12-13, 2014. During these two days, citizens around the world are invited to engage directly with NASA to develop awe-inspiring software, hardware, and data visualizations. Last year’s event involved more than 9,000 global participants in 83 locations. This year will introduce more than 60 robust challenges clustered in five themes: asteroids, Earth watch, human spaceflight, robotics, and space technology. The Coastal Inundation In Your Community challenge is one of four climate-related challenges using data provided by NASA, NOAA and EPA. > 2014 International Space Apps Challenge: Coastal Inundation in Your Community > NASA Invites Citizens to Collaborate on Coastal Flooding Challenge Image Credit: NASA - Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
EARLY VENOMOUS SNAKE FOSSILS FOUND IN AFRICA
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Snakes Alive! NSF-funded researchers find oldest fossil evidence of modern African venomous snakes
Seasonal habitats may have given rise to active hunters earlier than previously reported
National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded researchers at Ohio University have found the oldest definitive fossil evidence of modern, venomous snakes in Africa. The newly discovered fossil was unearthed in the Rukwa Rift Basin of Tanzania. The research results were published in PLOS ONE.
The lead author, Jacob McCartney, and his coauthors note that these findings demonstrate that elapid snakes, such as cobras, kraits and sea snakes--were present in Africa as early as 25 million years ago.
Elapids belong to a larger group of snakes known as colubrids--active foragers that use a variety of methods, including venom to capture and kill prey.
The team was surprised to discover higher-than-expected concentrations of colubroid snakes, suggesting the local environment was more open and seasonally dry, thus more hospitable to these types of active hunting snakes that don't require cover to ambush prey like boas and pythons do.
They say it also points to a fundamental shift toward more rapid venom delivery mechanisms to exert very different pressures on the local fauna.
-- Dena Headlee, National Science Foundation
Snakes Alive! NSF-funded researchers find oldest fossil evidence of modern African venomous snakes
Seasonal habitats may have given rise to active hunters earlier than previously reported
National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded researchers at Ohio University have found the oldest definitive fossil evidence of modern, venomous snakes in Africa. The newly discovered fossil was unearthed in the Rukwa Rift Basin of Tanzania. The research results were published in PLOS ONE.
The lead author, Jacob McCartney, and his coauthors note that these findings demonstrate that elapid snakes, such as cobras, kraits and sea snakes--were present in Africa as early as 25 million years ago.
Elapids belong to a larger group of snakes known as colubrids--active foragers that use a variety of methods, including venom to capture and kill prey.
The team was surprised to discover higher-than-expected concentrations of colubroid snakes, suggesting the local environment was more open and seasonally dry, thus more hospitable to these types of active hunting snakes that don't require cover to ambush prey like boas and pythons do.
They say it also points to a fundamental shift toward more rapid venom delivery mechanisms to exert very different pressures on the local fauna.
-- Dena Headlee, National Science Foundation
EXPORT-IMPORT BANK SIGNS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING TO CHANNEL $1 BILLION OF SUPPORT TO PHILIPPINES
FROM: EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
Ex-Im Bank Signs $1 Billion MOU with Philippine Department of Energy
Washington, DC – Patricia Loui, board of director for the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank), and Raul B. Aguilos, undersecretary for the Department of Energy (DOE) of the Republic of the Philippines, signed a $1 billion memorandum of understanding (MOU) at a ceremony in Manila Wednesday.
“The agreement will channel much needed support to the Philippines from the American private sector and thereby boost jobs here at home,” said Export-Import Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. “The arrangement is a win-win for both our nations and evidences our deep ties and cooperation on numerous economic fronts.”
According to the MOU, Ex-Im Bank and the DOE will exchange information with an eye to matching development needs in the Philippines with innovative goods and services offered by American exporters.
More specifically, the MOU targets renewable-energy and LNG projects in the hopes of upgrading and expanding the Philippine energy supply in the wake of Typhoon Yolanda.
“Since 1993, Ex-Im Bank has provided $1.3 billion in energy-sector finance to the Philippines, but we aim to outdo ourselves and target another billion with this memorandum of understanding,” said Director Loui. “Our expertise can contribute both to the renovation of current energy-production facilities and the construction of new ones.”
In 1994, Ex-Im Bank financed the first project-finance transactions in the Philippines for geothermal energy: Cebu Geothermal for $170 million, and Mahanagdong Geothermal project for $211 million.
Ex-Im Bank Signs $1 Billion MOU with Philippine Department of Energy
Washington, DC – Patricia Loui, board of director for the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank), and Raul B. Aguilos, undersecretary for the Department of Energy (DOE) of the Republic of the Philippines, signed a $1 billion memorandum of understanding (MOU) at a ceremony in Manila Wednesday.
“The agreement will channel much needed support to the Philippines from the American private sector and thereby boost jobs here at home,” said Export-Import Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. “The arrangement is a win-win for both our nations and evidences our deep ties and cooperation on numerous economic fronts.”
According to the MOU, Ex-Im Bank and the DOE will exchange information with an eye to matching development needs in the Philippines with innovative goods and services offered by American exporters.
More specifically, the MOU targets renewable-energy and LNG projects in the hopes of upgrading and expanding the Philippine energy supply in the wake of Typhoon Yolanda.
“Since 1993, Ex-Im Bank has provided $1.3 billion in energy-sector finance to the Philippines, but we aim to outdo ourselves and target another billion with this memorandum of understanding,” said Director Loui. “Our expertise can contribute both to the renovation of current energy-production facilities and the construction of new ones.”
In 1994, Ex-Im Bank financed the first project-finance transactions in the Philippines for geothermal energy: Cebu Geothermal for $170 million, and Mahanagdong Geothermal project for $211 million.
ACID MANUFACTURER SETTLES NITROGEN OXIDES EMISSIONS CASE
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
North America’s Largest Acid Manufacturer and Its Subsidiaries Agree to Slash Emissions and Reduce Air Pollution
LSB Industries Inc. (LSB), the largest merchant manufacturer of concentrated nitric acid in North America, and four of its subsidiaries have agreed to reduce harmful emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by meeting emission limits that are among the lowest for the industry in the nation at plants in Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Justice announced today.
EPA estimates that the measures required by today’s settlement will reduce NOx emissions by more than 800 tons per year, directly benefitting surrounding communities, which include low-income and minority populations living near the Arkansas and Texas plants. The companies estimate that it will cost between $6.3 and $11.7 million to implement the measures required by the settlement.
“With today’s settlement, LSB and its subsidiaries are further improving the nitric acid manufacturing process and reducing harmful air pollution across four states,” said Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “In response to the Clean Air Act and state law claims, the companies have taken a constructive and cooperative approach by agreeing to implement global operational changes and mitigate past emissions. These actions raise the bar for compliance in this industry sector.”
“This case is about cleaner air for people living in communities near manufacturing plants,” said Cynthia Giles, Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “LSB Industries has committed to dramatic cuts in air pollution and ensuring they are in compliance with the law. We expect others in the industry to recognize the imperative to adopt reforms and reduce pollution in communities where they operate.”
LSB and its four nitric acid producing subsidiaries will also pay a total penalty of $725,000 to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act and applicable Oklahoma state law. In addition to paying the penalty, the companies must continuously monitor emissions and make any necessary operational improvements such as installing new pollution controls or upgrading current controls to meet the new NOx limits.
The settlement applies to the 10 nitric acid manufacturing plants owned or operated by the following Oklahoma City-based LSB subsidiaries: El Dorado Chemical Co., in El Dorado, Ark. (four plants); Cherokee Nitrogen Co. in Cherokee, Ala. (two plants); El Dorado Nitrogen Co. in Pryor, Okla. (three plants); and El Dorado Nitrogen Co. in Baytown, Texas (one plant). The complaint, filed concurrently with the settlement, alleges that the Cherokee, El Dorado and Pryor subsidiaries constructed or made modifications to their plants that resulted in increased emissions of NOx without first obtaining pre-construction permits and installing pollution controls. The complaint does not allege any violations regarding the Texas facility.
Today’s action is part of EPA’s national enforcement initiative to control harmful air pollution from the largest sources of emissions, including acid manufacturing facilities. High concentrations of NOx in the air can irritate the lungs and lower resistance to respiratory infections such as influenza. Continued or frequent exposure may cause increased incidence of acute respiratory illness in children. Further, airborne NOx can significantly contribute to acid rain and lead to the formation of smog.
