Environmental trade promotion

It is the policy of the United States to foster the export of United States environmental technologies, goods, and services. In exercising their powers and functions, all appropriate departments and agencies of the United States Government shall encourage and support sales of such technologies, goods, and services. The President shall establish the Environmental Trade Promotion Working Group (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Working Group”) as a subcommittee of the Trade Promotion Coordination Committee (hereafter in this section referred to as the “TPCC”), established under section 4727 of this title. The purpose of the Working Group shall be— The members of the Working Group shall be— The Secretary of Commerce (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Secretary”) shall designate the chairperson of the Working Group from among senior employees of the Department of Commerce. The chairperson shall— The chairperson of the TPCC shall include a report on the activities of the Working Group as a part of the annual report submitted to the Congress by the TPCC. The Secretary, in carrying out the duties of the chairperson of the TPCC, shall establish the Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Committee”). The purpose of the Committee shall be to provide advice and guidance to the Working Group in the development and administration of programs to expand United States exports of environmental technologies, goods, and services and products that comply with United States environmental, safety, and related requirements. The members of the Committee shall be drawn from representatives of— The Working Group, in consultation with the Committee, shall annually assess which foreign countries have markets with the greatest potential for the export of United States environmental technologies, goods, and services. Of these countries the Working Group shall select as priority countries 5 with the greatest potential for the application of United States Government export promotion resources related to environmental exports. The Working Group, in consultation with the Committee, shall annually create a plan for each priority country selected under paragraph (1), setting forth in detail ways to increase United States environmental exports to such country. Each such plan shall— In support of the work of the Working Group, the Secretary shall, as part of the regular market survey and information services activities of the Department of Commerce, make available— The Secretary shall assign a specialist in environmental technologies to the office of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service in each of the 5 priority countries selected under subsection (d)(1), and the Secretary is authorized to assign such a specialist to the office of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service in any country that is a promising market for United States exports of environmental technologies, goods, and services. Such specialist may be an employee of the Department, an employee of any relevant United States Government department or agency assigned on a temporary or limited term basis to the Commerce Department, or a representative of the private sector assigned to the Department of Commerce. Each specialist assigned under paragraph (1) shall provide export promotion assistance to United States environmental businesses, including, but not limited to— In addition to the training provided under subsection (f)(2)(C), the Secretary shall establish a mechanism to train— The TPCC may establish one or more international regional environmental initiatives the purpose of which shall be to coordinate the activities of Federal departments and agencies in order to build environmental partnerships between the United States and the geographic region outside the United States for which such initiative is established. Such partnerships shall enhance environmental protection and promote sustainable development by using in the region technical expertise and financial resources of United States departments and agencies that provide foreign assistance and by expanding United States exports of environmental technologies, goods, and services to that region. In carrying out each international regional environmental initiative, the TPCC shall— The Working Group shall— maintain a calendar, updated at the end of each calendar quarter, of significant opportunities for United States environmental businesses in foreign markets and trade promotion events, which shall— Subject to the availability of appropriations for such purpose, the Secretary is authorized to use the Market Development Cooperator Program to support the creation on a regional basis of alliances of private sector entities, nonprofit organizations, and universities, that support the export of environmental technologies, goods, and services and promote the export of products complying with United States environmental, safety, and related requirements. For purposes of this section, the term “environmental business” means a business that produces environmental technologies, goods, or services.