USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER LEAVES PORT

FROM:  U.S. NAVY
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) departs Naval Station Norfolk for a regularly scheduled deployment in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group includes the guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66), the guided-missile destroyers USS Farragut (DDG 99), USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), and USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7, and Destroyer Squadron Two Eight. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Julia A. Casper (Released) 120620-N-RY232-093

HOME CONSTRUCTION COMPANY RESOLVES CLEAN WATER ACT ALLEGED VIOLAIONS

FROM:  U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Home-builder Toll Brothers Inc. to Pay $741,000 Clean Water Act Penalty and Implement Company-Wide Stormwater Controls 
Settlement to prevent millions of pounds of sediment and polluted stormwater runoff from entering U.S. waterways each year
WASHINGTON –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Toll Brothers Inc., one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, will pay a civil penalty of $741,000 to resolve alleged Clean Water Act violations at its construction sites, including sites located in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Toll Brothers will also invest in a company-wide stormwater compliance program to improve employee training and increase management oversight at all current and future residential construction sites across the nation. The company is required to inspect its current and future construction sites routinely to minimize stormwater runoff from sites. Polluted stormwater runoff and sediment from construction sites can flow directly into the nearest waterway, affecting drinking water quality and damaging valuable aquatic habitats.

“Keeping contaminated stormwater runoff out of the nation’s waterways, like the Chesapeake Bay, is one of EPA’s top priorities,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance and Assurance. “Today’s settlement will improve oversight of stormwater runoff at construction sites across the country and protect America’s waters.”

“This settlement will help protect the nation’s waters from the harmful pollutants contained in stormwater runoff from construction sites,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. “The settlement requires Toll Brothers to implement system-wide management controls and training that will help prevent polluted stormwater runoff from contaminating rivers, lakes and sources of drinking water.”

EPA estimates the settlement will prevent millions of pounds of sediment from entering U.S. waterways every year, including sediment that would otherwise enter the Chesapeake Bay, North America’s largest and most biologically diverse estuary. The bay and its tidal tributaries are threatened by pollution from a variety of sources and are overburdened with nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment that can be carried by stormwater.

The complaint, filed simultaneously with the settlement agreement, alleges over 600 stormwater violations that were discovered through site inspections and by reviewing documentation submitted by Toll Brothers. The majority of the alleged violations involve Toll Brothers’ repeated failures to comply with permit requirements at its construction sites, including requirements to install and maintain adequate stormwater pollution controls.

The Clean Water Act requires permits for the discharge of stormwater runoff. In general, Toll Brothers’ permits require that construction sites have controls in place to prevent pollution from being discharged with stormwater into nearby waterways. These controls include common-sense safeguards such as silt fences, phased site grading and sediment basins to prevent construction contaminants from entering the nation’s waterways.

The settlement requires Toll Brothers to obtain all required permits, develop site-specific pollution prevention plans for each construction site, conduct additional site inspections beyond those required by stormwater regulations, and document and promptly correct any problems. The company must properly train construction managers and contractors on stormwater requirements and designate trained staff for each site. Toll Brothers must also submit national compliance summary reports to EPA based on management oversight inspections and reviews.

This settlement is the latest in a series of enforcement actions to address stormwater violations from residential construction sites around the country. Construction projects have a high potential for environmental harm because they disturb large areas of land and significantly increase the potential for erosion, and stormwater runoff from sites can pick up other pollutants, including concrete washout, paint, used oil, solvents and trash.

The state of Maryland and the commonwealth of Virginia have joined the settlement and will receive a portion of the $741,000 penalty. The settlement includes Toll Brothers sites in
Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

The consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court.

More information about this settlement: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/cwa/tollbrothers.html

Air Force officials announce milestone Atlas V launch

Air Force officials announce milestone Atlas V launch

ESA Portal - United Kingdom - Via satellite: staying in touch at sea

ESA Portal - United Kingdom - Via satellite: staying in touch at sea

FAA & NASA AGREE ON REGULATION OF COMMERCIAL SPACECRAFT

Photo:  Launch Of Commercial Spacecraft SpaceX Dragon To The ISS.    

Credit:  NASA.

FROM:  NASA
WASHINGTON -- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and NASA have 
signed a historic agreement to coordinate standards for commercial 
space travel of government and non-government astronauts to and from 
low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station (ISS). The two 
agencies will collaborate to expand efforts that provide a stable 
framework for the U.S. space industry, avoid conflicting requirements 
and multiple sets of standards, and advance both public and crew 
safety. 