The companies have also agreed to spend $150,000 to remediate and reforest ten acres of land with acidified soils located near El Dorado, Ark. NOx emissions, such as those from nitric acid plants, can contribute to soil acidification. The project will help to minimize erosion, reduce stormwater runoff, improve habitat for wildlife and capture carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.
The states of Oklahoma and Alabama are co-plaintiffs in today’s settlement and will receive a portion of the total penalty as follows: $206,250 will be paid to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and $156,250 will be paid to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.
LSB, headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., is a major producer of nitrogen-based fertilizers, including anhydrous ammonia, urea and ammonium nitrate. The company owns and operates the largest fleet of concentrated nitric acid rail cars in the United States. LSB and its subsidiaries produce nitric acid for use in products that include herbicides, metal treatment, explosives and pharmaceuticals.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
North America’s Largest Acid Manufacturer and Its Subsidiaries Agree to Slash Emissions and Reduce Air Pollution
LSB Industries Inc. (LSB), the largest merchant manufacturer of concentrated nitric acid in North America, and four of its subsidiaries have agreed to reduce harmful emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by meeting emission limits that are among the lowest for the industry in the nation at plants in Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Justice announced today.
EPA estimates that the measures required by today’s settlement will reduce NOx emissions by more than 800 tons per year, directly benefitting surrounding communities, which include low-income and minority populations living near the Arkansas and Texas plants. The companies estimate that it will cost between $6.3 and $11.7 million to implement the measures required by the settlement.
“With today’s settlement, LSB and its subsidiaries are further improving the nitric acid manufacturing process and reducing harmful air pollution across four states,” said Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “In response to the Clean Air Act and state law claims, the companies have taken a constructive and cooperative approach by agreeing to implement global operational changes and mitigate past emissions. These actions raise the bar for compliance in this industry sector.”
“This case is about cleaner air for people living in communities near manufacturing plants,” said Cynthia Giles, Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “LSB Industries has committed to dramatic cuts in air pollution and ensuring they are in compliance with the law. We expect others in the industry to recognize the imperative to adopt reforms and reduce pollution in communities where they operate.”
LSB and its four nitric acid producing subsidiaries will also pay a total penalty of $725,000 to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act and applicable Oklahoma state law. In addition to paying the penalty, the companies must continuously monitor emissions and make any necessary operational improvements such as installing new pollution controls or upgrading current controls to meet the new NOx limits.
The settlement applies to the 10 nitric acid manufacturing plants owned or operated by the following Oklahoma City-based LSB subsidiaries: El Dorado Chemical Co., in El Dorado, Ark. (four plants); Cherokee Nitrogen Co. in Cherokee, Ala. (two plants); El Dorado Nitrogen Co. in Pryor, Okla. (three plants); and El Dorado Nitrogen Co. in Baytown, Texas (one plant). The complaint, filed concurrently with the settlement, alleges that the Cherokee, El Dorado and Pryor subsidiaries constructed or made modifications to their plants that resulted in increased emissions of NOx without first obtaining pre-construction permits and installing pollution controls. The complaint does not allege any violations regarding the Texas facility.
Today’s action is part of EPA’s national enforcement initiative to control harmful air pollution from the largest sources of emissions, including acid manufacturing facilities. High concentrations of NOx in the air can irritate the lungs and lower resistance to respiratory infections such as influenza. Continued or frequent exposure may cause increased incidence of acute respiratory illness in children. Further, airborne NOx can significantly contribute to acid rain and lead to the formation of smog.
The companies have also agreed to spend $150,000 to remediate and reforest ten acres of land with acidified soils located near El Dorado, Ark. NOx emissions, such as those from nitric acid plants, can contribute to soil acidification. The project will help to minimize erosion, reduce stormwater runoff, improve habitat for wildlife and capture carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.
The states of Oklahoma and Alabama are co-plaintiffs in today’s settlement and will receive a portion of the total penalty as follows: $206,250 will be paid to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and $156,250 will be paid to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.
LSB, headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., is a major producer of nitrogen-based fertilizers, including anhydrous ammonia, urea and ammonium nitrate. The company owns and operates the largest fleet of concentrated nitric acid rail cars in the United States. LSB and its subsidiaries produce nitric acid for use in products that include herbicides, metal treatment, explosives and pharmaceuticals.
NIGHT DECK LANDING QUALIFICATIONS ABOARD THE USS MOUNT WHITNEY
MEDITERRANEAN SEA (March 19, 2014)
A MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 28 conducts night deck landing qualifications aboard the amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) while the ship is underway in the Mediterranean Sea. Mount Whitney, homeported in Gaeta, Italy, is the U.S. 6th Fleet flagship and operates with a combined crew of U.S. Sailors and Military Sealift Command civil service mariners. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Collin Turner (Released) 140319-N-PE825-086.
Friday, March 21, 2014
FORMER PRESIDENT RUSSIAN STEEL PRODUCER SUBSIDIARY INDICTED FOR HIDING ASSETS IN SWISS BANK ACCOUNTS
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, March 21, 2014
Former President of Russian Steel Producer’s U.S. Subsidiary Indicted for Hiding Assets in Secret Swiss Bank Accounts
Victor Lipukhin, formerly a resident of St. Charles, Ill., was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., for attempting to interfere with the administration of the internal revenue laws and filing false tax returns, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. The charges relate to Lipukhin hiding millions of dollars in several Swiss bank accounts held at UBS AG.
According to the indictment, Lipukhin formerly served as president of Severstal Inc. (USA), a subsidiary of AO Severstal, the largest steel producer in Russia. He lived in St. Charles from at least 2001 through mid-2007.
Lipukhin, a Russian citizen and former lawful permanent U.S. resident, kept between approximately $4,000,000 and $7,500,000 in assets in two bank accounts with UBS in Switzerland from at least 2002 through 2007. In 2002, he and another individual opened a UBS bank account in the name of Old Orchard, a sham Bahamian entity. The account was initially funded with over $47,000,000 transferred into the account from a previously maintained UBS account in the Bahamas. In 2003, the other individual left the account, leaving Lipukhin as the sole owner and signatory. Lipukhin also maintained another account at UBS in Switzerland in the name of Lone Star, another sham Bahamian entity. He directed virtually all transactions in the accounts, typically through a Bahamian national who served as the nominee director of the Old Orchard and Lone Star entities to help conceal Lipukhin’s ownership and control. However, he failed to report his ownership of these accounts and failed to report any income earned in these accounts on his tax returns.
According to the indictment, in order to further conceal his ownership of the undisclosed UBS accounts, Lipukhin utilized fictitious mortgages through an entity called Dapaul Management, controlled by a Canadian attorney, to conceal his purchase of real estate in the United States with funds from the UBS accounts. This includes his purchase of a historic building at 18 N. Fourth St, in St. Charles, Ill., for $900,000 in the name of Charlestal LLC, a domestic entity controlled by Lipukhin. He also transferred funds from his UBS accounts to the Canadian attorney for ultimate transfer to a domestic Charlestal bank account in order to conceal the source of the funds, then used the funds in the Charlestal account to pay for various personal expenses and to withdraw cash for personal use. Finally, Lipukhin impeded the administration of Internal Revenue laws by attempting to prevent an automobile dealer from filing a Form 8300 – which is required for certain cash transactions over $10,000 – with the IRS in order to report Lipukhin’s cash payment to purchase an automobile.
An indictment merely alleges that a crime has been committed, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Lipukhin faces a potential maximum sentence of three years imprisonment on each count.
U.S. citizens and permanent residents are required to report income from any source on their tax returns, regardless of whether the source of the income is inside or outside the United States. Further, U.S. taxpayers who have an interest in, or signature or other authority over, a financial account in a foreign country with assets in excess of $10,000 are also required to disclose the existence of the account on Schedule B, Part III of an individual income tax return. They must also disclose the existence of the account by filing a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts with the U.S. Treasury.
Assistant Attorney General Kathleen Keneally of the Tax Division commended the agents from IRS –Criminal Investigation who investigated the case and Trial Attorney Timothy J. Stockwell of the Tax Division, who is prosecuting the case.
Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, March 21, 2014
Former President of Russian Steel Producer’s U.S. Subsidiary Indicted for Hiding Assets in Secret Swiss Bank Accounts
Victor Lipukhin, formerly a resident of St. Charles, Ill., was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., for attempting to interfere with the administration of the internal revenue laws and filing false tax returns, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. The charges relate to Lipukhin hiding millions of dollars in several Swiss bank accounts held at UBS AG.
