U.S. Department of State
95/06/01 Newsletter
Office of the Coordinator for Business Affairs


 
                          National Export Strategy Update 
                             U.S. EXPORTS = U.S. JOBS 
                                     June 1995 


                                NEW INITIATIVES 
 
OPIC Approves More Than $1 billion in Support for U.S. Export-Producing 
Business Ventures Overseas: At its June board meeting, the Overseas 
Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) approved nearly $1.1 billion in  
project finance and political risk insurance support for seven projects 
worldwide.  These projects represent investment in the electrical power 
generation sectors in the Philippines and India totaling $450 million in 
OPIC support; two mining projects in Peru and Ghana totaling $278 
million in OPIC support; a credit on-lending facility in Russia totaling 
$100 million in OPIC support; and, two projects in Brazil -- a banking 
project and a beverage container manufacturing project -- totaling $250 
million in OPIC support.   OPIC  support is provided at market-based 
rates to American businesses investing in some 140 developing countries 
and emerging markets.  In FY 1994, OPIC  provided $1.7 billion in 
project financing and $6 billion in political risk insurance to support 
business activity by American investors worldwide.  For additional 
information, contact Allison May Rosen at (202) 336-8680. 
 
Assisting Small and Mid-Size U.S. Exporters:  The Export-Import Bank of 
the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has significantly improved one of its 
insurance programs to strengthen the competitive position of small and 
mid-size American exporters.   Under the program, Ex-Im Bank delegates 
authority to a commercial bank to handle credit management of an Ex-Im 
Bank insurance policy.  The bank then approves lines of credit for its 
export customers and qualifies the foreign buyers and the related 
accounts receivable that supoort the line of credit.  Banks interested 
in applying for this enhanced policy should contact Ex-Im Bank's 
Business Development Division at (202) 565-3900.   
 
                                 FOCUS ON 
 
Africa's Growing Power Needs:  The U.S. Trade and Development Agency 
(TDA) recently sponsored a two-day briefing for key officials from 11 
African nations who briefed U.S. exporters and investors on energy 
projects worth approximately $2.5 billion.  "Africa represents one of 
the fastest-growing regions for U.S. export opportunities with the 
potential of $126 billion in energy projects alone by the year 2000," 
said TDA Director J. Joseph Grandmaision. The briefing featured joint 
presentations by African power authority executives and representatives 
of U.S. firms that have conducted feasibility studies on seven of 
Africa's most promising projects.  Copies of the conference book 
outlining the projects are available.  Contact the TDA library for 
details on (703) 875-5578. 
 
Economic and Security Issues in Southeast Asia:  Secretary of State 
Warren Christopher and Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business 
and Agricultural Affairs Joan Spero plan to attend the Association of 
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum and  post ministerial 
conferences in Brunei August 1-2, where they will discuss economic and 
security issues with ASEAN, together with Japan, Australia, New Zealand, 
South Korea, the EU and Canada.  Vietnam will be formally admitted to 
ASEAN on July 28, joining the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, 
Thailand, Singapore and Brunei.  For more information, contact Bob 
Goldberg at (202) 647-1222 or Bill Moore at (202) 647-2389.   
 
Converting Russian Nuclear Weapons Site to Commercial Use: TDA Director 
J. Joseph Grandmaison recently signed an $800,000 grant to determine the 
feasibility of co-producing molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) power 
plants for the Russian market. In addition to generating significant 
U.S. exports, the project will support defense conversion and employ 
former Soviet nuclear weapons scientists and may result in the 
dismantlement of Soviet weapons. The grant will also aid in the 
development of Russian expertise to create an indigenous, for-profit 
manufacturing business and help boost the nation's efforts to move more 
natural gas and oil to the Russian marketplace with greater efficiency.  
For more information call Dan Stein at (703) 874-4357. 

                                      EVENTS 
 
Tunisian Wastewater Technology Exhibition:  The U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA), and the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and 
Commerce are organizing a technology seminar and exhibition aimed at 
introducing U.S. technolgies for wastewater collection, treatment, reuse 
and monitoring appropropriate for small communities (under 10,000 
people) in North Africa and the Middle East.  The event is being funded 
by EPA's U.S.-Environmental Technologies for International Environmental 
Solutions (U.S.-TIES) Program, and will be held in Tunis, Tunisia 
starting November 27.  The two-day seminar will highlight innovative 
U.S. technolgies and is occuring in tandem with Himeya '95 -- Tunisia's 
third international exhibition of environmental technologies which last 
year attracted 5,000 visitors and 120 exhibitors from a dozen countries.  
For more information on the event contact Lyn Figueroa on (202) 690-
4872.  
 
