Saturday, July 7, 2012

WHISTLE BLOWER CASE AGAINST PILGRIM'S PRIDE SETTLED


FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
US Department of Labor's OSHA settles whistleblower case
against Pilgrim's Pride in Mount Pleasant, Texas
MOUNT PLEASANT, Texas – The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into a settlement agreement with Pilgrim's Pride Corp. in Mount Pleasant to resolve an investigation by the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration into the company's termination of an employee who raised environmental complaints, in violation of the whistleblower provision of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.

"Employees must feel free to exercise their rights under the law without fear of termination or other retaliation by their employers," said John M. Hermanson, OSHA's regional administrator in Dallas. "The Labor Department is committed to vigorously protecting the whistleblower rights of all workers."

OSHA initiated an investigation upon receiving a complaint from a manager for water reclamation at the company's chicken processing plant who had alerted the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality when process and storm water containing excessive amounts of chromium, lead and mercury were discharged into the environment. According to the complainant, Pilgrim's Pride stated that the TCEQ did not need to be notified and that sharing the information was not in the company's best interest, and consequently terminated the complainant's employment.

Prior to OSHA issuing its investigative findings, the parties reached an agreement in which the employer will pay the complainant $50,000. Pilgrim's Pride also has agreed to post a notice to employees advising them of their whistleblower rights, purge any derogatory information in the employee's personnel file directly related to the incident and provide a neutral job reference. In exchange, the employee will not seek reinstatement.

OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and 20 other statutes protecting employees who report violations of various airline, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, environmental, financial reform, food safety, health care reform, nuclear, pipeline, public transportation agency, railroad, maritime and securities laws. Under the various whistleblower provisions enacted by Congress, employers are prohibited from retaliating against employees who raise various protected concerns or provide protected information to the employer or the government.

Any employee who believes he or she has been retaliated against for engaging in protected conduct may file a complaint with the secretary of labor for an investigation by OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Program. Detailed information on employer whistleblower rights, including fact sheets, is available online at http://www.whistleblowers.gov.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

Editor's note: The U.S. Department of Labor does not release names of employees involved in whistleblower complaints.

Friday, July 6, 2012

U.S.-BARBADOS RELATIONS


Map Credit:  U.S. State Department/CIA
FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 
U.S. Relations With Barbados
Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
Fact Sheet
June 4, 2012

The United States and Barbados have had friendly bilateral relations since Barbados' independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. Barbados and U.S. authorities cooperate closely in the fight against narcotics trafficking and other forms of transnational crime. The two countries have signed a mutual legal assistance treaty; an updated extradition treaty covering all common offenses, including conspiracy and organized crime; and a maritime law enforcement agreement.

U.S. Assistance to Barbados
The United States has supported the government's efforts to expand the country's economic base and to provide a higher standard of living for its citizens. U.S. assistance is channeled primarily through multilateral agencies such as the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank, as well as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID's Eastern Caribbean program, which includes Barbados, has focused on promoting economic growth through an improved business and investment climate, helping governments and the private sector compete in the global marketplace, combating HIV/AIDS, and protecting fragile ecosystems. Barbados receives counternarcotics and youth development assistance from the United States under the regional Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) and is eligible to benefit from the U.S. military's exercise-related and humanitarian assistance construction program.

Bilateral Economic Relations
Barbados has an open economy with a marked dependence on imports, 40% of which come from the United States. Barbados is a beneficiary of the U.S. Caribbean Basin Initiative, which aims to facilitate the economic development and export diversification of the Caribbean Basin economies by providing countries with duty-free access to the U.S. market for most goods.

Barbados's Membership in International Organizations
As a small nation, the primary thrust of Barbados' diplomatic activity has been within international organizations. Barbados and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, Organization of American States, Inter-American Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.

PRESIDENT OBAMA HOSTS PARTY FOR TROOPS & FAMILIES AT THE WHITE HOUSE


FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE 
President Hosts Troops, Families for Independence Day Party
WASHINGTON, July 5, 2012 - President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a Fourth of July party for hundreds of service members and their families on the South Lawn of the White House yesterday.

The partygoers enjoyed traditional holiday food and a concert by country music star Brad Paisley before taking in the fireworks display that lit up the nation's capital.
In remarks during the festivities, the president singled out one guest from each service for special recognition.

"We salute our soldiers, like Sgt. Alan Ruehs, who, in the midst of an enemy ambush in Afghanistan, risked his own life to save the lives of four others," he said. "We salute our sailors, like Petty Officer Taylor Morris, who suffered terrible wounds while serving in Afghanistan on an explosive ordnance disposal team, but who inspires us all through his incredible recovery. We salute an airman: Col. Charles Barnett, who led close to 200 combat missions in Afghanistan and still serves his country by volunteering to care for our fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery.

"We salute a Marine: Cpl. Alex Nguyen, who sustained serious injuries when his vehicle struck an IED in Afghanistan, but who carries on stronger than ever," he continued. "We salute a 'Coastie' from my hometown of Chicago: Lt. Cmdr. Michelle Watson, who was one of the first African-American women to graduate from the Coast Guard Academy and went on to perform exceptional service in Operation Enduring Freedom."

All of the invited service members represent a generation of heroes that has earned its place in history alongside the greatest generations, Obama said.
"Because of your service and sacrifice, all of our troops are now out of Iraq," he said. "Because of your service and sacrifice, we took the fight to al-Qaida and we brought Osama bin Laden to justice. Because of your service and sacrifice, we're transitioning out of Afghanistan. We will remain ready for any threat. That is all because of you."

U.S. VERY CONCERNED ABOUT DEMOCRACY IN NATO ALLY ROMANIA


Map Credit:  U.S. State Department.
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Concerns over Political Developments in Romania
Press Statement Victoria Nuland
Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
July 6, 2012
We are concerned about recent developments occurring in Romania, our NATO Ally and partner, which threaten democratic checks and balances and weaken independent institutions, such as the courts. As the government contemplates the serious step of removing Romania’s head of state, we urge that the process be conducted in a fully fair and transparent manner, with scrupulous respect for the rule of law and democratic ideals. The United States stands with our EU partners and urges that Romania uphold and protect the common values and principles that unite the European and trans-Atlantic community of nations.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM THE U.S STATE DEPARTMENT
ROMANIA
PROFILE
Geography
Area: 237,499 sq. km. (91,699 sq. mi.); slightly smaller than Wyoming.
Cities: Capital--Bucharest (pop. 1.94 million). Other cities--Iasi (309,000), Constanta (302,000), Timisoara (316,000), Cluj-Napoca (306,000), Craiova (299,000), Galati (291,000), Brasov (278,000).
Terrain: Consists mainly of rolling, fertile plains; hilly in the eastern regions of the middle Danube basin; and major mountain ranges running north and west in the center of the country, which collectively are known as the Carpathians.
Climate: Moderate.

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Romanian(s).
Population (2010): 21.49 million.
Annual population growth rate: -0.247%.
Ethnic groups: Romanians 89.5%, Hungarians 6.6%, Germans 0.3%, Ukrainians 0.3%, Serbs, Croats, Russians 0.2%, Turks 0.2%, and Roma 2.5%.
Religions: Orthodox 86.8%; Roman Catholic 5%; Reformed Protestant, Baptist, and Pentecostal 5%; Greek Catholic (Uniate) 1% to 3%; Muslim 0.2%; Jewish less than 0.1%.
Languages: Romanian (official). Other languages--Hungarian, German.
Education: Years compulsory--9. Attendance--98%. Literacy--97.3%.
Health: Infant mortality rate (2010)--11.32/1,000. Life expectancy--men 70.26 years, women 77.42 years.
Work force (2010): 9.72 million. Agriculture--3.0 million, industry and construction--2.8 million, services--3.3 million, other--0.3 million.