According to the indictment, Lipukhin formerly served as president of Severstal Inc. (USA), a subsidiary of AO Severstal, the largest steel producer in Russia. He lived in St. Charles from at least 2001 through mid-2007.
Lipukhin, a Russian citizen and former lawful permanent U.S. resident, kept between approximately $4,000,000 and $7,500,000 in assets in two bank accounts with UBS in Switzerland from at least 2002 through 2007. In 2002, he and another individual opened a UBS bank account in the name of Old Orchard, a sham Bahamian entity. The account was initially funded with over $47,000,000 transferred into the account from a previously maintained UBS account in the Bahamas. In 2003, the other individual left the account, leaving Lipukhin as the sole owner and signatory. Lipukhin also maintained another account at UBS in Switzerland in the name of Lone Star, another sham Bahamian entity. He directed virtually all transactions in the accounts, typically through a Bahamian national who served as the nominee director of the Old Orchard and Lone Star entities to help conceal Lipukhin’s ownership and control. However, he failed to report his ownership of these accounts and failed to report any income earned in these accounts on his tax returns.
According to the indictment, in order to further conceal his ownership of the undisclosed UBS accounts, Lipukhin utilized fictitious mortgages through an entity called Dapaul Management, controlled by a Canadian attorney, to conceal his purchase of real estate in the United States with funds from the UBS accounts. This includes his purchase of a historic building at 18 N. Fourth St, in St. Charles, Ill., for $900,000 in the name of Charlestal LLC, a domestic entity controlled by Lipukhin. He also transferred funds from his UBS accounts to the Canadian attorney for ultimate transfer to a domestic Charlestal bank account in order to conceal the source of the funds, then used the funds in the Charlestal account to pay for various personal expenses and to withdraw cash for personal use. Finally, Lipukhin impeded the administration of Internal Revenue laws by attempting to prevent an automobile dealer from filing a Form 8300 – which is required for certain cash transactions over $10,000 – with the IRS in order to report Lipukhin’s cash payment to purchase an automobile.
An indictment merely alleges that a crime has been committed, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Lipukhin faces a potential maximum sentence of three years imprisonment on each count.
U.S. citizens and permanent residents are required to report income from any source on their tax returns, regardless of whether the source of the income is inside or outside the United States. Further, U.S. taxpayers who have an interest in, or signature or other authority over, a financial account in a foreign country with assets in excess of $10,000 are also required to disclose the existence of the account on Schedule B, Part III of an individual income tax return. They must also disclose the existence of the account by filing a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts with the U.S. Treasury.
Assistant Attorney General Kathleen Keneally of the Tax Division commended the agents from IRS –Criminal Investigation who investigated the case and Trial Attorney Timothy J. Stockwell of the Tax Division, who is prosecuting the case.
U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL PRAISES RESTRAINT OF UKRAINE
DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL
Hagel Praises Ukrainian Restraint in Call With Defense Minister
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 21, 2014 – In a phone conversation with Ukrainian Defense Minister Ihor Tenyukh today, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel repeated his praise for the restraint demonstrated by Ukrainian forces in Crimea and commended Tenyukh’s leadership, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said.
"For his part, Minister Tenyukh updated Secretary Hagel on the situation in Crimea and throughout the country,” Kirby said in a statement summarizing the 35-minute call. Hagel reaffirmed U.S. support for Ukraine and stressed that officials are actively reviewing Ukraine's request for military assistance materials, he added.
"Both leaders agreed on the need to find a diplomatic, peaceful resolution to this crisis," Kirby said, and Hagel agreed to stay in close contact with Tenyukh going forward.
Hagel Praises Ukrainian Restraint in Call With Defense Minister
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 21, 2014 – In a phone conversation with Ukrainian Defense Minister Ihor Tenyukh today, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel repeated his praise for the restraint demonstrated by Ukrainian forces in Crimea and commended Tenyukh’s leadership, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said.
"For his part, Minister Tenyukh updated Secretary Hagel on the situation in Crimea and throughout the country,” Kirby said in a statement summarizing the 35-minute call. Hagel reaffirmed U.S. support for Ukraine and stressed that officials are actively reviewing Ukraine's request for military assistance materials, he added.
"Both leaders agreed on the need to find a diplomatic, peaceful resolution to this crisis," Kirby said, and Hagel agreed to stay in close contact with Tenyukh going forward.
U.S. "DEEPLY CONCERNED" ABOUT TURKISH GOVERNMENT BLOCKING TWITTER
FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
Statement by the Press Secretary on Blocking of Twitter in Turkey
The United States is deeply concerned that the Turkish government has blocked its citizens’ access to basic communication tools. We oppose this restriction on the Turkish people’s access to information, which undermines their ability to exercise freedoms of expression and association and runs contrary to the principles of open governance that are critical to democratic governance and the universal rights that the United States stands for around the world. We have conveyed our serious concern to the Turkish government, urge Turkish authorities to respect the freedom of the press by permitting the independent and unfettered operation of media of all kinds, and support the people of Turkey in their calls to restore full access to the blocked technologies.
Statement by the Press Secretary on Blocking of Twitter in Turkey
The United States is deeply concerned that the Turkish government has blocked its citizens’ access to basic communication tools. We oppose this restriction on the Turkish people’s access to information, which undermines their ability to exercise freedoms of expression and association and runs contrary to the principles of open governance that are critical to democratic governance and the universal rights that the United States stands for around the world. We have conveyed our serious concern to the Turkish government, urge Turkish authorities to respect the freedom of the press by permitting the independent and unfettered operation of media of all kinds, and support the people of Turkey in their calls to restore full access to the blocked technologies.
U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS FOR MARCH 21, 2014
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
CONTRACTS
AIR FORCE
ManTech SRS, Technologies, Inc., Arlington, Va., has been awarded a $15,515,683 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00024) to an existing contract (FA8811-10-C-0002) to exercise term one, option one for systems engineering, product assurance, program safety, systems security, risk management, and launch integration management for the Launch and Range Systems Directorate. Work will be performed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., and Vandenberg AFB, Calif., and is expected to be completed by March 22, 2015. Fiscal 2013 procurement funds for $13,930,481 and 2014 operations and maintenance funds for $871,635 are being obligated at time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center/LRK, Los Angeles AFB, Calif., is the contracting activity.
ARMY
ASI Government, Inc., Arlington, Va., (W52P1J-14-D-0018); Engility Corporation, Alexandria, Va., (W52P1J-14-D-0019); Logistics Management Institute, McLean, Va., (W52P1J-14-D-0020); Sysorex Government Services, Inc. *, Herndon, Va., (W52P1J-14-D-0032); Suntiva, LLC*, Falls Church, Va., (W52P1J-14-D-0033); and Zantech IT Services, Inc*., Tysons Corner, Va., (W52P1J-14-D-0034) were awarded a maximum $461,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract for program management support services for the Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems headquarters, directorates, project/product offices and related organizations. The contract will provide for the full range of program management support in the functional areas of project/product management; business process reengineering; information systems security; contingency planning; and physical security. Each company will receive a minimum guarantee of $20,000 and compete for task orders under the IDIQ. Funding and performance locations will be determined with each order. The estimated completion date is March 13, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet with twenty-four received. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., is the contracting activity.
AAI Corp. Hunt Valley, Md., was awarded a $38,523,230 modification (P00120) to contract W58RGZ-08-C-0023 to purchase five tactical common data link retrofit kits and mobile maintenance facility spares sets for the shadow unmanned aircraft systems for the U.S. Marine Corps. Fiscal 2014 other procurement funds in the amount of $38,523,230 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is May 31, 2017. Work will be performed at Hunt Valley, Md. Army Contracting Command is the contracting activity.
The Mason & Hanger Group, Inc., Lexington, Ky., was awarded a $9,000,000 firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for architectural and engineering services, Army reserve projects nationwide and military projects within the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division mission boundaries. Funding and performance location will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is March 20, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet with thirty-two received. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Ky., is the contracting activity (W912QR-14-D-0007).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Government Scientific Source, Inc.,** Reston, Va., has been awarded a maximum $333,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for selection of distributor who will make available for purchase medical laboratory supplies and wares. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. This is a competitive acquisition, and four offers were received. Location of performance is Virginia with a March 20, 2015 performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2014 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM2DE-14-D-7350).
