FLORIDA TROPICAL STORM DEBBY 2012 DISASTER RELIEF

FROM:  FEMA
Live Oak, Fla., July 4, 2012 -- Some Suwannee County roads are flooded and impassable following the heavy rains of Tropical Storm Debby. FEMA is responding to severe flood damage and destruction across Florida caused by Tropical Storm Debby. FEMA/David Fine 
Tropical Storm Debby. FEMA/David Fine
President Declares Major Disaster for Florida

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of Florida and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by Tropical Storm Debby beginning on June 23, 2012, and continuing.
The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Pasco, and Wakulla Counties.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.    
 
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Gracia B. Szczech has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.  Szczech said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated county can begin applying for assistance starting tomorrow by registering online at www.disasterassistance.gov, by web enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

Follow FEMA online at blog.fema.gov, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate's activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

A-10 FIRST PLANE THAT FLIES USING ALCOHOL BASED FUEL

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
An A-10C Thunderbolt II takes off from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., June 28, 2012, marking the first flight of an aircraft powered solely by a alcohol-derived jet fuel blend. ATJ, or Alcohol to Jet, is a cellulousic-based fuel. It can be derived using wood, paper, grass, anything that is a cell-based material. The sugars extracted from these materials are fermented into alcohols, which are then hydro-processed into the aviation-grade kerosenes used for aviation fuel. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.) 

A-10 first aircraft to use alcohol-based fuel 
by Minty Knighton
Eglin Air Force Base Public Affairs
7/2/2012 - EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- On June 28, the 40th Flight Test Squadron made history here flying the first aircraft to use a new fuel blend derived from alcohol.

"The A-10 is the first aircraft ever to fly on this fuel," said Jeff Braun, Chief for the Air Force Alternative Fuel Certification Division, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

"It flew like a usual A-10 would without any issues," said Maj. Olivia Elliott, an A-10 pilot and an evaluator for the mission.

The fuel, known as ATJ (Alcohol-to-Jet) is the third alternative fuel to be evaluated by the Air Force for fleet-wide use as a replacement for standard petroleum-derived JP-8 aviation fuel.
Before ATJ, other alternative fuels included a synthetic paraffinic kerosene derived from coal and natural gas and a bio-mass fuel derived from plant-oils and animal fats known as Hydroprocessed Renewable Jet.

ATJ is a cellulousic-based fuel. It can be derived using wood, paper, grass, anything that is a cell-based material. The sugars extracted from these materials are fermented into alcohols, which are then hydro-processed into the aviation-grade kerosenes used for aviation fuel.

The Fischer-Tropsch SPK blend has been fully certified by the Air Force for operational use throughout the Air Force. All testing of the bio-mass HRJ has been completed and formal coordination is underway to certify it as an approved fuel agent.

Like ATJ, the bio-mass fuel was first tested by 40th FLTS in 2010, using the same A-10 test platform.

"The A-10 is an excellent platform for testing the new fuel due in part to its segregated fuel system," said Capt. Joseph Rojas, A-10 test engineer. "The system allows one engine to run off a fuel supply that is completely segregated from the other engine. This allows us to fly with one engine on the new fuel and the other on traditional fuel. If engine operation is normal, as with the ATJ blend, then we progress to flying with both engines on the new fuel."

The A-10 ATJ fuel test went through similar ground and flight tests, using a mixture of the alternative fuel and the standard Air Force JP-8 .

Ground-based testing included monitoring engine performance and ensuring all data correlated favorably to both the technical requirements and JP-8 fuel specification. Flight tests included analyzing aircraft performance during controlled accelerations and climbs and operational maneuvering.

The Air Force has recently approved fleet-wide certification efforts of the ATJ fuel blend. Once the AFCD completes all air and ground testing, the ATJ will be approved as an official alternative fuel source for Air Force use.

"Eventually, it is possible that aircraft will see JP-8 consisting of all these alternatives," said Braun. "You won't be able to determine the difference and you won't care, because all perform as JP-8."