Government
Type: Republic.
Constitution: December 8, 1991, amended by referendum October 18-19, 2003.
Branches: Executive--president (head of state), prime minister (head of government), Council of Ministers. Legislative--bicameral Parliament. Judicial--Constitutional Court, High Court of Cassation and Justice, and lower courts.
Subdivisions: 41 counties plus the city of Bucharest.
Political parties represented in the Parliament are: Democratic Liberal Party (Partidul Democrat Liberal--PDL); Social Democratic Party (Partidul Social Democrat--PSD); National Liberal Party (Partidul National Liberal--PNL); Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (Uniunea Democrata Maghiara din Romania--UDMR); National Union for the Advancement of Romania (Uniunea Nationala pentru Progresul Romaniei--UNPR); Conservative Party (Partidul Conservator--PC).
Suffrage: Universal from age 18.
Defense (2010): 1.4% of GDP.

Economy
GDP (2010): $162 billion.
Annual GDP growth rate (2010): -1.3%; latest IMF 2011 growth forecast: +1.5%.
GDP per capita: $7,538.
Natural resources: Oil, timber, natural gas, coal, salt, iron ore.
Agriculture (2010): Percentage of GDP--6.0%. Products--corn, wheat, potatoes, oilseeds, vegetables, livestock, fish, and forestry.
Industry (2010): Percentage of GDP--26.4%. Types--machine building, mining, construction materials, metal production and processing, chemicals, food processing, textiles, clothing. Industrial output increased by 0.9% in 2008, decreased 5.5% in 2009, and rebounded with a 5.5% increase in 2010.
Services (2010): Percentage of GDP--47.6%.
Construction (2010): Percentage of GDP--8.9%.
Trade: Exports--$48.8 billion. Types--textiles, chemicals, light manufactures, wood products, fuels, processed metals, machinery and equipment. Exports to the U.S. (2010)--$734.0 million. Major markets--Germany, Italy, France, Turkey, Hungary. Imports--$61.2 billion.Types--machinery and equipment, textiles, fuel, coking coal, iron ore, machinery and equipment, and mineral products. Imports from the U.S. (2010)--$750.4 million. Major suppliers--Germany, Italy, Hungary, France, China.
Exchange rate (October 2011): 3.18 new Lei (RON)=U.S. $1.

GEOGRAPHY
Extending inland halfway across the northern limits of the Balkan Peninsula and covering a large elliptical area of 237,499 square kilometers (91,699 sq. mi.), Romania occupies the greater part of the lower basin of the Danube River system and the hilly eastern regions of the middle Danube basin. It lies on either side of the mountain systems collectively known as the Carpathians, which form the natural barrier between the two Danube basins.

Romania's location gives it a continental climate, particularly in Moldavia and Wallachia (geographic areas east of the Carpathians and south of the Transylvanian Alps, respectively) and to a lesser extent in centrally located Transylvania, where the climate is more moderate. A long and at times severe winter (December-March), a hot summer (April-July), and a prolonged autumn (August-November) are the principal seasons, with a rapid transition from spring to summer. In Bucharest, the daily minimum temperature in January averages -7oC (20oF), and the daily maximum temperature in July averages 29oC (85oF).

PEOPLE
About 89% of the people are ethnic Romanians, a group that--in contrast to its Slav or Hungarian neighbors--traces itself to Latin-speaking Romans, who in the second and third centuries A.D. conquered and settled among the ancient Dacians, a Thracian people. As a result, the Romanian language, although containing elements of Slavic, Turkish, and other languages, is a Romance language related to French and Italian.

Hungarians and Roma are the principal minorities, with a declining German population and smaller numbers of Serbs, Croats, Ukrainians, Greeks, Turks, Armenians, Great Russians, and others. Minority populations are greatest in Transylvania and the Banat, areas in the north and west, which belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire until World War I. Even before union with Romania, ethnic Romanians comprised the overall majority in Transylvania. However, ethnic Hungarians and Germans were the dominant urban population until relatively recently, and ethnic Hungarians still are the majority in a few districts.

Before World War II, minorities represented more than 28% of the total population. During the war that percentage was halved, largely by the loss of the border areas of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina (to the former Soviet Union--now Moldova and a portion of southwest Ukraine) and southern Dobruja (to Bulgaria), as well as by the postwar flight or deportation of ethnic Germans. In the last several decades, more than two-thirds of the remaining ethnic Germans in Romania emigrated to Germany.

Romanian troops during World War II participated in the destruction of the Jewish communities of Bessarabia and Transnistria (both now comprising the independent Republic of Moldova) and northern Bukovina (now part of Ukraine). Jews in areas now comprising Romania also were subject to harsh persecution, including government-sanctioned pogroms and killings, and about 30% did not survive the Holocaust. Mass emigration, mostly to Israel, has reduced the surviving Jewish community from over 300,000 to less than 10,000.

Religious affiliation tends to follow ethnic lines, with most ethnic Romanians identifying with the Romanian Orthodox Church. Also ethnically Romanian is the Greek Catholic or Uniate Church, reunified with the Orthodox Church by fiat in 1948, and restored after the 1989 revolution. The 2002 census indicates that 1%-3% of the population is Greek Catholic, as opposed to about 10% prior to 1948. Roman Catholics, largely ethnic Hungarians and Germans, constitute about 5% of the population; Calvinists, Baptists, Pentecostals, and Lutherans make up another 5%. There are smaller numbers of Unitarians, Muslims, and other religions.

Romania's cultural traditions have been nourished by many sources, some of which predate the Roman occupation. The traditional folk arts, including dance, music, wood-carving, ceramics, weaving and embroidery of costumes and household decorations still flourish in many parts of the country. Despite strong Austrian, German, and especially French influence, many of Romania's great artists, such as the painter Nicolae Grigorescu, the poet Mihai Eminescu, the composer George Enescu, and the sculptor Constantin Brancusi, drew their inspiration from Romanian folk traditions.

The country's many Orthodox monasteries, as well as the Transylvanian Catholic and Evangelical Churches, some of which date back to the 13th century, are repositories of artistic treasures. The famous painted monasteries of southern (Romanian) Bukovina make an important contribution to European architecture.

Poetry and the theater play an important role in contemporary Romanian life. Classic Romanian plays, such as those of Ion Luca Caragiale, as well as works by modern or avant-garde Romanian and international playwrights, find sophisticated and enthusiastic audiences in the many theaters of the capital and smaller cities.

HISTORY
Since about 200 B.C., when it was settled by the Dacians, a Thracian tribe, Romania has been in the path of a series of migrations and conquests. Under the emperor Trajan early in the second century A.D., Dacia was incorporated into the Roman Empire, but was abandoned by a declining Rome less than 2 centuries later. Romania disappeared from recorded history for hundreds of years, to reemerge in the medieval period as the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. Heavily taxed and badly administered under the Ottoman Empire, the two principalities were unified under a single native prince, Alexandru Ioan Cuza, in 1859, and had their full independence ratified in the 1878 Treaty of Berlin. A German prince, Carol of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, was crowned the first King of Romania in 1881.

The new state, squeezed between the Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian Empires, looked to the West, particularly France, for its cultural, educational, and administrative models. Romania was an ally of the Entente Powers and the U.S. in World War I, and was granted substantial territories with Romanian populations, notably Transylvania, Bessarabia, and Bukovina, after the war.