TDA Sponsoring Central and Eastern Europe Airport Development Seminar: 
TDA will sponsor the "Central/Eastern European and United States 
Conference on Airport Development, Finance, and New Technology" in 
Warsaw, Poland on October 15-18, 1995 to promote U.S. exports of airport 
equipment, technology, and services to Central and Eastern Europe.  
Leading U.S. firms will be meeting with leading  civil aviation and 
airport decision-makers from 30 airports from 12 Central and Eastern 
European nations and the Newly Independent States. The meeting, which is 
being organized for TDA by the American Association of Airport 
Executives (AAAE), will include leading Clinton Administration officials 
from TDA, the Department of Commerce, FAA, OPIC, and Ex-Im Bank. Other 
sponsors of the conference include the International Association of 
Airport Executives and the Polish Airports State Enterprise.  The 
seminar will be held at the Warsaw Marriott. For registration 
information, contact Spencer Dickerson at the American Association of 
Airport  Executives on (703) 824-0500. 
 
Ex-Im Bank to Host Project Finance Conference in Buenos Aires:  The 
Export-Import Bank of the United States will host a two-day conference 
focusing on project finance in Buenos Aires, Argentina on August 2-3, 
1995.  The conference will open with a general introduction to Ex-Im 
Bank programs and on day-two will present the Bank's new project finance 
capabilities in financing private infrastructure  projects in Latin 
America.  For more information on all conference events call Laszlo & 
Associates on (202) 393-7022 or by fax (202) 393-7027.   
 
                              SUCCESS STORIES 
 
Advocacy Support Assists U.S. Engineering Firm in Brazil:  CH2M Hill 
International. Ltd., a top environmental engineering firm with more than 
6000 employees, was recently selected from among five other bidders by 
the Government of Brazil to develop the $34 million Ribeirao Preto 
Wastewater Treatment Facility.  According CH2M Hill executives, 
"Throughout the selection process, the Department of Commerce did its 
best to ensure a fair and level playing field."  With a water treatment 
market estimated at over $50 billion, winning this opportunity is a 
strategic victory not only for CH2M Hill, but for other U.S. suppliers 
or firms following this lead into the Brazilian market. Contact the 
Advocacy Center on (202) 482-3896 for more information. 
 
Embassy Support Helps Shipyard Land Tanker Contract:  The Danish 
shipping company Dannebrog Line has awarded Alabama Shipyard Company a 
contract for three chemical tankers worth approximately $75 million.  
U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Elson and Embassy Copenhagen helped secure 
this deal with extensive advocacy and a special financing package from 
the Maritime Administration's Title XI loan guarantee program.  Contact 
Richard Norland on (202) 647-6582 for more information.  
 
                            NEW INFORMATION RESOURCES 
 
USEPA Database on U.S. Companies Supplying Site Cleanup Technologies:  
The EPA distributes a PC-based system on companies who provide new 
technologies for cleanup of soil and ground water contaminated by 
hazardous and petroleum waste.  The Vendor Information System for 
Innovative Treatment Technologies (VISITT) contains information on the 
availability, performance, and cost of technologies such as soil vapor 
extraction, thermal desorption, and bioremediation.   The latest version 
of the database, VISITT 3.0, has data on 277 technologies offered by 171 
companies, most based in the U.S.  A fully-updated VISITT 4.0 will be 
available this summer.  To order, contact USEPA/NCEPI, P.O. Box 42419, 
Cincinnati, OH 45242-2419, Phone (513) 489-8190, or Fax (513) 489-8695 
(specify 3 1/2" or 5 1/4" diskettes).  VISITT may also be downloaded 
from the Cleanup Information (CLU-IN) Bulletin Board System via modem at 
(301) 589-8366 (8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity, VT-100 or ANSI) or 
telnet address CLU-IN.EPA.GOV  CLU-IN voice help is available from 9am 
to 5pm EST, Monday-Friday by calling (301) 589-8368.    
 
New TDA Study Details 26 Projects Valued at More Than $500 Million:  
Twenty-seven projects in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland's 
border counties with the potential for U.S. export and investment 
opportunities amounting to more than $500 million have been identified 
in a new report from  TDA.  Authored by the New Jersey-based consulting 
firm Louis Berger International Inc., this TDA "scouting report " 
details projects that range from large public-private partnerships in 
water treatment plants and transportation projects worth more than $15 
million to smaller consulting-type services for environmental audits and 
transportation design valued at less than $50,000.  The publication 
includes key contacts, market requirements, regulatory trends, and 
required steps for capitalizing on the export opportunities, including 
potential teaming partners and competitors. The study also reviews 
financing options available through both U.S. and European sources, 
including the Ex-Im Bank and the Bank of Ireland.  To order, call the 
NTIS on (703) 487- 4660 and request document #PB95-201356 ($27). 


This publication is produced by the Secretariat of the Trade Promotion 
Coordinating Committee (TPCC), an interagency group chaired by Secretary 
Ronald H. Brown.  The TPCC is responsible for coordinating the 
implementation of the U.S. Government's National Export Strategy.  For 
more information call (202) 482-5455. 
 
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