Raytheon Company, Space and Airborne Systems, McKinney, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $7,420,000 firm-fixed-price contract for system electronic units. This is a sixteen-month base contract with no option periods. This is a sole-source acquisition. Location of performance is Texas with a July 31, 2015 performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2014 Navy working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPRPA1-14-G-001X-1003).
NAVY
Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, Sudbury, Mass., is being awarded a $45,057,874 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-13-C-5115) for the production of one AN/SPY-1D(V) Transmitter Group and select Missile Fire Control System MK 99 equipment to support Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System in Poland. Work will be performed in Andover, Mass. (78.3 percent); Sudbury, Mass. (19.3 percent); Canada (1 percent); Moorestown, N.J. (0.9 percent); and Norfolk, Va. (0.5 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2016. Fiscal 2014 defense procurement contract funds in the amount of $45,057,874 will be obligated at the time of award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Chugach Federal Solutions Inc.*, Anchorage, Alaska, is being awarded a $30,862,237 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base operations support at various installations in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Northwest area of responsibility (AOR). The maximum dollar value including the base period and five option periods performance is $275,822,190. The work to be performed provides for, but is not limited to, all management and administration, visual services, security operations services, fire and emergency services, facilities management services, facility investment services, medical facility investment services, pest control services, integrated solid waste services, pavement clearance services, base support vehicle and equipment services, environmental services, and utilities services to provide base operations support services. Work will be performed at various installations in the NAVFAC Northwest AOR including but not limited to, Washington (95 percent), Alaska (1 percent), Idaho (1 percent), Montana (1 percent), Oregon (1 percent), and Wyoming (1 percent), and work is expected to be completed September 2014. Fiscal 2014 operation and maintenance, Navy; fiscal 2014 Navy working capital funds; and fiscal 2014 defense health program contract funds in the amount of $11,239,788 will be obligated at time of award. Funds in the amount of $6,583,257 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with nine proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, Silverdale, Wash., is the contracting activity (N44255-14-D-9000).
Raytheon Co., McKinney, Texas, is being awarded $17,707,050 for modification 0044-01 to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00164-12-G-JQ66) for 19 Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems for U.S. Navy MH-60R/S helicopters. The system is an airborne, electro-optic, forward-looking infra-red, turreted sensor package that provides long-range surveillance, high altitude target acquisition, tracking, range-finding, and laser designation, and for all tri-service and NATO laser guided munitions. Work will be performed in McKinney, Texas, and is expected to be completed by March 2016. Fiscal 2014 aircraft procurement Navy contract funds in the amount of $17,707,050 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY
The Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, Calif., has been awarded a $30,673,934 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The work will support the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Airborne Launch Assist Space Access program. Work will be performed in Huntington Beach, Calif. (53 percent); Houston, Texas (13 percent); Redondo Beach, Calif. (13 percent); Santa Maria, Calif. (11 percent); Bothell, Wash. (2 percent); Simsbury, Conn. (5 percent); Titusville, Fla. (2 percent); Joplin, Mo. (1 percent); Ontario, Calif. (1 percent). The estimated completion date is Feb. 20, 2015. Fiscal 2013 research and development funds in the amount of $22,041,570 are being obligated at time of award. The contracting activity is DARPA, Arlington, Va., (HR0011-14-C-0051).
U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND
American Auto Logistics, Limited Partnership, Park Ridge, N.J., is being awarded a $25,000,000 delivery order modification to previously awarded delivery order DAMT01-03-D-0184-0009 to provide for Department of Defense-sponsored shipments of privately owned vehicles belonging to military service members and DOD civilian employees. Work will be performed at multiple locations both within and outside of the continental U.S., with an expected completion date of April 30, 2014. Fiscal year 2014 Transportation Working Capital Funds of $25,000,000 are being obligated at the time of modification execution. The contracting activity is the U.S. Transportation Command Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
*Small Business
**Veteran Owned Small Business
CONTRACTS
AIR FORCE
ManTech SRS, Technologies, Inc., Arlington, Va., has been awarded a $15,515,683 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00024) to an existing contract (FA8811-10-C-0002) to exercise term one, option one for systems engineering, product assurance, program safety, systems security, risk management, and launch integration management for the Launch and Range Systems Directorate. Work will be performed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., and Vandenberg AFB, Calif., and is expected to be completed by March 22, 2015. Fiscal 2013 procurement funds for $13,930,481 and 2014 operations and maintenance funds for $871,635 are being obligated at time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center/LRK, Los Angeles AFB, Calif., is the contracting activity.
ARMY
ASI Government, Inc., Arlington, Va., (W52P1J-14-D-0018); Engility Corporation, Alexandria, Va., (W52P1J-14-D-0019); Logistics Management Institute, McLean, Va., (W52P1J-14-D-0020); Sysorex Government Services, Inc. *, Herndon, Va., (W52P1J-14-D-0032); Suntiva, LLC*, Falls Church, Va., (W52P1J-14-D-0033); and Zantech IT Services, Inc*., Tysons Corner, Va., (W52P1J-14-D-0034) were awarded a maximum $461,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract for program management support services for the Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems headquarters, directorates, project/product offices and related organizations. The contract will provide for the full range of program management support in the functional areas of project/product management; business process reengineering; information systems security; contingency planning; and physical security. Each company will receive a minimum guarantee of $20,000 and compete for task orders under the IDIQ. Funding and performance locations will be determined with each order. The estimated completion date is March 13, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet with twenty-four received. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., is the contracting activity.
AAI Corp. Hunt Valley, Md., was awarded a $38,523,230 modification (P00120) to contract W58RGZ-08-C-0023 to purchase five tactical common data link retrofit kits and mobile maintenance facility spares sets for the shadow unmanned aircraft systems for the U.S. Marine Corps. Fiscal 2014 other procurement funds in the amount of $38,523,230 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is May 31, 2017. Work will be performed at Hunt Valley, Md. Army Contracting Command is the contracting activity.
The Mason & Hanger Group, Inc., Lexington, Ky., was awarded a $9,000,000 firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for architectural and engineering services, Army reserve projects nationwide and military projects within the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division mission boundaries. Funding and performance location will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is March 20, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet with thirty-two received. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Ky., is the contracting activity (W912QR-14-D-0007).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Government Scientific Source, Inc.,** Reston, Va., has been awarded a maximum $333,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for selection of distributor who will make available for purchase medical laboratory supplies and wares. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. This is a competitive acquisition, and four offers were received. Location of performance is Virginia with a March 20, 2015 performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2014 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM2DE-14-D-7350).
Raytheon Company, Space and Airborne Systems, McKinney, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $7,420,000 firm-fixed-price contract for system electronic units. This is a sixteen-month base contract with no option periods. This is a sole-source acquisition. Location of performance is Texas with a July 31, 2015 performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2014 Navy working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPRPA1-14-G-001X-1003).
NAVY
Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, Sudbury, Mass., is being awarded a $45,057,874 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-13-C-5115) for the production of one AN/SPY-1D(V) Transmitter Group and select Missile Fire Control System MK 99 equipment to support Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System in Poland. Work will be performed in Andover, Mass. (78.3 percent); Sudbury, Mass. (19.3 percent); Canada (1 percent); Moorestown, N.J. (0.9 percent); and Norfolk, Va. (0.5 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2016. Fiscal 2014 defense procurement contract funds in the amount of $45,057,874 will be obligated at the time of award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Chugach Federal Solutions Inc.*, Anchorage, Alaska, is being awarded a $30,862,237 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base operations support at various installations in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Northwest area of responsibility (AOR). The maximum dollar value including the base period and five option periods performance is $275,822,190. The work to be performed provides for, but is not limited to, all management and administration, visual services, security operations services, fire and emergency services, facilities management services, facility investment services, medical facility investment services, pest control services, integrated solid waste services, pavement clearance services, base support vehicle and equipment services, environmental services, and utilities services to provide base operations support services. Work will be performed at various installations in the NAVFAC Northwest AOR including but not limited to, Washington (95 percent), Alaska (1 percent), Idaho (1 percent), Montana (1 percent), Oregon (1 percent), and Wyoming (1 percent), and work is expected to be completed September 2014. Fiscal 2014 operation and maintenance, Navy; fiscal 2014 Navy working capital funds; and fiscal 2014 defense health program contract funds in the amount of $11,239,788 will be obligated at time of award. Funds in the amount of $6,583,257 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with nine proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, Silverdale, Wash., is the contracting activity (N44255-14-D-9000).