WHITE HOUSE ON THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT SUPREME COURT RULING

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
The Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act ensures hard-working, middle class families will get the security they deserve and protects every American from the worst insurance company abuses. The Court has issued a clear and final ruling on this law.
For a comprehensive overview of the Affordable Care Act, visitWhiteHouse.gov/HealthReform and HealthCare.gov.

Let’s take a look at what today’s ruling means for the middle class:
Insurance companies no longer have unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage, or charge women more than men.

Soon, no American will ever again be denied care or charged more due to a pre-existing condition, like cancer or even asthma.

Preventive care will still be covered free of charge by insurance companies--including mammograms for women and wellness visits for seniors.

By August, millions of Americans will receive a rebate because their insurance company spent too much of their premium on administrative costs or CEO bonuses.

5.3 million seniors will continue to save $600 a year on their prescription drugs.

Efforts to strengthen and protect Medicare by cracking down on waste, fraud, and abuse will remain in place.

6.6 million young adults will still be able to stay on their family's plan until they're 26.
A major impact of the Court's decision is the 129 million people with pre-existing conditions and millions of middle class families who will have the security of affordable health coverage.

We should also remember that under today’s ruling, having health insurance is and will continue to be a choice. If you can’t afford insurance or you’re a small business that wants to provide affordable insurance to your employees, you’ll get tax credits that make coverage affordable. But if you can afford insurance and you choose not to purchase it, the taxpayers will no longer subsidize your care for free.

Given today’s ruling, it’s now time to focus on implementing this law in a smart and non-bureaucratic way that works for the middle class.

As we’ve said, the Court has issued a clear and final ruling on this law. The last thing Congress should do is refight old political battles and start over on health care by repealing basic protections that provide security for the middle class. The President refuses to go back to the way things were.

Right now, Congress needs to work together to focus on the economy and creating jobs. Right now in congress, what’s at stake is how--at this make or break moment for the middle class--we break through Washington gridlock to move our country forward. Right now in Congress, what’s at stake is our chance to seize this moment to build an economy not from the top-down, but one based on a strong and secure middle class.  We need to create secure middle class jobs and an economy built to last where hard work and responsibility are rewarded, everybody gets a fair shot, pays their fair share, and plays by the same set of rules.

Right now, Congress should act on the President’s concrete plans to create an economy built to last by reducing the deficit in a balanced way and investing in education, clean energy, innovation, and infrastructure. It’s time for folks in Washington to work together on behalf of the American people.

MINOTAUR I ROCKET REMOVES TACSAT3 FROM EARTH

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
Minotaur I Rocket - TACSAT3
This Air Force Minotaur I rocket launched the Air Force Research Laboratory’s TacSat-3 satellite, NASA’s PharmaSat microsatellite and NASA’s CubeSat Technology Demonstration into a low earth orbit May 19.

Tactical Satellite-3
Integration of the modular bus components on Tactical Satellite-3 is photographed at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate, located at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. (Air Force photo)
TAC3 SATELLITE

X-37B ORBITAL TEST VEHICLE

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
The Air Force's unmanned, reusable space plane landed in the early morning of June 16 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., a successful conclusion to a record-setting test-flight mission that began March 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. (U.S. Air Force file photo) 

Written on JULY 4, 2012 AT 7:17 AM by JTOZER 
Coming In For A  Landing
The Air Force‘s unmanned, reusable space plane landed in the early morning of June 16 atVandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., a successful conclusion to a record-setting test-flight mission that began March 5, 2011, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, one of two such vehicles, spent 469 days in orbit to conduct on-orbit experiments, primarily checkout of the vehicle itself.

“The vehicle was designed for a mission duration of about 270 days,” said Lt. Col. Tom McIntyre, the X-37B program manager. “We knew from post-flight assessments from the first mission that OTV-1 could have stayed in orbit longer. So one of the goals of this mission was to see how much farther we could push the on-orbit duration.”

Managed by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, the X-37B program performs risk reduction, experimentation, and concept of operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies. The X-37B mission is the longest space mission only after the NASA Discovery shuttle program.

The 11,000-pound state-of-the-art vehicle, which is about a fourth the size of the shuttle, allows space technology experts to continue sending up experiments, with results returning safely to Earth for study.