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the two agencies 
establishes policy for operational missions to the space station. 
Commercial providers will be required to obtain a license from the 
FAA for public safety. Crew safety and mission assurance will be 
NASA's responsibility. This approach allows both agencies to 
incorporate experience and lessons learned as progress is made. 

"This important agreement between the FAA and NASA will advance our 
shared goals in commercial space travel," said U.S. Transportation 
Secretary Ray LaHood. "Working together, we will assure clear, 
consistent standards for the industry." 

"This agreement is the next step in bringing the business of launching 
Americans back to American soil," Charles Bolden, NASA administrator 
said. "We are fostering private sector innovation while maintaining 
high standards of safety and reliability to re-establish U.S.-crewed 
access to low-Earth orbit, in-sourcing work to American companies and 
encouraging the development of dynamic and cost-effective spaceflight 
capabilities built to last." 

"The Obama administration recognizes the scientific, technological and 
economic benefits of maintaining the United States' leadership in 
space travel and exploration," said FAA Acting Administrator Michael 
Huerta. "This agreement between the FAA and NASA continues and 
advances those vital national interests." 

NASA's Commercial Crew Program aims to facilitate development of a 
U.S. commercial crew space transportation capability with the goal of 
achieving safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from 
low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station. The policy 
established in the MOU clarifies for potential commercial providers 
the regulatory environment for operational missions to the orbiting 
laboratory. It also ensures that the two agencies will have 
compatible processes for ensuring public safety. 

The FAA is responsible for regulating and licensing all U.S. private 
companies and individuals involved in commercial space 
transportation. To date, the FAA Office of Commercial Space 
Transportation has licensed 207 successful launches, including two 
non-orbital commercial human space flights in 2004 and the recent 
first launch to the ISS and re-entry of a non-manned commercial 
spacecraft.

U.S.-AFGHANISTAN RELATIONS

Photo:  Sec. Of Defense Leon Panetta Meets With Hamid Karzai.  Credit:  Department Of Defense.
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Relations With Afghanistan
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
Fact Sheet
June 19, 2012
On May 2, 2012, President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed the Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the United States of America, a 10-year strategic partnership agreement (SPA) that demonstrates the United States’ enduring commitment to strengthen Afghanistan’s sovereignty, stability, and prosperity and continue cooperation to defeat al-Qaida and its affiliates. This agreement also signals the U.S. intent to designate Afghanistan as a Major Non-NATO Ally.

The signing of the SPA marks the culmination of over 10 years of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, supporting the elected government, providing development aid, and stabilizing the country. During that time, the core U.S. goal in Afghanistan has been to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qaida and its affiliates, and to prevent their return to Afghanistan.

At the December 2011 Bonn Conference, the U.S. and other international partners committed to assisting in Afghanistan’s development through 2024. The U.S. continues to support a broad-based government in Afghanistan, representative of all Afghans. Afghan forces have begun taking the lead for security in many areas of the country, and the transition of full security responsibility for Afghanistan from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to Afghan forces will be completed by the end of 2014.

U.S. Assistance to Afghanistan
The U.S. has made a long-term commitment to help Afghanistan rebuild itself after years of war. While the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan is transitioning primary security responsibility to Afghan National Security Forces, the United States plans to remain politically, diplomatically, and economically engaged in Afghanistan for the long term. The U.S. and others in the international community currently provide resources and expertise to Afghanistan in a variety of areas, including humanitarian relief and assistance, capacity-building, security needs, counter-narcotic programs, and infrastructure projects.

The United States supports the Afghan Government's goals of focusing on reintegration and reconciliation, economic development, improving relations with Afghanistan’s regional partners, and steadily increasing the security capability of Afghan security forces. The U.S. encourages the Afghan Government to take strong actions to combat corruption and improve governance, and to provide better services for the people of Afghanistan, while maintaining and expanding on the important democratic reforms and advances in women’s rights that have been made since 2001.

Bilateral Economic Relations
Afghanistan has signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with the United States, but a Bilateral Investment Treaty has not been negotiated. There is no Bilateral Taxation Treaty between Afghanistan and the United States.

For 2011, U.S. goods imports from Afghanistan amounted to less than 1% of U.S. goods exports to the country. Efforts are underway to encourage improvements in the business climate to attract foreign trade and investment as well as to stimulate additional trade with the United States through trade capacity development, including through World Trade Organization (WTO) accession.