Raytheon Co., McKinney, Texas, is being awarded $17,707,050 for modification 0044-01 to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00164-12-G-JQ66) for 19 Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems for U.S. Navy MH-60R/S helicopters. The system is an airborne, electro-optic, forward-looking infra-red, turreted sensor package that provides long-range surveillance, high altitude target acquisition, tracking, range-finding, and laser designation, and for all tri-service and NATO laser guided munitions. Work will be performed in McKinney, Texas, and is expected to be completed by March 2016. Fiscal 2014 aircraft procurement Navy contract funds in the amount of $17,707,050 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY
The Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, Calif., has been awarded a $30,673,934 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The work will support the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Airborne Launch Assist Space Access program. Work will be performed in Huntington Beach, Calif. (53 percent); Houston, Texas (13 percent); Redondo Beach, Calif. (13 percent); Santa Maria, Calif. (11 percent); Bothell, Wash. (2 percent); Simsbury, Conn. (5 percent); Titusville, Fla. (2 percent); Joplin, Mo. (1 percent); Ontario, Calif. (1 percent). The estimated completion date is Feb. 20, 2015. Fiscal 2013 research and development funds in the amount of $22,041,570 are being obligated at time of award. The contracting activity is DARPA, Arlington, Va., (HR0011-14-C-0051).
U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND
American Auto Logistics, Limited Partnership, Park Ridge, N.J., is being awarded a $25,000,000 delivery order modification to previously awarded delivery order DAMT01-03-D-0184-0009 to provide for Department of Defense-sponsored shipments of privately owned vehicles belonging to military service members and DOD civilian employees. Work will be performed at multiple locations both within and outside of the continental U.S., with an expected completion date of April 30, 2014. Fiscal year 2014 Transportation Working Capital Funds of $25,000,000 are being obligated at the time of modification execution. The contracting activity is the U.S. Transportation Command Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
*Small Business
**Veteran Owned Small Business
LABOR SECRETARY PEREZ ISSUES STATEMENT ON 2013 VETERANS EMPLOYMENT REPORT
FROM: U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT
Statement by US Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez on veterans' employment
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today issued the following statement regarding the release of the 2013 Employment Situation of Veterans report by the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics:
"Today's veterans' employment report for 2013 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows an encouraging drop in overall veterans' unemployment from 7 percent in 2012 to 6.6 percent. It included a significant reduction in 2013 unemployment for women veterans from 8.3 percent in 2012 to 6.9 percent in 2013 and a decrease from 9.9 percent to 9 percent for all Gulf War-era II veterans.
"Our nation's veterans and their families have made countless sacrifices on behalf of our nation. Who deserves opportunity more than those who have put their lives on the line defending it?
"Veterans have the skills that employers are looking for. They make our nation's workforce more productive, our companies more profitable and our economy more competitive. Smart businesses recruit veterans because it's in their self-interest, because they know it's a sound investment in their bottom line.
"At the Labor Department, we are working hard to help veterans and military service members as they transition to the civilian workforce. We provide priority services for veterans through more than 2,500 American Job Centers across the country. We have also launched an online tool, My Next Move for Veterans, where veterans and transitioning service members can enter their military occupation code and discover civilian occupations for which they are well qualified. We also announced this past summer a new regulation encouraging companies that do business with the federal government to focus on hiring more veterans.
"This report shows that the private and public sectors are making progress on veterans' employment. But much more needs to be done. I urge all employers to renew their commitment to veterans, so that those who served and sacrificed can realize their highest dreams. The best way to honor our veterans is to hire them."
Statement by US Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez on veterans' employment
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today issued the following statement regarding the release of the 2013 Employment Situation of Veterans report by the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics:
"Today's veterans' employment report for 2013 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows an encouraging drop in overall veterans' unemployment from 7 percent in 2012 to 6.6 percent. It included a significant reduction in 2013 unemployment for women veterans from 8.3 percent in 2012 to 6.9 percent in 2013 and a decrease from 9.9 percent to 9 percent for all Gulf War-era II veterans.
"Our nation's veterans and their families have made countless sacrifices on behalf of our nation. Who deserves opportunity more than those who have put their lives on the line defending it?
"Veterans have the skills that employers are looking for. They make our nation's workforce more productive, our companies more profitable and our economy more competitive. Smart businesses recruit veterans because it's in their self-interest, because they know it's a sound investment in their bottom line.
"At the Labor Department, we are working hard to help veterans and military service members as they transition to the civilian workforce. We provide priority services for veterans through more than 2,500 American Job Centers across the country. We have also launched an online tool, My Next Move for Veterans, where veterans and transitioning service members can enter their military occupation code and discover civilian occupations for which they are well qualified. We also announced this past summer a new regulation encouraging companies that do business with the federal government to focus on hiring more veterans.
"This report shows that the private and public sectors are making progress on veterans' employment. But much more needs to be done. I urge all employers to renew their commitment to veterans, so that those who served and sacrificed can realize their highest dreams. The best way to honor our veterans is to hire them."
AG HOLDER ANNOUNCES FINDINGS FROM SURVEY OF STUDENT DISCIPLINE PRACTICES
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at J.O. Wilson Elementary School to Announce Findings from Expansive Survey of Student Discipline Practices at America’s Public Schools
~ Friday, March 21, 2014
Thank you, Secretary [Arne] Duncan, for that introduction – and for your outstanding leadership of the Department of Education. It’s a pleasure to join you and Assistant Secretary [Catherine] Lhamon here at J.O. Wilson Elementary School – as we discuss the challenges facing America’s young people, and the essential steps that today’s public servants and policymakers must take in order to secure equal opportunities for the leaders of tomorrow. I also want to recognize Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels, and our team from the Civil Right Division’s Educational Opportunities Section, who work tirelessly to combat discrimination in education.
As the Secretary indicated, we come together this morning at a moment of great challenge – but also great opportunity. The 2011-2012 Civil Rights Data Collection shines a light on many of the obstacles we face in creating constructive, equitable, and supportive learning environments for all of our students. For the first time in more than a decade, the CRDC paints a comprehensive picture by drawing on information from every public school in the nation. And this data shows us that we have a long way to go to ensure that every child has access to the kind of programs offered here at J.O. Wilson. A great deal remains to be done to address the deficit of experience among educators who teach many of our students of color. And some of the racial disparities in the administration of school discipline that are well-documented among older students actually begin as early as preschool.
For instance, African American students made up just under one in five preschoolers enrolled during the 2011-2012 school year. But they accounted for nearly half of all preschool students who faced more than one out-of-school suspension. Nationally, students of color were subjected to suspensions and expulsions at a rate three times higher than that of their white peers. They were far more likely to face referral to law enforcement or even arrest. And although this shocking breakdown reflects a disproportionate impact of school discipline on students of color the divide isn’t purely racial. According to the CRDC, fully three quarters of students who faced disciplinary physical restraint were classified as students with disabilities.
This is astonishing. It’s unacceptable. And it’s important to bear in mind, as we begin today’s discussion, that – as Secretary Duncan noted – these are not abstract statistics. This isn’t a projection, a snapshot, or a rough estimate. The CRDC covers actual, documented disparities in school discipline policies and practices across the country. So every data point represents a life impacted, a future potentially diverted or derailed, and a young man or woman who was placed at increased likelihood of becoming involved with the criminal justice system.
Now, effective school discipline will always be a necessity. Schools must support children as they learn expectations about behavior and conduct. But a routine school discipline infraction should land a student in a principal’s office – not in a police precinct. That’s why the two of us traveled to Baltimore in January to announce a sweeping new set of guidelines aimed at reducing our overreliance on zero-tolerance discipline policies that transform some schools from doorways of opportunity into gateways to the criminal justice system. It’s why we’re working, through our Supportive School Discipline Initiative, to disrupt this so-called “school-to-prison pipeline.” And it’s why this Administration as a whole – led by the Departments of Justice and Education – is committed to doing everything we can to ensure that, as President Obama said in December, “every striving, hardworking, optimistic kid in America has the same incredible chance that this country gave [each of us]” – both in the classroom and far beyond.