“With the retirement of the space shuttle fleet, the X-37B OTV program brings a singular capability to space technology development,” McIntyre said. “The return capability allows the Air Force to test new technologies without the same risk commitment faced by other programs.”

U.S.-HAITI RELATIONS

Map Credit:  U.S. State Department
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Relations With Haiti
Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
Fact Sheet
June 7, 2012
U.S. policy toward Haiti is designed to foster economic growth, enhance government capacity, and strengthen democracy; help alleviate poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition; promote respect for human rights; counter illegal migration and drug trafficking; and assist in the reconstruction of the country after the January 2010 earthquake. The U.S. also supports and facilitates bilateral trade and investment along with legal migration and travel. U.S. policy goals are met through direct bilateral action and by working with the international community. The Haitian diaspora is a potentially powerful ally in the effort to strengthen U.S. policy initiatives in Haiti.

Maintaining good relations with and fostering democracy in Haiti are important for many reasons, not least of which is the country's geographical proximity to the continental United States. In addition to the many Haitians who receive visas to immigrate into the U.S. (averaging over 15,000 annually in FY 2007-2011), there is a flow of illegal migrants. Over 100,000 undocumented Haitian migrants were intercepted at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard in the past two decades, particularly during the 1991-94 period of illegal military rule when more than 67,000 migrants were interdicted. Since the return of the legitimate government in 1994, the interdiction of illegal migrants by U.S. Coast Guard vessels has decreased dramatically, averaging fewer than 1,500 annually. The prospect remains, however, for the renewal of higher flows of illegal migrants, particularly under conditions of political unrest or further economic downturn.

In January 2010, the U.S. granted temporary protected status (TPS) for 18 months to Haitians living illegally in the U.S. During that period, they were allowed to live and work in the U.S. upon submission and approval of a TPS application. On May 17, 2011, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced an extension and re-designation of TPS for Haiti. The extension will allow Haitians who have already been granted TPS following the earthquake to re-register and remain in the United States through January 22, 2013. In addition, DHS re-designated Haiti for TPS--meaning that Haitian nationals who have continuously resided in the United States since January 12, 2011, may now also be eligible to apply for TPS and will be allowed to stay in the United States through January 22, 2013. The extension and re-designation of TPS became effective July 23, 2011.

U.S. Assistance to Haiti
Political insecurity, embargo and debt policies, and the failure of Haiti's government to invest in developing the country's natural and human resources have contributed significantly to the country's current state of underdevelopment. U.S. efforts to strengthen democracy and help build the foundation for economic growth aim to rectify this condition. The U.S. has been Haiti's largest donor since 1973. Following the January 2010 earthquake, the U.S. Government, working with the Government of Haiti and the United Nations system, executed what became the largest international humanitarian response to a natural disaster in U.S. history.

Haiti’s recovery is a strategic imperative for the United States. The U.S. Government’s development strategy focuses on stimulating economic activity and enhancing the delivery of basic services in designated development corridors, or areas of the country, while engaging the private sector in the reconstruction process. Consistent with the Haitian Government's action plan, the U.S. Government’s reconstruction and long-term development plan seeks to support new and diverse economic opportunities outside of Port-au-Prince using focused and catalytic investments in housing, energy, agriculture, health, security, and national and local governance. The U.S. Government strategy consists of investments in four focus areas or "pillars" critical to achieving economic growth and stability: infrastructure and energy; food and economic security; health and other basic services; and governance and rule of law. For more information on the strategy, seehttp://www.state.gov/s/hsc/rpt/index.htm.

Bilateral Economic Relations
The U.S. remains Haiti's largest trading partner. Many Haitian entrepreneurs conduct business in English, and U.S. currency circulates freely in Haiti. A number of U.S. firms, including commercial banks, telecommunications, airlines, oil and agribusiness companies, and U.S.-owned assembly plants are present in Haiti.

Opportunities for U.S. businesses include the development and trade of raw and processed agricultural products; medical supplies and equipment; rebuilding and modernizing Haiti's infrastructure (particularly relevant in the wake of the January 2010 earthquake); developing tourism and allied sectors--including arts and crafts; and improving capacity in waste disposal, transportation, energy, telecommunications, and export assembly operations.