Most of Romania's pre-World War II governments maintained the forms, but not always the substance, of a liberal constitutional monarchy. The virulently anti-Semitic and Fascist Iron Guard movement, exploiting a quasi-mystical nationalism, fear of communism, and resentment of alleged foreign and Jewish domination of the economy, was a key destabilizing factor, which led to the creation of a royal dictatorship in 1938 under King Carol II. In 1940, the authoritarian General Antonescu took control and pursued pro-Nazi, anti-Semitic policies similar to those advocated by the Iron Guard. Romania entered World War II on the side of the Axis Powers in June 1941, invading the Soviet Union to recover Bessarabia and Bukovina, which had been annexed in 1940.

In August 1944, a coup led by King Mihai (Michael), with support from opposition politicians and the army, deposed the Antonescu dictatorship and put Romania's battered armies on the side of the Allies. Romania incurred additional heavy casualties fighting alongside the Soviet Union against the Germans in Transylvania, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia.

A peace treaty, signed in Paris on February 10, 1947, confirmed the Soviet annexation of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina, but restored the part of northern Transylvania granted to Hungary in 1940 by Hitler. The treaty also required massive war reparations by Romania to the Soviet Union, whose occupying forces did not leave until 1958.

According to the officially recognized 2004 Wiesel Commission report, Romanian authorities were responsible for the deaths of between 280,000 and 380,000 Romanian and Ukrainian Jews in the territories under Romanian jurisdiction (including Bessarabia, Bukovina, and Transnistria) out of a population of approximately 760,000. In addition, 132,000 Romanian Jews were killed by the pro-Nazi Hungarian authorities in the area of Transylvania that the Nazi government had placed in Hungarian control at the time.

The Soviets pressed for inclusion of Romania's heretofore negligible Communist Party in the post-war government, while non-communist political leaders were steadily eliminated from political life. King Mihai abdicated under pressure in December 1947, when the Romanian People's Republic was declared, and went into exile.

By the late 1950s, Romania's communist government began to assert some independence from the Soviet Union. Nicolae Ceausescu became head of the Communist Party in 1965 and head of state in 1967. Ceausescu's denunciation of the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and a brief relaxation in internal repression helped give him a positive image both at home and in the West. Seduced by Ceausescu's "independent" foreign policy, Western leaders were slow to turn against a regime that, by the late 1970s, had become increasingly harsh, arbitrary, and capricious. Rapid economic growth fueled by foreign credits gradually gave way to economic autarchy accompanied by wrenching austerity and severe political repression.

After the collapse of communism in the rest of Eastern Europe in the late summer and fall of 1989, a mid-December protest in Timisoara against the forced relocation of an ethnic Hungarian pastor grew into a country-wide protest against the Ceausescu regime, sweeping the dictator from power. Ceausescu and his wife were executed on December 25, 1989, after a cursory military trial. About 1,500 people were killed in confused street fighting. An impromptu governing coalition, the National Salvation Front (FSN), installed itself and proclaimed the restoration of democracy and freedom. The Communist Party was dissolved and its assets transferred to the state. Ceausescu's most unpopular measures, such as bans on private commercial entities and independent political activity, were repealed.

Ion Iliescu, a former Communist Party official demoted by Ceausescu in the 1970s, emerged as the leader of the FSN. Presidential and parliamentary elections were held on May 20, 1990. Running against representatives of the pre-war National Peasants' Party (PNTCD) and National Liberal Party (PNL), Iliescu won 85% of the vote. The FSN captured two-thirds of the seats in Parliament (66.31% of the votes), and named a university professor, Petre Roman, as prime minister. The strongest parties in opposition in the election were the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) with 7.23% of the votes, and the National Liberal Party with 6.41%. The new government began cautious free-market reforms such as opening the economy to consumer imports and establishing the independence of the National Bank.

Over 200 new political parties sprang up after 1989, gravitating around personalities rather than programs. All major parties espoused democracy and market reforms, with the governing National Salvation Front proposing slower, more cautious economic reforms. In contrast, the opposition's main parties--the National Liberal Party and the National Peasant-Christian Democrat Party (PNTCD)--favored quick, sweeping reforms, immediate privatization, and reducing the role of the ex-communist elite. Nevertheless, the legacy of 44 years of communist rule could not be eliminated quickly. Membership in the Romanian Communist Party usually had been the prerequisite for higher education, foreign travel, or a good job, while the extensive internal security apparatus had subverted normal social and political relations. To the few active dissidents, who suffered gravely under Ceausescu and his predecessors, many of those who came forward as politicians after the revolution seemed tainted by association with the previous regime.

Unhappy at the continued political and economic influence of members of the Ceausescu-era elite, anti-communist protesters camped out in University Square in April 1990. When miners from the Jiu Valley descended on Bucharest 2 months later and brutally dispersed the remaining "hooligans," President Iliescu expressed public thanks, thus convincing many that the government had sponsored the miners' actions. The miners also attacked the headquarters and houses of opposition leaders. Petre Roman’s government fell in late September 1991, when the miners returned to Bucharest to demand higher salaries and better living conditions. Theodor Stolojan was appointed to head an interim government until new elections could be held.

Parliament drafted a new democratic constitution, approved by popular referendum in December 1991. The FSN split into two groups, one led by Ion Iliescu (FDSN) and the other by Petre Roman (FSN), in March 1992. Roman's party subsequently adopted the name Democratic Party (PD), and the FDSN became the Party of Social Democracy of Romania (PDSR) in July 1993.

National elections in September 1992 returned President Iliescu by a clear majority; he easily won reelection over a field of five other candidates. His party, the FDSN, won a plurality in both chambers of Parliament. The 1992 elections revealed a continuing political cleavage between major urban centers and the countryside. Rural voters, who were grateful for the restoration of most agricultural land to farmers but fearful of change, strongly favored President Ion Iliescu and the FDSN, while the urban electorate favored the CDR (a coalition made up of several parties--among which the PNTCD and the PNL were the strongest--and civic organizations) and quicker reform. With the CDR, the second-largest parliamentary group, reluctant to take part in a national unity coalition, the FDSN formed a technocratic government in November 1992 under Prime Minister Nicolae Vacaroiu, an economist, with parliamentary support from the nationalist Party of Romanian National Unity (PUNR) and Greater Romania Party (PRM), and the ex-communist Socialist Labor Party (PSM). PRM and PSM left the government in October and December 1995, respectively, and all three smaller parties had abandoned the coalition by the time elections were held in November 1996.

The 1996 local elections demonstrated a major shift in the political orientation of the Romanian electorate. Opposition parties swept Bucharest and many of the larger cities. This trend continued in the national elections that same year, when the opposition dominated the cities and made deep inroads into rural areas up until then dominated by President Iliescu and the PDSR, which lost many voters in their traditional strongholds outside Transylvania. The campaign of the opposition hammered away on the twin themes of the need to squelch corruption and to launch economic reform. The message resonated with the electorate, which swept Emil Constantinescu and parties allied with him to power in free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections. The coalition government formed in December 1996 took the historic step of inviting the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) and its Hungarian ethnic backers into government. The coalition government retained power for 4 years despite constant internal frictions and going through three prime ministers, the last being the Governor of the National Bank, Mugur Isarescu.

In elections in November 2000, the electorate punished the coalition parties for their corruption and failure to improve the standard of living. The PDSR came back into power, albeit as a minority government. In the concurrent presidential elections, former President Ion Iliescu decisively defeated the extreme nationalist Greater Romania Party (PRM) leader Corneliu Vadim Tudor. The PDSR was renamed PSD--Social Democratic Party--at a June 16, 2001 congress after it merged with the tiny yet historical Romanian Social Democratic Party.