As we speak, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is collaborating with school districts and states to ensure that they’re meeting their obligations under federal civil rights laws. Six decades after Brown v. Board of Education, we’re working tirelessly – in hundreds of individual cases – to dismantle racial segregation wherever it’s found. We’re fighting to make sure that students with disabilities are appropriately accommodated, not denied school admission, and provided with the same opportunities to communicate, to learn, and to grow as every one of their peers. We’re vigorously enforcing laws that require school districts to support English Language Learners so they can overcome language barriers and meaningfully participate in school. And we’re striving to reduce abusive behavior against and among students of every age and grade level – by working to protect them from threats, derogatory language, physical violence, and other forms of discriminatory harassment and bullying.
Going forward, our efforts to promote school safety and effective discipline will be guided and informed by the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative – which is managed by the National Institute of Justice, and will allocate $75 million in funding for large-scale research into the causes of school violence, the most effective ways to address it, and the steps we can take to create a comprehensive, data-driven school safety model that can be tailored to individual needs.
This important new initiative will complement work that’s already underway through the Department’s landmark Defending Childhood Initiative and the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention – which are rallying federal leaders, state officials, educators, private organizations, and community groups to better understand, address, and prevent young people's exposure to violence. Across the country, these and other broad-based programs are showing tremendous promise in improving our response to this pernicious phenomenon. And thanks to the innovative, Administration-wide “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative that President Obama announced last month, we’re poised to rally a broader coalition to do even more.
It’s no exaggeration to say that America’s future will be defined, and our progress determined, by the doors we open and the support we offer to our nation’s young people. From bolstering early childhood education to promoting youth literacy; from increasing mentorship to reducing juvenile violence; from extending access to social services to expanding employment opportunities – I’m convinced that, so long as we work together, we’ll be able to empower millions of students to pursue their dreams, to achieve their full potential, and to forge the better, brighter futures they deserve.
Now, I recognize – as you do – that achieving these goals will not be easy, and progress will not take hold overnight. But with the continued dedication of this Administration and its partners; with the engagement of advocates across the country; and with the passion of young people like the students here at J.O. Wilson – I am confident in where this work will take us. I thank you all, once again, for the opportunity to be here today. And I look forward to all that we will accomplish together.
Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at J.O. Wilson Elementary School to Announce Findings from Expansive Survey of Student Discipline Practices at America’s Public Schools
~ Friday, March 21, 2014
Thank you, Secretary [Arne] Duncan, for that introduction – and for your outstanding leadership of the Department of Education. It’s a pleasure to join you and Assistant Secretary [Catherine] Lhamon here at J.O. Wilson Elementary School – as we discuss the challenges facing America’s young people, and the essential steps that today’s public servants and policymakers must take in order to secure equal opportunities for the leaders of tomorrow. I also want to recognize Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels, and our team from the Civil Right Division’s Educational Opportunities Section, who work tirelessly to combat discrimination in education.
As the Secretary indicated, we come together this morning at a moment of great challenge – but also great opportunity. The 2011-2012 Civil Rights Data Collection shines a light on many of the obstacles we face in creating constructive, equitable, and supportive learning environments for all of our students. For the first time in more than a decade, the CRDC paints a comprehensive picture by drawing on information from every public school in the nation. And this data shows us that we have a long way to go to ensure that every child has access to the kind of programs offered here at J.O. Wilson. A great deal remains to be done to address the deficit of experience among educators who teach many of our students of color. And some of the racial disparities in the administration of school discipline that are well-documented among older students actually begin as early as preschool.
For instance, African American students made up just under one in five preschoolers enrolled during the 2011-2012 school year. But they accounted for nearly half of all preschool students who faced more than one out-of-school suspension. Nationally, students of color were subjected to suspensions and expulsions at a rate three times higher than that of their white peers. They were far more likely to face referral to law enforcement or even arrest. And although this shocking breakdown reflects a disproportionate impact of school discipline on students of color the divide isn’t purely racial. According to the CRDC, fully three quarters of students who faced disciplinary physical restraint were classified as students with disabilities.
This is astonishing. It’s unacceptable. And it’s important to bear in mind, as we begin today’s discussion, that – as Secretary Duncan noted – these are not abstract statistics. This isn’t a projection, a snapshot, or a rough estimate. The CRDC covers actual, documented disparities in school discipline policies and practices across the country. So every data point represents a life impacted, a future potentially diverted or derailed, and a young man or woman who was placed at increased likelihood of becoming involved with the criminal justice system.
Now, effective school discipline will always be a necessity. Schools must support children as they learn expectations about behavior and conduct. But a routine school discipline infraction should land a student in a principal’s office – not in a police precinct. That’s why the two of us traveled to Baltimore in January to announce a sweeping new set of guidelines aimed at reducing our overreliance on zero-tolerance discipline policies that transform some schools from doorways of opportunity into gateways to the criminal justice system. It’s why we’re working, through our Supportive School Discipline Initiative, to disrupt this so-called “school-to-prison pipeline.” And it’s why this Administration as a whole – led by the Departments of Justice and Education – is committed to doing everything we can to ensure that, as President Obama said in December, “every striving, hardworking, optimistic kid in America has the same incredible chance that this country gave [each of us]” – both in the classroom and far beyond.
As we speak, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is collaborating with school districts and states to ensure that they’re meeting their obligations under federal civil rights laws. Six decades after Brown v. Board of Education, we’re working tirelessly – in hundreds of individual cases – to dismantle racial segregation wherever it’s found. We’re fighting to make sure that students with disabilities are appropriately accommodated, not denied school admission, and provided with the same opportunities to communicate, to learn, and to grow as every one of their peers. We’re vigorously enforcing laws that require school districts to support English Language Learners so they can overcome language barriers and meaningfully participate in school. And we’re striving to reduce abusive behavior against and among students of every age and grade level – by working to protect them from threats, derogatory language, physical violence, and other forms of discriminatory harassment and bullying.
Going forward, our efforts to promote school safety and effective discipline will be guided and informed by the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative – which is managed by the National Institute of Justice, and will allocate $75 million in funding for large-scale research into the causes of school violence, the most effective ways to address it, and the steps we can take to create a comprehensive, data-driven school safety model that can be tailored to individual needs.
This important new initiative will complement work that’s already underway through the Department’s landmark Defending Childhood Initiative and the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention – which are rallying federal leaders, state officials, educators, private organizations, and community groups to better understand, address, and prevent young people's exposure to violence. Across the country, these and other broad-based programs are showing tremendous promise in improving our response to this pernicious phenomenon. And thanks to the innovative, Administration-wide “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative that President Obama announced last month, we’re poised to rally a broader coalition to do even more.
It’s no exaggeration to say that America’s future will be defined, and our progress determined, by the doors we open and the support we offer to our nation’s young people. From bolstering early childhood education to promoting youth literacy; from increasing mentorship to reducing juvenile violence; from extending access to social services to expanding employment opportunities – I’m convinced that, so long as we work together, we’ll be able to empower millions of students to pursue their dreams, to achieve their full potential, and to forge the better, brighter futures they deserve.
Now, I recognize – as you do – that achieving these goals will not be easy, and progress will not take hold overnight. But with the continued dedication of this Administration and its partners; with the engagement of advocates across the country; and with the passion of young people like the students here at J.O. Wilson – I am confident in where this work will take us. I thank you all, once again, for the opportunity to be here today. And I look forward to all that we will accomplish together.
ISIDRO LEON-YORK AWARDED 2013 IQBAL MASIH AWARD FOR ELIMINATION OF CHILD LABOR
FROM: U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT
Nicaraguan coffee producer Isidro León-York awarded US Labor Department's
Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor
ASHINGTON — Carol Pier, deputy undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs, announced Isidro León-York of Nicaragua as the recipient of the department's 2013 Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor. U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua Phyllis M. Powers presented the award to Mr. León-York at a ceremony today in Managua.
U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez selected León-York in recognition of his efforts to eliminate child labor from the production of coffee, which includes the prohibition of child labor on his own coffee farm that employs over 760 workers. León-York uses a portion of his farm's profits to fund a school for the children of workers there and has committed to provide his workers and their families with decent wages, food and health care. He is also helping expand a public-private partnership called Educational Bridges, which provides education to children of coffee workers and prevents child labor during the coffee harvests.
León-York has been a prominent advocate for child labor reduction efforts in Nicaragua's coffee sector, supporting a network of coffee growers and seeking to gain commitments from other coffee plantation owners to eliminate the use of child labor in the sector. León-York is the first award recipient to come from the private sector.