Benefits for both Haitian and American importers and exporters are available under the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act--which provides for duty-free export of many Haitian products assembled from U.S. components or materials--the successor program to the Caribbean Basin Initiative. The Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act provides additional duty-free preferences for qualifying apparel/textiles products and automotive wire harnesses.

The U.S. and Haiti have a bilateral agreement on investment guarantees that permits the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation to offer programs in Haiti. The Haitian Government encourages the inflow of new capital and technological innovations and has made a commitment to improving the business environment and attracting foreign investors. Its Center of Investment Facilitation (CFI) aims to facilitate and promote local investment by reducing administrative delays, streamlining the creation of enterprises, and facilitating the provision of inducements. For more information on the CFI, see http://www.cfihaiti.net/j10/index.php/en/.
Additional information on business opportunities in Haiti can be found at www.export.gov under opportunities, market research, Country Commercial Guides.

Haiti's Membership in International Organizations
Haiti and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, Organization of American States (OAS), International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization. The United States has taken a leading role in organizing international involvement with Haiti. The United States works closely with the OAS, particularly through the Secretary General's "Friends of Haiti" group, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and individual countries to achieve policy goals.

U.S. AFRICA COMMANDER UNDERSTANDS HUMANITARIAN SITUATION

Photo:  Gen. Carter F. Ham.  Credit:  U.S. DOD. 
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Africom Promotes Humanitarian Response Readiness in Africa
By Donna Miles
STUTTGART, Germany, July 5, 2012 - As the worst drought in six decades grips the Horn of Africa, displacing millions of people and creating a severe humanitarian crisis, the United States has stepped up its emergency assistance.

An additional $120 million in emergency aid announced in April brings to $1.1 billion the U.S. contribution in drought and famine relief since the crisis began last year, White House officials said, with funding provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department.

Army Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command, understands all too well the security implications of a fragile humanitarian situation that has left millions of people in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya in need of urgent assistance.

"The linkage between security and humanitarian efforts in Africa is very clear to me," he told the House Armed Services Committee in February.

Ham expressed concern that looming budget cuts, particularly at the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development, could affect the United States' ability to assist during this and other humanitarian crises on the continent.

"I do worry overall that if there is a significant decline in the State Department's security assistance or in USAID's ability to provide developmental or humanitarian assistance, those will have security consequences," he said.

Since its inception five years ago, Africom has stood ready to support U.S. government humanitarian and disaster relief operations, said Michael Casciaro, the command's division chief for security cooperation programs.

"The military brings unique capabilities that are used for humanitarian assistance," he said. "And that ranges from developing long-range projects like ... building clinics and schools and providing furniture and equipment for them."

It also includes helping African partners to build capability -- from training them how to conduct humanitarian response operations, to helping them promote HIV/AIDS prevention programs -- so they can conduct these missions themselves.
Africom also works with partner nations to help them develop national humanitarian response plans that include their militaries, Casciaro said. "We then focus on those tasks that were assigned to the military, and help them understand what capabilities are required to be able to do that, and how they need to train to do that," he said.

In support of this effort, Africom is emphasizing disaster response as well as traditional military skills through its robust exercise program on the continent. This year alone, the command and its service components are conducting 16 exercises involving about 30 African nations, all to include a component related to environmental disaster, Ham told the Senate Armed Services Committee in March. The scenarios will run the gamut, he said, but most will involve floods or drought.

These exercises help partner nations formulate and practice plans for responding to natural as well as manmade disasters within their borders, explained Marine Corps Lt. Col. Sam Cook, Africom's joint combined exercise branch chief. "It increases their ability and capability and capacity to conduct these operations themselves," he said.
Ham said African nations are "very accepting" of this training, and understand the security effects of humanitarian assistance and disaster response preparedness. He expressed concern, however, that Africom is finding "less traction on the preventive steps than we are on responses."

The general credited the interagency makeup of Africom, which includes about 30 representatives from more than a dozen U.S. agencies and departments, which he said gives it the capabilities needed to help address challenges requiring "nothing short of a whole-of-government approach."