The PSD government, led by Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, forged a de facto governing coalition with the ethnic Hungarian UDMR, ushering in 4 years of relatively stable government. The PSD guided Romania toward greater macroeconomic stability, although endemic corruption remained a major problem. In September 2003, the center-right National Liberal Party (PNL) and centrist Democratic Party (PD) formed an alliance at a national and local level in anticipation of the 2004 local and national elections, and Romania moved closer to a political system dominated by two large political blocs.

In October 2003, citizens voted in favor of major amendments to the constitution in a nationwide referendum to bring Romania's organic law into compliance with European Union standards.

On November 28, 2004, Romania again held parliamentary and the first round of presidential elections. In the December 12 presidential run-off election, former Bucharest Mayor Traian Basescu, representing the center-right PNL/PD alliance, delivered a surprise defeat to PSD candidate Nastase. Basescu appointed PNL leader Calin Popescu-Tariceanu as prime minister, whose government was approved by the Parliament on December 28, 2004.

This coalition unraveled by April 2007 due to enmity between the president and prime minister. From 2007 until December 2008, former Prime Minister Tariceanu's PNL ran an ultra-minority government in coalition with the UDMR and tacit support of the PSD. Following parliamentary elections on November 30, 2008, in which the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) and PSD virtually tied, a majority PDL/PSD coalition led by PDL Prime Minister Emil Boc governed until October 2009, when it disbanded. The PDL ruled as a caretaker government until a new coalition government was formed in December 2009, made up of the PDL, UDMR, and some National Union for the Advancement of Romania (UNPR) members and independents.

Presidential elections were held in November 2009. Since no candidate garnered a majority of the votes of eligible voters, the top two vote getters--incumbent President Traian Basescu and Senate President Mircea Geoana (PSD)--went on to a second-round runoff. The December 2009 runoff election resulted in a narrow victory for Basescu, who was inaugurated later that month for a second 5-year term.

GOVERNMENT
Romania's 1991 constitution proclaims Romania a democracy and market economy, in which human dignity, civic rights and freedoms, the unhindered development of human personality, justice, and political pluralism are supreme and guaranteed values. The constitution directs the state to implement free trade, protect the principle of competition, and provide a favorable framework for production. The constitution provides for a president, a Parliament, a Constitutional Court, and a separate system of ordinary courts that includes a Supreme Court.

The two-chamber Parliament, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, is the law-making authority. Deputies and senators are elected for 4-year terms by universal suffrage. The president, mayors, and county council presidents are elected individually; members of Parliament are elected under a mixed election system (majority and proportional); and local and county council members are elected on party slates, in proportion to party choices made by the electorate.

The president is elected by popular vote for a maximum of two terms. The length of the term was extended from 4 to 5 years in an October 2003 constitutional referendum. He is the head of state, charged with safeguarding the constitution, foreign affairs, and the proper functioning of public authorities. He is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and chairman of the Supreme Defense Council. According to the constitution, he acts as mediator among the power centers within the state, as well as between the state and society. The president nominates the prime minister, who in turn appoints the government, which must be confirmed by a vote of confidence from Parliament.

The Constitutional Court adjudicates the constitutionality of challenged laws and decrees. The court consists of nine judges, appointed for non-concurrent terms of 9 years. Three judges are appointed by the Chamber of Deputies, three by the Senate, and three by the president of Romania.

The Romanian legal system is based on the Napoleonic Code. The judiciary is to be independent, and judges appointed by the president are not removable. The president and other judges of the High Court of Cassation and Justice are appointed for terms of 6 years and may serve consecutive terms. Proceedings are public, except in special circumstances provided for by law.

The Ministry of Justice represents "the general interests of society" and defends the legal order as well as citizens' rights and freedoms. The ministry is to discharge its powers through independent, impartial public prosecutors.

For territorial and administrative purposes, Romania is divided into 41 counties and the city of Bucharest. Each county is governed by an elected county council. Local councils and elected mayors are the public administration authorities in villages and towns. The county council is the public administration authority that coordinates the activities of all village and town councils in a county.

The central government appoints a prefect for each county and the Bucharest municipality. The prefect is the representative of the central government at the local level and directs any public services of the ministries and other central agencies at the county level. A prefect may block the action of a local authority if he deems it unlawful or unconstitutional. The matter is then decided by an administrative court.

Under legislation in effect since January 1999, local councils have control over the spending of their allocations from the central government budget, as well as authority to raise additional revenue locally.

Principal Government Officials
President of Romania--Traian Basescu
Prime Minister--Mihai Razvan Ungureanu
Deputy Prime Minister--Marko Bela
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Cristian Diaconescu

Other Ministers
Minister of Regional Development and Tourism--Cristian Petrescu
Minister of European Affairs--Leonard Orban
Minister of Justice--Catalin Marian Predoiu
Minister of Defense--Gabriel Oprea
Minister of Administration and Interior--Gabriel Berca
Minister of Economy, Trade and Business Climate--Lucian Bode
Minister of Public Finance--Bogdan Dragoi
Minister of Labor, Family and Social Protection--Claudia Boghecevici
Minister of Agriculture, Forests, and Rural Development--Stelian Fuia
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure--Alexandru Nazare
Minister of Education, Research, Youth and Sports--Catalin Baba
Minister of Culture and National Heritage--Kelemen Hunor
Minister of Public Health--Ladislau Ritli
Minister of Communication and Information Technology--Razvan Mustea
Minister of Environment and Forests--Laszlo Borbely

Romania maintains an embassy in the United States at 1607 23rd St., NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202-332-4846 or 202-332-4848; fax: 202-232-4748).

POLITICAL CONDITIONS
November 2008 parliamentary elections resulted in a virtual tie between the center-right PDL and the center-left PSD, with each holding between 34%-37% of the seats in each chamber. The ruling center-right PNL finished a distant third, and PNL Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu resigned. After intense negotiations among various configurations of the PDL, PSD, and PNL, a majority PDL/PSD coalition government was formed in December 2008 with Emil Boc as new prime minister. Among the new government’s top priorities were addressing the effects of global economic turmoil on Romania’s economic development, and coping with significant fiscal challenges facing the Romanian Government’s budget.

In October 2009, the PNL, PSD, and the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) filed a no-confidence motion after Prime Minister Boc dismissed Deputy Prime Minister/Interior Minister Dan Nica of the PSD. The no-confidence motion carried, ousting Boc’s minority government, and marking the first time since the revolution of 1989 that a no-confidence motion toppled a Romanian government. However, difficulty in nominating and approving a new cabinet allowed Boc to remain in power as a caretaker through both the November and December 2009 rounds of the presidential election.

Concerns over Romania’s economic situation dominated the November 2009 presidential election, contested by incumbent Traian Basescu of the PDL, Mircea Geoana of the PSD, and Crin Antonescu of the PNL. Basescu (32.8%) and Geoana (29.8%) advanced to the second round of elections in December. Despite charges of electoral irregularities, the Constitutional Court certified Basescu the winner over Geoana by 0.7%, or 70,000 votes. Following his victory, Basescu asked acting Prime Minister Boc to again form a new cabinet. The Parliament approved the new government in late December, alleviating 2 months of political instability. Dedicated to modernization, education, and judicial and government reform, the Basescu administration’s main focus remains Romania’s continued recovery from economic recession.