In announcing the award, Pier said, "Every day, millions of children around the world toil under dangerous and exploitative conditions, producing agricultural goods for the marketplace. Isidro León-York exemplifies the positive role that the private sector can play combatting harmful child labor. This award is a tribute to all those private-sector leaders, who like Mr. León-York, have embraced this role as a better way of doing business."
Congress established the Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor in 2009 to recognize exceptional efforts by an individual, company, organization or national government to end the worst forms of child labor.
This non-monetary award honors the spirit of Iqbal Masih, a Pakistani child sold into bonded labor as a carpet weaver at age four. He escaped his servitude and became an outspoken advocate for children's rights, drawing international attention in his fight against child labor. Masih was killed in Pakistan at age 12 in 1995.
Since 1995, the Labor Department has supported global efforts to combat exploitative child labor internationally.
Nicaraguan coffee producer Isidro León-York awarded US Labor Department's
Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor
ASHINGTON — Carol Pier, deputy undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs, announced Isidro León-York of Nicaragua as the recipient of the department's 2013 Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor. U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua Phyllis M. Powers presented the award to Mr. León-York at a ceremony today in Managua.
U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez selected León-York in recognition of his efforts to eliminate child labor from the production of coffee, which includes the prohibition of child labor on his own coffee farm that employs over 760 workers. León-York uses a portion of his farm's profits to fund a school for the children of workers there and has committed to provide his workers and their families with decent wages, food and health care. He is also helping expand a public-private partnership called Educational Bridges, which provides education to children of coffee workers and prevents child labor during the coffee harvests.
León-York has been a prominent advocate for child labor reduction efforts in Nicaragua's coffee sector, supporting a network of coffee growers and seeking to gain commitments from other coffee plantation owners to eliminate the use of child labor in the sector. León-York is the first award recipient to come from the private sector.
In announcing the award, Pier said, "Every day, millions of children around the world toil under dangerous and exploitative conditions, producing agricultural goods for the marketplace. Isidro León-York exemplifies the positive role that the private sector can play combatting harmful child labor. This award is a tribute to all those private-sector leaders, who like Mr. León-York, have embraced this role as a better way of doing business."
Congress established the Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor in 2009 to recognize exceptional efforts by an individual, company, organization or national government to end the worst forms of child labor.
This non-monetary award honors the spirit of Iqbal Masih, a Pakistani child sold into bonded labor as a carpet weaver at age four. He escaped his servitude and became an outspoken advocate for children's rights, drawing international attention in his fight against child labor. Masih was killed in Pakistan at age 12 in 1995.
Since 1995, the Labor Department has supported global efforts to combat exploitative child labor internationally.
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING MARCH 21, 2014
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending March 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 320,000, an increase of 5,000 from the previous week's unrevised figure of 315,000. The 4-week moving average was 327,000, a decrease of 3,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 330,500.
In the week ending March 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 320,000, an increase of 5,000 from the previous week's unrevised figure of 315,000. The 4-week moving average was 327,000, a decrease of 3,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 330,500.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.2 percent for the week ending March 8, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjustedinsured unemployment during the week ending March 8 was 2,889,000, an increase of 41,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 2,848,000. The 4-week moving average was 2,897,250, a decrease of 16,750 from the preceding week's revised average of 2,914,000.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 285,316 in the week ending March 15, a decrease of 16,995 from the previous week. There were 300,951 initial claims in the comparable week in 2013.
The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.5 percent during the week ending March 8, unchanged from the prior week. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 3,247,226, a decrease of 30,757 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 2.7 percent and the volume was 3,461,493.
The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending March 1 was 3,350,028, a decrease of 100,729 from the previous week. There were 5,369,007 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2013.
No state was triggered "on" the Extended Benefits program during the week ending March 1.
Initial claims for UI benefits filed by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,057 in the week ending March 8, a decrease of 102 from the prior week. There were 1,968 initial claims filed by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 59 from the preceding week.
There were 19,115 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending March 1, a decrease of 1,697 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 27,878, a decrease of 1,597 from the prior week.
The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending March 1 were in Alaska (5.5), New Jersey (4.0), Rhode Island (4.0), Connecticut (3.9), Connecticut (3.8), California (3.7), Montana (3.6), Wisconsin (3.5), Illinois (3.4), and Massachusetts (3.4).
The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending March 8 were in Pennsylvania (+1,961), Washington (+982), Wisconsin (+830), Arkansas (+745), and Illinois (+590), while the largest decreases were in New York (-17,548), Michigan (-1,971), California (-1,262), Connecticut (-1,079), and New Hampshire (-783).
U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS FOR MARCH 20, 2014
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
CONTRACTS
ARMY
AECOM Technical Services Inc., Los Angeles, Calif., (W912DQ-14-D-3000); CH2M Hill Constructors Inc., Englewood, Colo., (W912DQ-14-D-3001); Environmental Chemical Corp., Burlingame, Calif., (W912DQ-14-D-3002); SAIC-CDM Solutions LLC, Denver, Colo. (W912DQ-14-D-3003); Sevenson Environmental Services Inc., Niagara Falls, N.Y., (W912DQ-14-D-3004); and Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure Inc., Centennial, Colo., (W912DQ-14-D-3005) were awarded a $120,000,000 multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity task order contract for environmental remediation and long term response action for the Army Corps of Engineers, Northwestern Division, and the Environmental Protection Agency Region 2. Funding and performance location will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is March 19, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet with 11 received. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City, Mo., is the contracting activity.
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Inc, St. Petersburg, Fla., was awarded a $20,575,038 modification (P00009) to contract W52P1J-12-C-0026 to procure M1002 new production cartridges for 120mm tank training ammunition. Fiscal 2012 other procurement funds in the amount of $93,147; fiscal 2013 other procurement funds in the amount of $292,299 and fiscal 2014 other procurement funds in the amount of $20,189,592 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is May 31, 2016. Work will be performed in St. Petersburg, Fla. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., is the contracting activity.
Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC, Plymouth, Minn. was awarded a $19,225,386 modification (P00015) to contract W52P1J-12-C-0027 to procure M1002 new production cartridges for 120mm tank training ammunition. Fiscal 2014 other procurement funds in the amount of $19,225,386 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Jan 31, 2016. Work will be performed in Plymouth, Minn. Army Contracting Command is the contracting activity.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, Calif., was awarded a $10,523,125 modification (P00078) to contract W58RGZ-10-C-0068 for five remote ground data terminals, five local ground data terminals, and initial related spares for the Gray Eagle Unmanned Air Vehicle System. Fiscal 2012 other procurement funds in the amount of $10,523,125 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Nov. 30, 2018. Work will be performed in Poway, Calif. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Allergan USA Inc., Irvine, Calif., has been awarded a maximum $37,242,251 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for various pharmaceutical surge, re-supply, and sustainment products. This is a one-year base contract with seven one-year option periods. This is a competitive acquisition, and fourteen offers were received. Location of performance is California with a March 20, 2015 performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 warstopper funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPME2D0-14-D-0004).
NAVY
Raytheon Co., El Segundo, Calif., is being awarded $23,651,848 for cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order 0052 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-10-G-0006) for the procurement of 63 ECP-6279 retrofit kits in support of F/A-18 E/F and EA-18G aircraft. Work will be performed in Forest, Miss. (80 percent) and El Segundo, Calif. (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2016. Fiscal 2014 aircraft procurement, Navy funds in the amount of $23,651,848 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Centurum Information Technology Inc., Marlton, N.J., is being awarded an $18,158,832 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide depot-level repair and restoration support to include fabrication, manufacturing, re-manufacturing, restoration, repair, overhaul, and calibration involving electro-mechanical and mechanical units both ground and airborne, assemblies, subassemblies, and test equipment. Support will also include worldwide technical support to the fleet, shore facilities, and government agencies. This two-year contract includes a one-year option period which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $27,618,466. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and work is expected to be completed March 19, 2016. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy funds in the amount of $100,000 will be obligated at the time of award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with open competition via the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center e-Commerce website and the Federal Business Opportunities website, with four offers received with one selected for award. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N66001-14-D-0041).