"No one element of the government has all the resources, authorities or capabilities to address the impacts on security of environmental change," Ham said.
That, he said, demands that Africom work closely with chiefs of mission in Africa who have the responsibility to pull together that whole-of-government approach, as well as with various bureaus in the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to coordinate and synchronize efforts.

That, Ham said, will help achieve the desired end state: "assisting the African countries deal with an increasingly serious security matter that ultimately contributes to our security by them being more secure."

NEWS FROM ISAF IN AFGHANISTAN JULY 5, 2012

Photo:  Afghanistan.  Credit:  U.S. Air Force.
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Combined Force Detains Taliban Weapons Supplier
Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases
WASHINGTON, July 5, 2012 - An Afghan and coalition security force detained a Taliban weapons supplier in the Chimtal district of Afghanistan's Balkh province today, military officials reported.

The weapons supplier provided firearms, explosives and improvised explosive devices to Taliban insurgents throughout the region, officials said. At the time of his arrest, he was in the process of acquiring IEDs for upcoming attacks.

The security force also detained another suspected insurgent during the operation, officials said.

Also today, officials confirmed that Taliban leader Nek Mohammad was killed July 1 in the Sar-e Pul district of Sar-e Pul province. Mohammad had served as a senior Taliban leader in the region and directed attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

Officials also confirmed today that a Taliban leader known as Hamza was killed July 2 in the Ghazni district of Ghazni province. Hamza had managed several Taliban insurgents and coordinated attacks with other Taliban leaders throughout the region.
In operations around Afghanistan today:

-- A combined force in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province apprehended a Taliban leader and detained two other insurgents. The detained Taliban leader led an attack cell and coordinated high-profile attacks. At the time of his arrest, he was attempting to acquire suicide vests and more than 110 pounds of explosives.

-- A combined force detained a Taliban leader and several other suspects in the Pul-e Alam district of Logar province. The apprehended Taliban leader was responsible for attacks against coalition security patrols throughout the region and the killing of multiple Afghan soldiers in May.

In operations yesterday:
-- A combined force seized more than 40 pounds of opium during a search for a Taliban leader in Kandahar's Panjwai district.

-- A combined force discovered and cleared two IEDs, one in Ghazni province's Ab Band District and another in the province's Qarah Bagh district.

-- A combined force killed two insurgents and detained three others in Ghazni province's Dehyak district.

-- A combined force killed an insurgent in Khost province's Qalandar district, and another combined force found and cleared an IED in the province's Khost district.

-- Combined forces found and cleared two IEDs in Paktika province's Sar Rowzah district and another in the province's Wazah Kwah district.

-- A combined force killed five insurgents and detained a suspect in Paktia province's Lajah Ahmadkhel district.

U.S. DOD SAYS REOPENED SUPPLY LINE INTO AFGHANISTAN WILL SAVE MILLIONS

Map Credit:  U.S. Department Of State
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCE PRESS SERVICE
Reopened Supply Routes Mean Cost Savings, Spokesman Says
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
WASHINGTON, July 5, 2012 - Pakistan's decision to reopen ground supply routes on its border with Afghanistan will allow the Defense Department to save tens of millions of dollars transporting material in and out of Afghanistan, a senior Pentagon spokesman said here today.

Navy Capt. John Kirby said officials estimate that use of the reopened routes will save $70 million to $100 million per month.

Kirby noted that Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta had told Congress that since Pakistan had closed the routes in November, resupplying forces in Afghanistan had been costing the United States about $100 million more per month than before the closure.
"Secretary Panetta fully supports the approach that was taken, and the discussions that were had," Kirby said. "He welcomes the decision by Pakistan to open the gates."
Pakistan closed the supply routes after a Nov. 26, 2011, incident in which American troops came under fire from Pakistan. U.S. forces returned fire and killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Pakistan responded by closing the main overland supply routes for U.S. and NATO forces into Afghanistan.

U.S. logistics specialists quickly shifted to other means, such as the Northern Distribution Network, to supply the forces. However, DOD officials have noted the routes through Pakistan are considered the most direct and most cost-effective.

"The Defense Department, immediately after the incident in November, expressed our regrets and condolences over it [and] acknowledged the mistakes we've made, and we're sorry for those mistakes," Kirby told reporters today.

