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A few weeks ago, President Obama discussed progress made on an important goal of the United States. Over the next five years, the American economy is looking to double its exports and support the creation of many new American jobs. The first step of this process began with the implementation of the new U.S. export control system in August of 2010. Now, President Obama’s Administration is deploying its Export Control Reform Initiative webpage at export.gov. This website has helped the United States make remarkable gains on its plan to double national exports.

A new tool designed to facilitate compliance with U.S. export control requirements has been added to the page. This tool, for the first time, consolidates various export screening lists maintained by multiple Departments. These departments include the Department of Commerce, the Department of State, and the Department of the Treasury. Export screening lists of each Department are displayed in one spreadsheet as an “aide to industries conducting electronic screens of potential parties and regulated transactions.” Exporters can now download a single electronic list that describes export control restrictions for the thousands of names maintained across the United States Government.

The United States has two export control lists that are the corner stone of the reform efforts. Agencies are now developing criteria on which export items need to be controlled and when an export license is required. The list criteria are based on transparent rules intended to reduce uncertainty faced by American allies, United States industry, and its foreign partners. These rules will also allow the government to establish higher walls around the most sensitive items in order to enhance national security. A more effective export control system will then allow businesses in United States to easily export their products.

Updates to the current United States export control system ensure that the system is restructured to address modern day threats and the changing economic and technological landscape. The long term goal of this reform is to double United States exports. With the first step in place, Americans can look forward to continued progress and future success in the creation of new jobs as exports are increased over the upcoming years.

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