Bulltrack-Watts A Joint Venture*, Marysville, Calif., is being awarded $13,349,723 for firm-fixed-price task order KB01under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N40192-10-D-2801) for the design and construction of a dehumidified supply storage facility at Polaris Point, Naval Base, Guam. The warehouse shall also include support areas for office spaces, rest rooms and utility rooms. The structural system for the facility shall be a reinforced concrete structure with overhead roll-up doors and man-doors providing access into the warehouse. The work will also provide paved driveways around the warehouse, new parking spaces and secure bicycle racks, stormwater collection and management system, and mechanical systems to include warehouse dehumidification, administrative area air conditioning, and general ventilation. The task order also contains one unexercised option, which if exercised would increase cumulative task order value to $13,650,996. Work will be performed in Santa Rita, Guam, and is expected to be completed by March 2016. Fiscal 2010 and 2014 military construction, Navy contract funds in the amount of $13,349,723 are being obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hawaii, Hawaii, is the contracting activity.
The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded $9,650,433 for firm-fixed-price delivery order 0051 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N68335-10-G-0012) for the procurement of major structural repair and maintenance equipment for the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G aircraft. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Mo., and is expected to be completed in September 2016. Fiscal 2013 aircraft procurement, Navy funds in the amount of $9,650,433 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded an $8,500,000 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-12-C-0004) to procure additional long lead-time efforts required for the incorporation of a drag chute in the Joint Strike Fighter conventional take off and landing air systems for the government of Norway. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (55 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (15 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (10 percent); Orlando, Fla. (5 percent); Nashua, N.H. (5 percent); Baltimore, Md. (5 percent); and Cameri, Italy (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2015. International partner funds in the amount of $8,500,000 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Michael Baker Jr., Inc., Virginia Beach, Va., is being awarded $7,603,530 for firm-fixed-price task order 0048 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N62470-10-D-3000) for leak detection testing for Navy, Marine Corps and Defense Logistics Agency Energy Facilities. The work to be performed provides for services for environmental and engineering assessments at Department of Defense fuel systems including preparing program management documentation, environmental compliance reports and plans, release detection, optimization, and pollution prevention reports in support of DLA Energy fuel facilities, and other facilities of interest to the government at various worldwide locations and in accordance with applicable regulatory guidance. Work will be performed at various Navy and DoD installations worldwide, and is expected to be completed by March 2016. Fiscal 2014 Navy working capital contract funds in the amount of $7,603,530 are being obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One proposal was received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity.
QinetiQ North America, Waltham, Mass., is being awarded a $6,779,411 modification to previously awarded contract (N00174-13-D-0007) for the procurement of Man Transportable Robotic System (MTRS) MK2 post-production support. The MTRS MK2 provides military explosive ordnance disposal technicians with a man transportable capability to remotely perform reconnaissance. Work will be performed in Waltham, Mass., and is expected to be completed by July 2016. No funds are being obligated at the time of award and contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division, Indian Head, Md., is the contracting activity.
Viasat Inc., Carlsbad, Calif., is being awarded a $6,707,025 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of spares, repairs and satellite support for the ArcLight Mobile Satellite Communication System in support of special projects aircraft and the EP-3 aircraft. The ArcLight Mobile Satellite Communication System is a high frequency data link for airborne applications that provides a means to transmit data between aircraft, command posts and other military organizations that have access to the system. Work will be performed in Carlsbad, Calif., and is expected to be completed by March 2019. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy funding in the amount of $12,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with FAR 6.302-1(a)(2)(iii) - only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity (N00164-14-D-WT25).
WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES
HSU Construction, Rockville, Md., (HQ0034-14-D-0004); Athena Construction Group, Dumfries, Va., (HQ0034-14-D-0005); APC Construction, New Orleans, La., (HQ0034-14-D-0006); Cherokee CRC, LLC., Tulsa, Okla., (HQ0034-14-D-0007); FEI Construction Co., Washington, D.C., (HQ0034-14-D-0008), are each being awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for design-build or design-bid-build general building construction for various locations under the cognizance of the Washington Headquarters Services area of responsibility. The aggregate not-to-exceed amount for these multiple award contracts combined is $60,000,000. The five companies will have the opportunity to bid on each individual task order as they are issued. Funding and performance location will be determined with each order. Work will be performed in the WHS area of responsibility. The expected completion date is March 19, 2019. Fiscal 2014 Pentagon Reservation Maintenance Revolving Fund contract funds in the amount of $10,000 are being obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via FedBizOpps, with 12 proposals received. Washington Headquarters Services is the contracting activity.
*Small Business
U.S. TUBERCULOSIS TRENDS
FROM CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
1. Trends in Tuberculosis — United States, 2013
Data indicate that cases and rates of TB disease continue to fall in the U.S.; however, a higher burden in some populations – such as foreign-born individuals and racial/ethnic minorities – keeps TB elimination out of reach. Preliminary data from the CDC National TB Surveillance System show a total of 9,588 cases were reported in the U.S. in 2013, marking a 4.2 percent decline in the 2012 rate (from 3.2 to 3.0 cases per 100,000 population). Despite overall progress, the TB rate for foreign-born individuals is 13 times higher than among individuals born in the U.S., and the proportion of TB cases in the foreign-born group continues to increase. Racial disparities persist. Hispanics, blacks and Asians face higher TB rates—7, 7 and 26 times higher, respectively—than whites. Persons infected with HIV and people who are homeless are also especially vulnerable to TB. Although the proportion of drug-resistant cases remains relatively small, drug resistant TB is a concern because it is difficult and costly to treat and more often fatal. In 2012, multidrug-resistant TB accounted for 1.2 percent of cases (86 cases). Two cases of extensively-drug-resistant TB were reported in 2013. The authors note that eliminating TB in the U.S. requires continuing to address TB in affected populations and improvements in awareness, testing and treatment of TB disease.
2. Implementation of New TB Screening Requirements for U.S.-Bound Immigrants and Refugees — 2007–2014
Updated CDC recommendations for overseas tuberculosis screening of immigrants and refugees has resulted in better diagnosis of TB before individuals arrive in the United States. CDC reports the completion of implementation of new tuberculosis screening and treatment requirements for US-bound immigrants and refugees. Implementation of these requirements has resulted in twice as many cases of tuberculosis being diagnosed and treated before immigrants and refugees arrive in the U.S. compared with the previous screening program. Since the new requirements were implemented, reports of cases of foreign-born tuberculosis have declined. In addition, the increase in persons diagnosed and treated overseas is projected to result in a savings of more than $15 million in US health care costs.
1. Trends in Tuberculosis — United States, 2013
Data indicate that cases and rates of TB disease continue to fall in the U.S.; however, a higher burden in some populations – such as foreign-born individuals and racial/ethnic minorities – keeps TB elimination out of reach. Preliminary data from the CDC National TB Surveillance System show a total of 9,588 cases were reported in the U.S. in 2013, marking a 4.2 percent decline in the 2012 rate (from 3.2 to 3.0 cases per 100,000 population). Despite overall progress, the TB rate for foreign-born individuals is 13 times higher than among individuals born in the U.S., and the proportion of TB cases in the foreign-born group continues to increase. Racial disparities persist. Hispanics, blacks and Asians face higher TB rates—7, 7 and 26 times higher, respectively—than whites. Persons infected with HIV and people who are homeless are also especially vulnerable to TB. Although the proportion of drug-resistant cases remains relatively small, drug resistant TB is a concern because it is difficult and costly to treat and more often fatal. In 2012, multidrug-resistant TB accounted for 1.2 percent of cases (86 cases). Two cases of extensively-drug-resistant TB were reported in 2013. The authors note that eliminating TB in the U.S. requires continuing to address TB in affected populations and improvements in awareness, testing and treatment of TB disease.
2. Implementation of New TB Screening Requirements for U.S.-Bound Immigrants and Refugees — 2007–2014
Updated CDC recommendations for overseas tuberculosis screening of immigrants and refugees has resulted in better diagnosis of TB before individuals arrive in the United States. CDC reports the completion of implementation of new tuberculosis screening and treatment requirements for US-bound immigrants and refugees. Implementation of these requirements has resulted in twice as many cases of tuberculosis being diagnosed and treated before immigrants and refugees arrive in the U.S. compared with the previous screening program. Since the new requirements were implemented, reports of cases of foreign-born tuberculosis have declined. In addition, the increase in persons diagnosed and treated overseas is projected to result in a savings of more than $15 million in US health care costs.
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