Romania has made great progress in institutionalizing democratic principles, civil liberties, and respect for human rights since the 1989 revolution. Political parties represent a broad range of views and interests, and elected officials and other public figures freely express their views. Civil society watchdog groups remain relatively small but have grown in influence. The press is free and outspoken, although there have been incidents of politically motivated intimidation and even violence against journalists and media management, particularly prior to the 2004 national elections. Independent radio networks have proliferated, and several private television networks now operate nationwide. In addition, a large number of local private television networks have emerged.

Through support of or participation in consecutive government coalitions, the UDMR has ensured the continuing influence of the ethnic Hungarian minority in national government, and presently serves as part of the ruling coalition government. Consecutive governments have sought to improve the socio-economic situation of the Roma minority, which continues to suffer from severe poverty in many areas and from discrimination. According to government statistics Roma officially represent 2.5% of the population, although Romani organizations claim the figure may be as high as 10%.

The restitution of private and religious property seized under communism or during World War II continues to move very slowly. Particularly problematic is the return of Greek-Catholic churches, which were given to the Romanian Orthodox Church by the communist regime. The Romanian Orthodox Church thus far has turned over very few of these churches, many of which had belonged to the Greek Catholic community for hundreds of years. Romania has repealed communist-era legislation criminalizing homosexual acts and banned xenophobic and racist groups and their activities. Romanian law does not prohibit women's participation in government or politics, but societal attitudes remain a significant barrier. Women hold some high positions in government and roughly 10% of the seats in each chamber in the Parliament.

ECONOMY
Romania is a country of considerable potential: rich agricultural lands, diverse energy sources (coal, oil, natural gas, hydro, and nuclear), a substantial industrial base encompassing almost the full range of manufacturing activities, an educated work force, and opportunities for expanded development in tourism on the Black Sea and in the Carpathian Mountains.

The Romanian Government borrowed heavily from the West in the 1970s to build a substantial state-owned industrial base. Following the 1979 oil price shock and a debt rescheduling in 1981, Ceausescu decreed that Romania would no longer be subject to foreign creditors. By the end of 1989, Romania had paid off a foreign debt of about $10.5 billion through an unprecedented effort that wreaked havoc on the economy and living standards. Vital imports were slashed and food and fuel strictly rationed, while the government exported everything it could to earn hard currency. With investment slashed, Romania's infrastructure fell behind its historically poorer Balkan neighbors.

After the fall of the Ceausescu regime in 1989, the pace of restructuring was slow, but by 1994 the legal basis for a market economy was largely in place. After the 1996 elections, the coalition government attempted to eliminate consumer subsidies, float prices, liberalize exchange rates, and put in place a tight monetary policy. The Parliament enacted laws permitting foreign entities incorporated in Romania to purchase land. Foreign capital investment in Romania had been increasing rapidly until 2008, although it remained less in per capita terms than in some other countries of Central and East Europe.

Romania was the largest U.S. trading partner in Eastern Europe until Ceausescu's 1988 renunciation of most favored nation (MFN, or non-discriminatory) trading status resulted in high U.S. tariffs on Romanian products. Congress approved restoration of MFN status effective November 8, 1993, as part of a new bilateral trade agreement. Tariffs on most Romanian products dropped to zero in February 1994, with the inclusion of Romania in the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). Major Romanian exports to the U.S. include chemicals, steel and metallic items, plastics and rubber items, and clothing.

Romania signed an Association Agreement with the European Union (EU) in 1992 and a free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1993, codifying Romania's access to European markets and creating the basic framework for further economic integration. At its Helsinki Summit in December 1999, the European Union invited Romania to formally begin accession negotiations. In December 2004, the European Commission (EC) concluded pre-accession negotiations with Romania. In April 2005, the EU signed an accession treaty with Romania and its neighbor, Bulgaria, and in January 2007, both countries were welcomed as new EU members.

Romania suffered through a deep economic recession beginning with the 2008 global financial crisis, but should return to positive if very modest growth. The Romanian Government concluded a 2-year, $27 billion financial assistance package with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Commission, and the World Bank in March 2009. Austerity measures included a 25% cut in public sector wages, a hike in the national value added tax (VAT) rate from 19% to 24%, and thousands of layoffs. GDP declined by 7.1% in 2009 and a further 1.3% in 2010. In late 2010 and early 2011 the government also pushed several important pieces of reform legislation through Parliament, including pension reforms, an overhaul of public sector pay systems, and modernization of the labor code. The final IMF review of Romania’s compliance with the 2009 package, conducted in February 2011, declared the agreement a “success” in stabilizing the economy. A new 2-year “precautionary” agreement between Romania and the IMF, effective March 2011, focuses on deepening structural reforms, restructuring or privatizing unprofitable state-owned enterprises (SOEs), clearing arrears, improving quality of public spending and strengthening tax collection, further liberalizing electric energy and natural gas pricing, and preserving the financial-banking sector’s stability.

Restructuring and privatization of the state-owned enterprises and curbing SOE arrears that currently are estimated to make up approximately 3.6% of GDP are among the most difficult challenges identified in mid-2011 by a joint IMF/EC technical mission. The initial goal of reducing total SOE arrears to RON 19.7 billion (or Euro 4.46 billion, approx. $6 billion), by the end of June 2011 was not met. It remains unclear whether further arrears targets will be met either. SOEs experiencing these problems are concentrated in transportation, mining, and the energy sector.

Privatization of industry was first pursued with the transfer in 1992 of 30% of the shares of some 6,000 state-owned enterprises to five private ownership funds, in which each adult citizen received certificates of ownership. The remaining 70% ownership of the enterprises was transferred to a state ownership fund. With the assistance of the World Bank, European Union, and IMF, Romania succeeded in privatizing most industrial state-owned enterprises, including some large state-owned energy companies. Romania completed the privatization of the largest commercial bank (BCR) in 2006. Two state-owned banks remain in Romania, Eximbank and the National Savings Bank (CEC). Four of the country's eight regional electricity distributors have now been privatized. Privatization of natural gas distribution companies also progressed with the sale of Romania's two regional gas distributors, Distrigaz Nord (to E.ON Ruhrgas of Germany) and Distrigaz Sud (to Gaz de France). Further progress in energy sector privatization has been delayed by the planned creation of two integrated, state-owned energy producers combining hydro, nuclear, and thermal power producers. After the courts ruled against the bundling, the government dropped the initial plan and is now contemplating two smaller-scale regional bundling projects that would result in the vertical integration of lignite mines with lignite-fired power plants, and of pit coal mines with pit coal-fired power plants. The project has to receive clearance from the Romanian Competition Council before proceeding. Romania has a nuclear power plant at Cernavoda, with one nuclear reactor in operation since 1996 and a second one commissioned in the fall of 2007.

The return of collectivized farmland to its cultivators, one of the first initiatives of the post-December 1989 revolution government, resulted in a short-term decrease in agricultural production largely due to agricultural land fragmentation. Some four million small parcels representing 80% of the arable surface were returned to original owners or their heirs. Many of the recipients were elderly or city dwellers, due to large-scale rural emigration abroad, and the slow process of granting formal land titles remains an obstacle to leasing or selling land to active farmers.

The IMF, World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and European Investment Bank (EIB) all have programs and resident representatives in Romania. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programs were phased out completely in 2008, except for Small Project Assistance Grants, which are still available through the Peace Corps. According to the National Office of the Trade Register, which measures foreign direct capital registered and disbursed to firms, between 1990 and July 2011 Romania attracted a total of $41.97 billion in foreign direct investment, of which the U.S. represented 2.22%. The actual level of U.S. investment, however, is underreported as much of it flows to Romania through European subsidiaries of U.S. companies.