He added that although the Pakistani ground supply routes are cheaper, coalition forces will continue to use the Northern Distribution Network as well.

"The Northern Distribution Network is still a viable, vital method through which logistics flow in and out of Afghanistan," Kirby said. "One of the things that we're looking at, more [now] than we were in November when the [Pakistani ground supply routes] closed, was retrograde -- the need to get material out of Afghanistan. So the Northern Distribution Network will still remain vital as we move forward."

Kirby said traffic has started to flow through the Pakistan ground gates, and that the same agreement in place before the closure still applies.

"The same arrangement we had using the ground gates before they closed are in existence now," he said. "There's been no change to those agreements." No lethal material is permitted to flow through the ground lines of communication, he added, unless it is designed and designated solely for the Afghan national security forces.

Kirby said the United States and Pakistan continue to work to "get this relationship on better footing."

"My sense is this was just a series of a lot of discussions and negotiations, and [a] concerted effort by both sides to move past this and to get the relationship into a better place [as we] start to look at the common challenges in the region," he said.
Kirby re-emphasized the practical benefits and cost-effectiveness of moving logistics through Pakistan's ground supply routes.

"We've always said moving things through the ground gates is cheaper and more expedient," he said. "Because we have that open to us now, it will save money."

SELLING SYSTEMS TO TRADE IN FUTURES ENDS IN DEFAULT JUDGEMENT AGAINST COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUAL

FROM:  COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION
CFTC Obtains Default Judgment against The Trade Tech Institute, Inc., Technology Trading International, Inc., and Robert Sorchini for Fraudulent Solicitation of Managed Commodity Trading Accounts and Obtains Consent Judgment against Richard Carter as Controlling Person of Both Companies

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today announced that the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California entered an order of default judgment and permanent injunction against The Trade Tech Institute, Inc. (Trade Tech), Technology Trading International, Inc. (Tech Trading), and Robert Sorchini (Sorchini), all of Los Angeles, Calif. The same Court previously entered a consent order of permanent injunction against Richard Carter (Carter), also of Los Angeles, Calif.

The default order, entered on June 19, 2012, and the consent order, entered on February 29, 2012, both stem from a CFTC enforcement action filed jointly with the Commissioner of Corporations of the State of California on March 15, 2011, that charged defendants with fraudulently promoting and selling to the public several commodity trading systems pursuant to which customer managed accounts were traded (see CFTC News Release 6005-11, March 21, 2011).

The orders find that from at least 2007 until the CFTC complaint was filed in March 2011, Trade Tech, by and through Sorchini, Carter and other employees, fraudulently promoted and marketed a variety of systems to the public to be used for trading futures contracts and options on futures contracts in managed accounts. Trade Tech’s systems included Trade Tech Analytics, Paradigm, Optimum, Expeditor, MAC, Hybrid, Daytona and Pioneer. The orders also find that beginning in April 2010, Sorchini, Carter and others formed Tech Trading to continue their fraudulent promotion and selling of systems. The orders find that Carter and Sorchini were controlling persons of Trade Tech and Tech Trading.

The default order also finds that while selling these systems, Trade Tech, Tech Trading and Sorchini made fraudulent representations to prospective and existing clients about the systems’ purported past and potential future profitability and track records, failed to adequately warn clients of the risks inherent in trading futures and options, failed to disclose to clients the systems’ losing performance records in client managed accounts and made fraudulent performance-based guarantees. In addition, the default order and consent order find that Trade Tech published a misleading testimonial on its website and failed to inform clients or obtain clients’ consent when switching clients’ managed accounts between systems.

The court’s default order requires Trade Tech and Tech Trading to disgorge $2,910,245.10 and $423,140, respectively, of ill-gotten gains the companies received. The order imposes restitution on Trade Tech and Tech Trading of $2,386,970.38 and $38,847.99, respectively, and civil monetary penalties of $8,730,735.30 and $1,269,420, respectively. Additionally, the order requires Sorchini to disgorge $764,250.97 of ill-gotten gains he received from his fraudulent conduct, imposes joint and several liability on Sorchini for $2,251,766.50 of Trade Tech’s and Tech Trading’s restitution obligations, and a civil monetary penalty of $2,292,752.91.