Afghanistan's Membership in International Organizations
Afghanistan and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank. Afghanistan also is a Partner for Cooperation with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and is working toward accession to the WTO.

GSA SHEDS REAL ESTATE TO SAVE MONEY

FROM:  U.S. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
The Georgetown Heating Plant.  Credit:  GSA
GSA Tackles Excess Property, Saves Taxpayer Dollars
Posted by Linda Chero, Acting Commissioner, GSA’s Public Building Service on June 19th, 2012
The Georgetown Heating Plant is one of the excess properties that GSA will auction this year. :  
Today, GSA’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Real Property Utilization and Disposal Flavio Peres updated Congress on our agency’s efforts to dispose of excess property and save taxpayer dollars. The meeting took place at the Georgetown Heating Plant in Washington, DC, which GSA will auction off this year, saving taxpayer dollars and allowing the property to be returned to productive use for the community. Auctioning this property is just one example of GSA’s ongoing efforts to better manage federal real property.  The Obama Administration is moving aggressively on disposing excess properties to save money and make more efficient use of the government’s real estate assets.

Two years ago, President Obama called on his Administration to save taxpayers billions of dollars by consolidating operations and selling excess federal properties. Recently the White House announced that agencies are on track to save $8 billion in real estate costs by the end of this year.  In fact, Agencies have already achieved more than $5.6 billion in savings, and GSA alone has contributed more than $317 million in savings so far.

In the past year alone, the federal government has sold or transferred 97 properties valued at $82 million.  GSA recently sold the Nome Federal Building in downtown Nome, Alaska, for $1.68 million.  The 27,000-square-foot, two-story building, built in 1958, will now be used as commercial office space.  At the opposite end of the country in Moscow, Maine, GSA auctioned off a 1,425 acre Cold War-era radar site for around $750,000.

GSA has been working tirelessly with all federal landholding agencies to dispose of unneeded properties and since 2002 more than 3,355 federal properties have been taken off the government’s rolls.  But more still needs to be done. Our mission at GSA is to make government more efficient and save money, and as the federal government’s landlord, we will continue to do that by working with agencies to identify and dispose of buildings and facilities that are no longer needed.

NOT ALL PLASTIC IS SAFE FOR THE MICROWAVE

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND
By Capt. Tamara Fischer-Carter
AFSPC/PA
6/20/2012 - PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  -- If it doesn't clearly say "microwave-safe", it probably isn't.

According to the National Sanitation Foundation International webpage, placing certain plastics into the microwave can be harmful to your health.

Many white paper towels are fabricated with plastics, and are not microwave safe. Even some paper plates can be harmful. Plain paper is safe, but plastic coated paper is generally not microwave-safe.

The NSF is a World Health Organization recognized for its scientific and technical expertise in the health and environmental sciences and recommends never using plastic storage containers such as margarine tubs, take-out containers, whipped topping bowls and other one-time use containers for cooking or reheating food in your microwave. These containers are not heat resistant and can melt, possibly leaching harmful chemicals into your food. When eaten, these chemicals can disrupt the endocrine system, increasing risk for certain cancers, diabetes and early puberty, according to the NSF.

To minimize risk, the NSF also recommends using non-plastic dishes in the microwave; glass and ceramic are preferred for use in a microwave oven. When that's not possible, only use microwave-safe plastics.

How do you know? Check the triangle.

Just what is in a triangle? On the bottom of most plastic containers, you will find a small triangle made of arrows with a number inside of it. This number indicates the type of plastic that the product is made out of. By understanding this number, consumers can better understand if and how they can recycle the product and more importantly if it is safe to place in the microwave.

Plastics marked with a "Type 1" are the easiest to recycle and are in high demand by re-manufacturers. This plastic is widely accepted by recycling facilities and curbside recycling programs. These plastics are made of polyethylene terephthalate, also known as PETE or PET. Some common plastics marked with a number one include soda and water bottles, some medicine containers, mouthwash bottles, peanut butter containers, salad dressing bottles and vegetable oil containers.

Type 1 and Type 2, which contain mostly high density polyethylene (HDPE), may be safe if marked "microwave safe"; however, some recommend against food contact when microwaving.