After years of consistently high inflation in the 1990s, Romania's inflation rate steadily decreased through 2004, only to rise again along with high GDP growth rates of 4% to 8% through 2008. The deep recession beginning in late 2008 dramatically reduced inflationary pressures, but the VAT tax hike from 19% to 24% imposed in mid-2010 reversed that trend and pushed prices higher. Stoked also by rising global food and energy prices, inflation hit an annualized rate of 8% at the end of 2010, the highest in the EU. Assisted by depressed domestic demand, good harvests, and decreasing food prices, inflation gradually fell in the first 9 months of 2011, reaching a September-annualized low rate of 3.45%, within the central bank’s 2011 targeted band. The IMF has been critical of Romania's low rate of tax collection and poor enforcement mechanisms as a medium- to long-term impediment to growth, since Romania still has one of the lowest percentages in the EU of revenues collected, at 33% of GDP in 2010. The current account deficit had been a concern, as it reached 13.6% of GDP in 2007 and 12.4% of GDP in 2008. However, due to the recession, the current account deficit dropped to 4.2% of GDP in 2010. Deteriorating health and education services and aging and inadequate physical infrastructure continue to be seen as threats to future growth.

Romania's budget deficit dropped steadily to only 0.8% of GDP in 2005, but then skyrocketed again, peaking at 7.2% in 2009. The major culprits for the rising deficit were serious tax evasion, runaway government procurement spending, and unsustainable increases in public sector wages, public pensions, and social assistance. Under the 2009 IMF agreement the deficit was pared to 6.5% of GDP in 2010 and was on track to reach the target of 4.4% in 2011, though additional austerity measures may be needed to get the deficit under 3% by 2012, a more ambitious budget deficit target for a multiple-election year.

Driven by the recession, official unemployment peaked at 7.8% in December 2009 but then dropped to 6.9% by the end of 2010 despite substantial layoffs in the public sector, and declined further to 4.8% in June 2011. More public sector layoffs might be carried out, though a gradual return to growth in the private sector should fuel a correspondingly gradual recovery in job creation.

FOREIGN RELATIONS
Since December 1989, Romania has actively pursued a policy of strengthening relations with the West in general, and specifically with the U.S. and the European Union. Romania was a helpful partner to the allied forces during the first Gulf War, particularly during its service as president of the UN Security Council. Romania has been active in peace support operations in Afghanistan, the UN Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM), the Implementation Force/Stabilization Force (IFOR/SFOR) in Bosnia, the Kosovo Force (KFOR) and EU Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) in Kosovo, and in Albania. Romania also offered important logistical support to allied military operations in Iraq in 2003 and, after the cessation of organized hostilities, has participated in coalition security and reconstruction activities. Romania is a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which it chaired in 2001.

In 1996, Romania signed and ratified a basic bilateral treaty with Hungary that settled outstanding issues and laid the foundation for closer, more cooperative relations. In June 1997, Romania signed a bilateral treaty with Ukraine that resolved certain territorial and minority issues, among others. Romania also signed a basic bilateral treaty with Russia in July 2003.

Romania formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 2004, and hosted a NATO Summit from April 2-4, 2008. The venue symbolized the expansion of the Alliance from the Baltic to the Black Sea, and set new goals for years to come.

Romania acceded to the European Union on January 1, 2007 along with Bulgaria, bringing the number of EU states to 27. Romania is a strong advocate for a "larger Europe," encouraging other countries that were formerly part of the Soviet sphere to integrate into both NATO and the EU.

Romania has been actively involved in regional organizations, such as the Southeast Europe Cooperation Initiative (SECI) and the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe, and has been a positive force in supporting stability and cooperation in the area.

Romania maintains good diplomatic relations with Israel and was supportive of the Middle East peace negotiations initiated after the Gulf conflict in 1991. Romania also is a founding member of the Black Sea Consortium for Economic Development. It joined the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in 1972, and is a member of the World Trade Organization. 

SYRIAN GENERAL DEFECTS


Map Credit:  U.S. Department Of State.
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
DOD Officials Call Syrian General's Defection, 'Significant'
By Jim Garamone
WASHINGTON, July 6, 2012 - Pentagon officials called the defection of Syrian Army Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlass "significant," saying this could be the first crack in the inner circle around Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.

Tlass sought asylum in Turkey, said Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. John Kirby.
"He is a former friend of Assad, so we don't believe this defection should be taken lightly," Kirby said. "It's another example of a senior member in the Syrian army that has decided to turn against the Syrian regime and to stop committing violent acts against its people."

Tlass is the son of former Syrian defense minister Mustafa Tlass, according to U.S. officials. The elder Tlass served in the position from 1972 to 2004 and helped the Assad family set up the repressive regime in Syria.

This defection is considered different from those that have occurred previously, U.S. officials said, noting Tlass is a general officer who had a long, personal, close association with the Assad family.

U.S. officials hope this latest defection will lead to more from the regime's inner circle. "I'd be hard-pressed to say that the regime is about to crack under the weight of defections," Kirby said.

The Syrian regime is murdering its own people and Bashar Assad has not indicated any desire to relinquish power, officials said.

"He has loyalists still around him and certainly the vast majority of the Syrian military is still following his orders," Kirby said. "The international community remains firm about the need for him to step down and stop killing his people."

The United States, officials said, is concerned about reports that al-Qaida is taking advantage of the chaos in Syria to launch attacks and establish a presence in the country. Iraqi officials, they said, claim al-Qaida terrorists are moving from Iraq to Syria to launch attacks.

Kirby said Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta is concerned about such reports.
"The secretary has been on the record expressing concern about the potential for al-Qaida migrating in to Syria, and we have seen indications that they have wanted to do that," Kirby said. "This obviously won't do anything to stabilize the situation in Syria."

NATO AND FOSTERING ABILITY TO ACT WITH PARTNERS


Photo:  NATO Ministers Meeting.  Credit:  Wikimedia.
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
NATO to Strengthen Ability to Act with Global Partners
By Cheryl Pellerin
WASHINGTON, July 5, 2012 - NATO seeks to assume a more global perspective, play its part globally and strengthen its ability to act with partners around the globe, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in London yesterday.

In a speech at Chatham House, Rasmussen said forging closer links with partners in Asia, Africa and elsewhere is crucial to guaranteeing future security in the Euro-Atlantic area.
"Today we hold regular consultations with all our partners on security issues of common interest," he said. "I would like to see those consultations become much more frequent, focused and substance driven."

Rasmussen described the development of clusters of willing and able allies and partners ready to cooperate in specific areas. "I see these clusters being flexible enough to accommodate different groups of partners, yet focused enough to deliver concrete results," he said, in areas such as training and education, emerging security challenges and "smart defense," which is a NATO initiative based on allies and partners pooling and sharing capabilities, setting priorities and coordinating efforts.

Many partner countries participate in NATO's military education, training and exercises on an ad-hoc basis, and Rasmussen called for a more structured approach and for the broadest possible range of national participation in such activities.

"From Afghanistan to the Balkans and last year over Libya, our partners have played a vital role in the operational outcome and the political legitimacy of our missions," Rasmussen said.

"They have made NATO stronger and kept the world safer," he added, "so it is as important for NATO to invest in strong partnerships as it is to invest in modern military hardware and in flexible forces."

An example of such flexibility, the secretary general said, includes cooperation among special operations forces, the use of drones, and collaboration on cyber security issues.
Cooperation among special operations forces, Rasmussen said, offers considerable potential to learn more and do more, both for NATO and for its partners. "We must build on the lessons we learned together in action in Afghanistan so we can boost our ability to act together in the future," he said.

