U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the two departments are revoking an eleventh hour Bush administration rule that undermined Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections. Their decision requires federal agencies to once again consult with federal wildlife experts at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—the two agencies that administer the ESA—before taking any action that may affect threatened or endangered species. (More)

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke released the following statement on World Intellectual Property Day: “U.S. companies are among the most innovative in the world. As we celebrate World Intellectual Property Day we are reminded of the important role intellectual property rights play in stimulating American ingenuity and spurring economic growth and jobs. Unfortunately, counterfeiting and piracy take an enormous toll on American industry and workers, costing billions of dollars and thousands of jobs each year. The Department of Commerce is working to combat this problem through trade agreement compliance, active engagement with foreign leaders, and educational outreach.” (More)

Overworked crime scene investigators can take heart at the results of recent tests at Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of new technologies that automate the manual portion of latent fingerprint identification. Prototype systems evaluated by NIST performed surprisingly well for a developing technology: half of the prototypes were accurate at least 80 percent of the time and one had a near perfect score. Automating the manual portion of the work frees up time for trained examiners to spend time on very difficult images that the software has little hope of processing. (More)

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, on his first official trip since taking office, presented $5.25 million in Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants to create jobs and strengthen the Arkansas economy in the wake of the severe storms, flooding and tornados that occurred in 2008. Locke was joined by Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe and Sen. Mark Pryor.“The Obama Administration is committed to creating jobs, encouraging innovation and improving our nation’s competitiveness,” Locke said. (Remarks)

Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) christened a new state-of-the-art research vessel, R/V Bay Hydro II, which will collect oceanographic data in the Chesapeake Bay region—data critical to safe navigation and environmental protection in the nation’s largest estuary. The dedication took place in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, featuring a ceremonial breaking of a champagne bottle over the bow and a cannon salute from the USS Constellation. (More)

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke issued the following statement on the release of the February 2009 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services report by the Commerce Department’s U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Today’s report showed that U.S. exports increased by 1.6 percent to $126.8 billion since January 2009. Imports decreased 5.1 percent to $152.7 billion. Overall, the trade deficit shrank 28.3 percent during the same time period. (More)

Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will present a National Trademark Expo May 8 and 9. A ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. will kick off the two day event. The Expo will be held on the agency’s campus in Alexandria, Virginia. In addition to Trademark Exhibitors, local businesses will also participate in the Expo. The Expo will highlight anti-counterfeiting efforts and how counterfeit goods cause great harm to the economy. The Expo is free, fun and informative for the whole family. (More)

President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Robert Groves as the new Director of the U.S. Census Bureau. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke released the following statement: “The decennial Census faces significant challenges, but I am confident that Robert’s leadership will help us meet those challenges. He is a respected social scientist who will run the Census Bureau with integrity and independence.” As Census Director, Groves will report to Secretary Locke. (Statement) (White House Release)

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke participated in the kick off of an historic national campaign at the National Press Club to urge the nearly 50 million U.S. Latinos to fully participate in the 2010 Census. Locke joined the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) and other partners at the launch of the ya es hora !HAGASE CONTAR! (It’s Time, Make Yourself Count!) campaign. “Bringing the right numbers to your communities means bringing economic empowerment. And you have not left the work to the Census Bureau alone,” Locke said. “You are leading the way and taking charge of your destiny. Yes. It is time.” (Remarks)