Type 5 plastics contain polypropylene (PP) and are used to make food storage containers like ketchup and syrup bottles, straws and plastic bottle caps. This type of plastic is most commonly labeled "microwave safe" although some still recommend against food contact when microwaving.

Polypropylene, which is in Type 5, is difficult to recycle and is only occasionally accepted through curbside programs and recycling centers.

However, as new methods for recycling PP are becoming more common, an increased number of recycling centers are accepting it.

Type 7 plastics are the most difficult to recycle and should never be used in the microwave. Some of these plastics are uniquely recycled by artists who find ways to fashion the materials into new objects. This plastic can also occasionally be re-manufactured into plastic lumber. It is important to know that some nursing bottles contain Polycarbonate and should be thrown out if they have been boiled or washed more than 20 times or are badly scratched.

What about items such as coffee cups, disposable cutlery and plates, meat trays, packing peanuts, insulation, egg cartons and carryout containers? These are Type 6 plastics made from polystyrene (PS), also known as Styrofoam. They are not heat stable and are a potential human carcinogen, meaning they contain bisphenol A (BPA), and they should never be microwaved.

Type 6 plastics are difficult to recycle, but are sometimes accepted by recycling plants and curbside programs.

Type 3 plastics are also difficult to recycle and contain polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Vinyl, a Type 3 material, often contains bisphenol A (BPA) making it hard to recycle.

Type 3 plastics are used for some plastic wraps and they should never be used in a microwave with food. PVC is also used in shower curtains, baby bottle nipples and a variety of clear bottles and packaging products. Recycled PVC can be used to make decks, mud flaps, gutters, flooring and cables.

Simply knowing the meaning of the plastic type can not only help the environment but also your body. Check with your local recycling facilities and Civil Engineering squadron to find out more on the harm plastics can cause and the proper way to dispose of them.

NASA SELECTS TROPICAL STORM STUDY FOR SMALL SPACEFLIGHT INVESTIGATIONS

Photo:  Hurricane Katrina Aftermath.  Credit:  FEMA.
NASA 
WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected an ocean wind study proposal led by
the University of Michigan from among 19 submitted to the agency's
Announcement of Opportunity for small spaceflight investigations of
the Earth system. The proposed mission will make accurate
measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of
tropical storms and hurricanes, which could help lead to better
weather forecasting.

The competitively-selected proposal, the Cyclone Global Navigation
Satellite System (CYGNSS), is led by Principal Investigator Dr. Chris
Ruf of the University of Michigan, and includes partnerships with the
Southwest Research Institute of Texas, Surrey Satellite Technology of
Colorado and NASA Ames Research Center.

It is the second award, and first award for space-based
investigations, in the Earth Venture-class series of rapidly
developed, cost-constrained projects for NASA's Earth Science
Division. The award will be funded during the next five years for
$151.7 million. The cost includes initial development, launch,
deployment and data analysis.

The mission will use a constellation of small satellites that will be
carried to orbit on a single launch vehicle. The CYGNSS data will
enable scientists, for the first time, to probe key air-sea
interaction processes that take place near the inner core of the
storms, which are rapidly changing and play large roles in the
genesis and intensification of hurricanes. The CYGNSS measurements
also may provide information to the hurricane forecast community.

Once in orbit, CYGNSS's eight micro-satellite observatories will
receive both direct and reflected signals from Global Positioning
System (GPS) satellites. The direct signals pinpoint CYGNSS
observatory positions, while the reflected signals respond to ocean
surface roughness, from which wind speed is retrieved.

"The CYGNSS mission is both a scientific and a programmatic advance
for NASA’s Earth science and applications program," said John
Grunsfeld, NASA's Science Mission Directorate associate administrator
in Washington. "CYGNSS will provide vital science data on tropical
cyclones, and the CYGNSS team will advance our ability to obtain
high-quality Earth science data through smaller, more affordable
space systems."

The Earth Venture missions are part of NASA's Earth System Science
Pathfinder program. The small, targeted science investigations
complement NASA's larger research missions. In 2007, the National
Research Council recommended NASA undertake these types of regularly
solicited, quick-turnaround projects. The previous Earth Venture
award was for five airborne investigations all of which are
progressing well with initial data being collected. The first
Announcement of Opportunity in the Earth Venture-Instruments series
was issued earlier this year, and proposals are now under review.