Rasmussen said allies' use of unmanned aircraft does not constitute a problem for NATO. "We actually try to promote the use of drones to improve gathering of information and intelligence, surveillance [and] reconnaissance." In fact, he said, drones helped NATO to conduct what he called a "precision campaign in Libya" while minimizing civilian casualties and collateral damage.

Partners also could do more together to deal with emerging security challenges such as those in the cyber domain, the secretary general said.
"We are very focused on cybersecurity," Rasmussen said, adding that NATO gives strength in cybersecurity its highest priority and has taken steps to strengthen its own systems.

"The latest statistics indicate that we are attacked 100 times a day, so you can imagine that there is a strong interest out there in what NATO is doing," he noted. "We have to protect our systems more effectively, and we have taken a number of steps in that direction."
NATO ally Estonia suffered weeks of cyber attacks in 2007, he noted.

"It's not just theory -- it's a reality," Rasmussen said of the existence of cyber threats and of the necessity to develop methods to confront them. Toward that purpose, he said, NATO has established a center of excellence in Estonia's capital of Tallinn that provides information and facilitates the sharing of experience and best practices.

"We have established a unit that can help allies that are cyber attacked if they don't have the capacity themselves to counter such attacks," he said. Confronting such threats successfully, Rasmussen added, demands a high degree of consultation, coordination and cooperation.

Along with expanding the range of issues in which NATO and its partners cooperate, Rasmussen said, the alliance also must expand the range of nations it engages, including China and India.

China, for example, is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and is playing an increasingly important global role, he said.

"As an organization that is driven by the U.N. Charter of Principles, NATO needs to better understand China and define areas where we can work together to guarantee peace and stability," Rasmussen added. "There are other important countries too, such as India, with whom we should increase our dialogue and seek opportunities for cooperation."

But one partnership stands out above all the others, the secretary general said.
"The transatlantic bond lies at the very heart of NATO, [representing] our common belief in freedom, democracy and the rule of law. And it provides shared leadership between North America and Europe," he said.

Rasmussen said some see the U.S. pivot to focus on the Asia-Pacific region as the end of this unique partnership. But they are wrong, he said.

"The security of America and Europe is indivisible," Rasmussen said. "We are stronger and safer when we work together, and that is why NATO remains the indispensable alliance."

Around this essential transatlantic bond, the secretary general said, NATO must strengthen its partnerships in Europe, with Russia and around the globe, "because in the 21st century, we are all connected whether we want it or not."
A positive connection and continued engagement with partners, Rasmussen said, "is a cure for pessimism, a cause for optimism, and key for the security we all seek."

FEMA TIMELINE OF SUMMER STORM 2012 MID-AMERICA


FROM:  FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
FEMA, Federal Partners Continue to Support State and Local Response in Midwest and Mid-Atlantic Region

WASHINGTON - The Administration, through FEMA, is committed to providing support to Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states affected by the storms. FEMA, through our National Response Coordination Center and Regional offices in Chicago, Ill. and Philadelphia, Pa., has been in constant coordination with our federal partners as well as impacted states since the storms first struck on Friday, to make sure there are no unmet needs.
The following timeline provides an overview of federal activities, to date, in support of the impacted states, families and communities.

Thursday, July 5
 At the request of the State of New Jersey, FEMA personnel are on the ground working with federal, state and local officials to conduct preliminary damage assessments in New Jersey as a result of the storms.  These assessments are an important step in identifying the damages, helping the governor determine whether the event is beyond state and local capabilities, and if federal support might be needed.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the lead agency for Emergency Support Function 12 – Energy, issues a DOE situation report.

Wednesday, July 4
FEMA continues to stage and transfer supplies such as food, water, kits for infants and toddlers, and durable medical equipment to the states as needed, and requested.
Twenty-nine FEMA community relations staff work with the West Virginia National Guard Bureau, visiting residents door-to-door to help spread the word about cooling stations, to assess needs and provide situational awareness to the state. In Ohio, Federal Coordinating Officer Michael Moore, highlights the importance of neighbors helping neighbors.
DOE issues a situation report.

Tuesday, July 3
DOE issues a situation report.
At the request of the State of Maryland, FEMA deploys two Region Liaison Officers to the state Emergency Operation Center to coordinate potential federal resources requirements.
 FEMA deploys community relations teams to West Virginia to support state and local efforts to check on residents without power, provide informational resources, and provide situational awareness about conditions in impacted communities.

Monday, July 2
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services deployed representatives to the West Virginia State EOC to assess medical needs and requirements for access and functional needs support.
FEMA continues to distribute water and generators to various staging areas in Ohio and West Virginia, to support state and local response efforts.
FEMA's Regional Disability Integration Specialists in Philadelphia, Pa. and Chicago, Ill. send out information on Cooling Stations to the disability community, including through the National Federation for the Blind and Deaf advocacy groups, and reached out to these groups to determine needs of affected persons with disabilities.

Sunday, July 1
FEMA stages water and generators in West Virginia as well as Columbus, Ohio to transfer to the State to support affected communities.
One Mobile Communications Office Vehicle (MCOV) onsite in Morgantown, W.Va.; 2 MCOVs en route to Charleston, W.Va.
In coordination with FEMA, the U.S. Department of Energy deploys experts to West Virginia and FEMA Headquarters in Washington D.C., and is supporting FEMA's regional offices in Chicago, Ill. and Philadelphia, Pa.
USACE deploys personnel to Ohio to support assessments and generator installations for emergency power.
A FEMA Disability Integration Specialist participates in a coordination call with West Virginia Emergency Management to support identifying the needs of affected populations with access and functional needs.

Saturday, June 30
President Obama issues emergency disaster declarations for the State of Ohio for all 88 counties in the state, and the State of West Virginia for all 55 counties in the state.  The declaration authorizes FEMA and its federal partners to provide direct federal assistance under the Public Assistance to protect lives and property.
President Obama speaks with Ohio Governor John Kasich, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, and West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin to receive an update on the severe storms, and to express his condolences for the loss of life and his concern for individuals and first responders still confronting the destruction and loss of power that is impacting communities as a result.  The President tells the Governors that he has directed FEMA to ensure they continue to provide necessary support to state and local officials in impacted areas as they respond to these events.
The President receives an update from FEMA Administrator Fugate on impacts and response activities in states, including parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, as well as the District of Columbia. The President asks Administrator Fugate to stay in close contact with our partners on the ground to make sure FEMA and federal partners are providing all available support, and to keep him updated as the response and recovery continues.
DHS Secretary Napolitano speaks with the Governors of the affected states to express condolences for the loss of life and to ensure that federal support is provided to the states as needed.
FEMA Administrator Fugate contacts District of Columbia Deputy Mayor for Public Safety to provide support as needed.
A Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) team deploys to West Virginia to provide secure and non-secure voice, video, and information services, operations, and logistics support to state response operations, if needed.
FEMA activates the National Response Coordination Center (NRCC), a multi-agency center based at FEMA headquarters in Washington, D.C. The NRCC provides overall coordination of the federal response by bringing together federal departments and agencies to assist in the preparations for and response to disasters.  Select emergency support functions are activated to support state operations.
FEMA activates its Regional Response Coordination Centers (RRCCs) in Chicago, Ill. and Philadelphia, Pa. to support state requests for assistance.
FEMA deploys Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMAT) and liaison officers to West Virginia and Ohio State Emergency Operations Centers to coordinate with state and local officials to identify needs and shortfalls impacting disaster response.
FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate holds a video teleconference call to discuss the latest developments with the National Weather Service, partner agencies and regional representatives and to assess their needs or shortfalls.