The court’s consent order requires Carter to disgorge $992,352.93 of ill-gotten gains and imposes a civil monetary penalty of $496,176.46.

The orders permanently bar Trade Tech, Tech Trading, Sorchini and Carter from engaging in any commodity-related activity, including trading and registering or seeking exemption from CFTC registration, and from violating the anti-fraud provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act.

EPA FOCUSES ON LARGEST EMITTERS OF GREEN HOUSE GAS

Photo Credit:  Wikimedia.
FROM:  U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
EPA Greenhouse Gas Permitting Requirements Maintain Focus on Largest Emitters 

Steps to streamline process will ease burden on state and local permitting authorities
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that it will not revise greenhouse gas (GHG) permitting thresholds under the Clean Air Act. Today’s final rule is part of EPA’s common-sense, phased-in approach to GHG permitting under the Clean Air Act, announced in 2010 and recently upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The final rule maintains a focus on the nation’s largest emitters that account for nearly 70 percent of the total GHG pollution from stationary sources, while shielding smaller emitters from permitting requirements. EPA is also finalizing a provision that allows companies to set plant-wide emissions limits for GHGs, streamlining the permitting process, increasing flexibilities and reducing permitting burdens on state and local authorities and large industrial emitters.

After consulting with the states and evaluating the phase-in process, EPA believes that current conditions do not suggest that EPA should lower the permitting thresholds. Therefore, EPA will not include additional, smaller sources in the permitting program at this time.

Today’s final rule affirms that new facilities with GHG emissions of at least 100,000 tons per year (tpy) carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) will continue to be required to obtain Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permits. Existing facilities that emit 100,000 tpy of CO2e and make changes increasing the GHG emissions by at least 75,000 tpy of CO2e, must also obtain PSD permits. Facilities that must obtain a PSD permit, to include other regulated pollutants, must also address GHG emission increases of 75,000 tpy or more of CO2e. New and existing sources with GHG emissions above 100,000 tpy CO2e must also obtain operating permits.

EPA’s GHG permitting program follows the same Clean Air Act process that states and industry have followed for decades to help ensure that new or modified facilities are meeting requirements to protect air quality and public health from harmful pollutants. As of May 21, 2012, EPA and state permitting authorities have issued 44 PSD permits addressing GHG emissions. These permits have required new facilities, and existing facilities that make major modifications, to implement energy efficiency measures to reduce their GHG emissions.

The GHG Tailoring Rule will continue to address a group of six greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). The PSD permitting program protects air quality and allows economic growth by requiring facilities that trigger PSD to limit GHG emissions in a cost effective way. An operating permit lists all of a facility’s Clean Air Act emissions control requirements and ensures adequate monitoring, recordkeeping and reporting. The operating permit program allows an opportunity for public involvement and to improve compliance.

TRIBUTE TO ASTRONAUT ALAN POINDEXTER

FROM:  NASA
STS-122 Heads to the Pad: A Tribute to Alan Poindexter
In this image from December 2008, the STS-122 mission crew members stride out of the Operations and Checkout Building, eager to ride to the launch pad and take their seats in space shuttle Atlantis. On the left, front to back, are Alan Poindexter, followed by Leland Melvin, Stanley Love and Leopold Eyharts. On the right, front to back, are Commander Steve Frick, followed by Rex Walheim and Hans Schlegel. Schlegel and Eyharts represent the European Space Agency.

Poindexter died on Sunday, July 1, 2012, while vacationing with his family.

A Navy Captain, he was accepted to the Astronaut Corps in 1998. During his career with NASA, Poindexter commanded the STS-131 space shuttle Discovery mission to the International Space Station in 2010, delivering more than 13,000 pounds of hardware and equipment. He also served as the pilot of the STS-122 mission, which delivered and installed the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory on the station in 2008. He also served as a spacecraft communicator, or CAPCOM, for multiple missions.

Poindexter retired from NASA in 2010 and returned to serve in the United States Navy as Dean of Students at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Image Credit: NASAKim Shiflet