The Earth Venture program is expected to continue with awards at
regular intervals for investigations using cutting edge
instrumentation carried on airborne platforms, on small space
missions, or as secondary instruments or hosted payloads on larger
platforms. NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., manages the
Earth System Science Pathfinder program for NASA's Science Mission
Directorate. The missions in this program provide an innovative
approach to address Earth science research with periodic windows of
opportunity to accommodate new scientific priorities.

FDIC ACTING CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT BEFORE CONGRESS ON BANK SUPERVISION AND RISK MANAGEMENT IN LIGHT OF JP MORGAN CHASE LOSSES

FROM:  FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION
Speeches & Testimony
Statement of Martin J. Gruenberg, Acting Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on "Examining Bank Supervision and Risk Management In Light of JPMorgan Chase's Trading Loss" Before the Committee on Financial Services, United States House of Representatives; 2128 Rayburn House Office Building
June 19, 2012
Chairman Bachus, Representative Frank and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify this morning on behalf of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on bank supervision and risk management as it concerns recent trading losses at JPMorgan Chase.

The recent losses at JPMorgan Chase revealed certain risks that reside within large, complex financial institutions. They also highlighted the significance of effective risk controls and governance at these institutions.

The four FDIC-insured subsidiaries of JPMorgan Chase firm have nearly $2 trillion in assets and $842 billion in domestic deposits. As the deposit insurer and backup supervisor of JPMorgan Chase, the FDIC staff works through the primary federal regulators, the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve System, to obtain information necessary to monitor the risk within the institution.

The FDIC maintains an onsite presence at the firm, which currently consists of a permanent staff of four professionals. The FDIC staff engages in risk monitoring of the firm through cooperation with the primary federal regulators. Following the disclosure of JPMorgan Chase’s losses, the FDIC has added temporary staff to assist in our current review. The team is working with the institution’s primary federal regulators to investigate both the circumstances that led to the losses and the institution’s ongoing efforts to manage the risks at the firm. The agencies are conducting an in-depth review of both the risk measurement tools used by the firm and the governance and limit structures in place within the Chief Investment Office (CIO) unit where the losses occurred.  Following this review, we will work with the primary regulators to address any inadequate risk management practices that are identified.

Following the announcement of these losses in May, the FDIC joined the OCC and the New York Federal Reserve Bank in daily meetings with the firm. Initially, these meetings focused on gaining an understanding of the events leading up to the escalating losses in the CIO synthetic credit portfolio. The FDIC has continued to participate in these daily meetings between the firm and its primary regulators. We are looking at the strength of CIO’s risk management, governance and control frameworks, including the setting and monitoring of risk limits. The FDIC is also reviewing the quality of CIO risk reporting that has historically been made available to firm management and the regulators. Our discussions have also focused on the quality and consistency of the models used in the CIO as well as the approval and validation processes surrounding them. Although the focus of this review is on the circumstances that led to the losses, the FDIC is also working with JPMorgan Chase’s primary federal regulators to assess any other potential gaps within the firm’s overall risk management practices.

As a general matter, and apart from the specifics of this situation, evaluating the quality of financial institutions’ risk management practices, internal controls and governance is an important focus of safety-and-soundness examinations conducted by the federal banking agencies. Onsite examinations provide an opportunity for supervisors to evaluate the quality of the loan and securities portfolios, underwriting practices, credit review and administration, establishment of and adherence to risk limits, and other matters pertinent to the risk profile of an institution. One important element of risk management is that senior management and the board receives accurate and timely information about the risks to which a firm is exposed. Timely risk-related information is needed by institution management to support decision making and to satisfy disclosure requirements -- and it is an important element of supervisory review.

Without speaking to the specifics of the case for which a review is underway, the recent losses attest to the speed with which risks can materialize in a large, complex derivatives portfolio. The recent losses also highlight that it is important for financial regulatory agencies to have access to timely risk-related information about derivatives and other market-sensitive exposures, to analyze the data effectively, and to regularly share findings and observations.

MESQUITE CHARCOAL DISTRIBUTOR PLEADS GUILTY IN CHARCOAL BID-RIGGING SCHEME

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ANTITURST DIVISION
WASHINGTON — The owner of a southern California-based mesquite charcoal distributor pleaded guilty for his role in a customer allocation and bid-rigging conspiracy for the sale of mesquite charcoal, the Department of Justice announced today.