Friday, June 29
A line of severe thunderstorms moved across parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia causing widespread wind damage and there have been reports of significant power outages and debris.
 FEMA through its regional offices in Chicago, Ill. and Philadelphia, Pa., begins constant contact with affected states' emergency management officials.  FEMA Region III Regional Administrator MaryAnn Tierney and Region V Regional Administrator Andrew Valasquez III make direct contact with the Emergency Management Directors of the affected states.

NATIONAL RURAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION RESTORES OVER $27 MILLION TO BENEFIT PLANS


FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association agrees to restore $27.3 million to benefit plans, settling US Labor Department claims
Association allegedly received excessive compensation in violation of federal law.

ARLINGTON, Va. ? The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association has agreed to restore $27,272,727 to three association-sponsored employee benefit plans covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. This agreement follows an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration that found the association selected itself as a service provider to the plans, determined its own compensation and made payments to itself that exceeded NRECA’s direct expenses in providing services to the plans, in violation of ERISA.

“Workers should be able to have confidence that their hard-earned retirement savings are being properly managed,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “This settlement benefits tens of thousands of NRECA plan participants by reducing their plan administration costs.”

Under the terms of the agreement, NRECA will not provide administrative services to the NRECA Retirement Security Plan, the NRECA 401(k) Plan and the NRECA Group Benefits Plan without entering into a written contract or agreement with the plans that must be approved by an independent fiduciary. The independent fiduciary must determine whether the use of NRECA to provide administrative services to the plans is prudent and reasonable, determine the categories of direct expenses that NRECA may charge to the plans and the methods of calculating those expenses, and monitor NRECA’s compliance with certain terms of the agreement. The agreement also provides that during a 60-month period following the implementation date, NRECA shall discount the amount of permissible direct expenses for which it seeks reimbursement from all three plans in the amount of $22,727,272. The balance of the settlement payment, $4,545,455, already has been paid directly to the NRECA 401(k) Plan.

“This settlement sends a clear message to plan fiduciaries that they cannot profit from selecting themselves to provide services to plans,” said Phyllis Borzi, assistant secretary of labor for employee benefits security.
In addition to the amounts returned to the plans, NRECA will pay $2,727,276 in civil penalties.

Headquartered in Arlington, NRECA is a nonprofit trade association for electric power cooperatives. The sponsored plans are open to members of the trade association as well as the association’s employees. As of 2010, the latest information available, the NRECA 401(k) Plan had 68,970 participants, the NRECA Retirement Security Plan had 64,286 participants and the NRECA Group Benefits Plan had 73,644 participants.

The settlement follows an investigation by EBSA’s Washington District Office. Employers and workers can contact that office at 202-693-8700 or toll-free at 866-444-3272 for help with problems relating to private sector pension and health plans. Additional information can be found at http://www.dol.gov/ebsa.

LABOR SECRETARY REMARKS ON JUNE UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS


FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on June employment numbers
WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement on the June 2012 Employment Situation report released today:
“Our nation’s labor market added 80,000 jobs in the month of June, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 8.2 percent.

“We have seen 28 straight months of private sector job growth, during which time our economy has added back close to 4.4 million private sector jobs, with nearly one million jobs added this year. We have added an average of 150,000 private sector jobs per month in 2012, continuing at the same steady pace as last year and with jobs being created across all sectors and regions of the country. Gross domestic product growth has now been positive for 11 consecutive quarters. We remain on a path toward stable and durable growth.

“We continue to face headwinds from the threat of recession in Europe, our largest trading partner. Though less demand from across the ocean could present challenges for our exporters as they work to create jobs here at home, U.S. exports to the European Union in the first quarter of the year were at the highest level since 1997. Also, fortunately, there are signs that European leaders are moving away from an austerity approach and toward stabilization and growth strategies that will have a positive impact on our own recovery and ease concerns at home.

“I’m encouraged by several developments here at home that will reduce uncertainty and help put more Americans back to work. Passage of a bipartisan highway bill shows Congress can work together to boost hiring in the construction sector. Approval of student loan relief will help more people finish their education and get the skills to make them employable in today’s competitive labor market. And the Supreme Court’s health care ruling will allow businesses to plan long-term strategies that will lead to more healthy workers who are critical to a healthy economy.

“This administration continues to work to promote the return of good jobs back to American communities. As wages spike in countries like China, more companies are discovering a cost advantage of bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States. That’s why it’s so important for Congress to encourage this in-sourcing trend and pass legislation to provide incentives for companies to bring jobs home and embrace the ‘Made in the USA’ label.

“While the private sector is creating jobs and corporate profits have never been higher, a big drag on our economy is the continued layoffs of teachers, firefighters and police officers. We should embrace the president’s proposal to put these Americans back to work, while giving additional tax cuts to small businesses that are key contributors to job creation.”

RECENT U.S NAVY PHOTOS



 FROM:  U.S. NAVY
A Sailor watches an MV-22B Osprey assigned to the Raging Bulls of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 261 lifts off from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Lincoln is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and combat flight operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Tim D. Godbee120705-N-SK590-200




FROM:  U.S. NAVY
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) is underway in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations while F/A-18s from its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, fly in formation over. George Washington and CVW 5 are underway on routine training in the western Pacific region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Declan Barnes (Released) 120704-N-TG831-275 UUU



FROM:  U.S. NAVY
Navy Diver 2nd Class Christopher Vanriper, assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 5, Platoon 503, repels from an HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 14, onto the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) while participating in a fast rope and repelling exercise. George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing 5, provide a combat-ready force that will protect and defend the collective maritime interests of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jennifer A. Villalovos (Released) 120705-N-WW409

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING JUNE 30, 2012


FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending June 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 374,000, a decrease of 14,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 388,000. The 4-week moving average was 385,750, a decrease of 1,500 from the previous week's revised average of 387,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.6 percent for the week ending June 23, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending June 23 was 3,306,000, an increase of 4,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 3,302,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,304,250, a decrease of 3,000 from the preceding week's revised average of 3,307,250.

UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 367,331 in the week ending June 30, a decrease of 3,129 from the previous week. There were 425,640 initial claims in the comparable week in 2011.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.5 percent during the week ending June 23, unchanged from the prior week's revised rate. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 3,134,347, an increase of 20,443 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 2.8 percent and the volume was 3,555,831.

The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending June 16 was 5,869,607, a decrease of 20,439 from the previous week.

Extended benefits were available in the Idaho, Nevada, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, during the week ending June 16.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,410 in the week ending June 23, an increase of 56 from the prior week. There were 2,686 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 222 from the preceding week.
There were 16,463 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending June 16, an increase of 368 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 38,587, an increase of 321 from the prior week.

States reported 2,628,712 persons claiming EUC (Emergency Unemployment Compensation) benefits for the week ending June 16, a decrease of 16,805 from the prior week. There were 3,256,523 claimants in the comparable week in 2011. EUC weekly claims include first, second, third, and fourth tier activity.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending June 16 were in Virgin Islands (4.3), Alaska (4.1), Puerto Rico (4.0), Pennsylvania (3.7), California (3.3), New Jersey (3.3), Connecticut (3.2), Illinois (3.1), Oregon (3.1), Nevada (2.9), Rhode Island (2.9), and Wisconsin (2.9).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending June 23 were in California (+8,239), New Jersey (+4,894), Massachusetts (+3,873), Michigan (+3,692), and Connecticut (+2,598), while the largest decreases were in Pennsylvania (-7,865), Maryland (-2,265), Ohio (-1,588), Wisconsin (-1,544), and Georgia (-1,398).


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.

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