According to a one-count felony charge filed on May 7, 2012, in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, William W. Lord, the owner of Carpinteria, Calif. -based Chef's Choice Mesquite Charcoal, participated in a conspiracy with competitors to refrain from competing for each other's customers and to submit noncompetitive bids for the sale of mesquite charcoal. According to the plea agreement, Lord has agreed to cooperate with the department's ongoing investigation.

"Today's charge demonstrates the Antitrust Division's commitment to prosecute bid-rigging conspiracies that involve products used in the everyday lives of consumers and businesses' daily operations," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Joseph Wayland in charge of the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division.

Chef's Choice distributes and sells mesquite charcoal throughout the United States. Mesquite charcoal, which is typically used by restaurants and individuals to grill meat, fish and poultry, is primarily produced in Mexico and then sold to distributors in the United States for eventual resale to restaurants and consumers.

According to court documents, the charged conspiracy began as early as January 2000 and lasted until about September 2010. Lord and his competitors, a Los Angeles-area mesquite charcoal distributor and a San Francisco-area mesquite charcoal distributor, entered into an agreement to refrain from competing for the sale of mesquite charcoal to each other's customers. The purpose of this agreement was to ensure that Lord and his competitors would not have to reduce mesquite charcoal prices in the face of competition in order to retain their customers. Lord and his competitors carried out the conspiracy in various ways, including: refraining from submitting bids for the sale of mesquite charcoal to each other's customers; submitting intentionally noncompetitive bids to each other's customers; and communicating with each other regarding what price to bid and then submitting agreed-upon, noncompetitive bids to each other's customers.

Lord is charged with violating the Sherman Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine for individuals. The maximum fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victim of the crime if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine.

Today's guilty plea arose from an ongoing federal investigation of the mesquite charcoal industry in the United States. The investigation is being conducted by the Department of Justice Antitrust Division's Chicago Field Office and the FBI's San Francisco Office. Anyone with information concerning customer allocation, bid rigging or price fixing related to the mesquite charcoal industry in the United States should contact the Antitrust Division's Chicago Field Office at 312-353-7530 or visit www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.htm.

EXERCISE TRADEWINDS 2012

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
U.S. Marine Cpl. Aaron M. Kappler points out shot impacts to a Haitian Special Weapons and Tactics police officer at Barbados Defence Force Base Paragon, Christ Church, Barbados, during Exercise Tradewinds 2012 on June 16, 2012. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Nana Dannsaappiah 

Face of Defense: Marines Train Caribbean Troops, Police
By Marine Corps Cpl. Nana Dannsaappiah
Marine Corps Reserve
CHRIST CHURCH, Barbados, June 19, 2012 - On a grassy hill here overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on June 16, a handful of U.S. Marine reservists from Headquarters Company, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, taught law enforcement techniques to military and civilian members representing a group of Caribbean nations during Exercise Tradewinds 2012.

The San Bruno, Calif.-based Marines conducted law enforcement and human rights awareness training with the partner nations.

The U.S. Southern Command-sponsored exercise, officials said, included representatives from the Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Army, Navy, and Air Force, and other government agencies.  Law enforcement personnel from the Caribbean included Antigua-Barbuda, Barbados, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

"We're not so much focused on shooting, as much as the communication of shooting, teamwork, movement and reloading," said U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Joseph Neil, assigned to Headquarters Co., 23rd Marine Regiment.

Those attending will be able to integrate the law enforcement skills they learn here and teach it to their units, officials said. Throughout Tradewinds 2012, they will receive additional training on improvised explosive devices to help overcome booby traps they routinely face on counter-narcoterrorism operations.

"What we learn from here is very beneficial because we go on a lot of patrols and marijuana operations," said Lieutenant Steve Benny of the Trinidad and Tobago Army Learning Center.

The police techniques and tactics that the Caribbean troops learn will make it easier for them to work with their neighbors as they share common goals, officials said. The Caribbean military and police routinely work together in efforts to deter organized crime in the region.

"If there is standardization across the islands, it makes deployments easier," Benny said.
For the United States, the exercise is a cost effective technique to enhance abilities of allied nations to respond to a wide variety of regional security threats.
"Any opportunity to do a 'train the trainer' event is better because they can go back and continuously multiply it within their troops," said U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Daniel Temple, an operations officer with the 23rd Marine Regiment.

Tradewinds 2012 is an annual interagency, multinational exercise designed to enhance the collective abilities of Caribbean partner nation defense forces and constabularies in order to counter transnational organized crime, and conduct humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, officials said.