Tag Archives: US

Innovation Norway’s Presence to be Strengthened in US

November 10, 2020Business NewsHåkon Haugli, Innovasjon Norge, Innovation Norway, US, USAadmin

Innovation Norway is now following up the government’s new action plan for exports, and will strengthen our presence in some important export markets. At the same time, the number of permanent Innovation Norway offices abroad is reduced, and arrangements are made for more flexible and targeted export support in line with the advice from Norwegian business and industry.

– Our ability to export products and services is crucial for the development of a competitive and sustainable Norwegian business community. Innovation, business development and exports are closely linked. We are now making changes that will strengthen efforts towards export and give us the necessary flexibility to assist companies in the work of seizing market opportunities abroad, says CEO Håkon Haugli of Innovation Norway.

Read entire article here

European Commission: Commission adopts proposals to make EU-US agreement on tariffs effective

September 11, 2020Business News, GovernmentEU, Trade, USadmin

The European Commission today published a proposal for a Council and European Parliament regulation to scrap duties on certain imports to the EU. In return, the United States will reduce its duties on certain EU exports to the U.S. market. This will put into effect the agreement announced by the EU and the U.S. on 21 August 2020. These tariff reductions between the EU and the U.S. will increase access to both EU and U.S. markets by around €200 million per year.

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Reuters: Equinor to cut jobs in U.S., Canada and UK following oil price fall

August 31, 2020Business News, EnergyEquinor, UK, US, USAadmin

OSLO (Reuters) – Norwegian oil and gas firm Equinor is set to cut jobs significantly in the United States, Canada and Britain to adjust to a fall in oil prices, a company spokesman said on Wednesday.

The group plans to cut employee numbers in those countries by about 20% and contractor numbers by around half to ensure profitability at lower oil prices, the spokesman told Reuters, adding that the targets were communicated internally on Tuesday.

Equinor will also not drill any new unconventional wells this year in the United States, where it has acreage in the Bakken and Marcellus shale formations, he said.

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NRK: Norge sier nei til amerikansk grensekontroll på norsk jord

June 18, 2020Airline / Travel, Business NewsGardermoen, Norge, Norway, USadmin

Med amerikanske grensevakter på Oslo Lufthavn Gardermoen kunne USA-turen blitt enklere, og flyplassen blitt et mer attraktivt knutepunkt. Nå har regjeringen skrinlagt prosjektet.

For flypassasjerer til USA kan den amerikanske grensekontrollen være tidkrevende og slitsom.

Derfor begynte Norge i mai 2017 å forhandle med amerikanske myndigheter om en fremskutt grensekontroll på Gardermoen.

Les hele saken HER.

New York Times: U.S. Is Nowhere Close to Reopening the Economy, Experts Say

April 9, 2020Business NewsCoronavirus, COVID-19, US, US Economy, USAadmin

WASHINGTON — How long can we keep this up?

It is still very early in the U.S. effort to snuff a lethal pandemic by shutting down much of the economy. But there is a growing question — from workers, the White House, corporate boardrooms and small businesses on the brink — that hangs over what is essentially a war effort against a virus that has already killed more than 9,000 Americans.

There is no good answer yet, in part because we don’t even have the data needed to formulate one.

Essentially, economists say, there won’t be a fully functioning economy again until people are confident that they can go about their business without a high risk of catching the virus.

Read entire article HERE.

Bloomberg: U.S. Posts First Month in 70 Years as a Net Petroleum Exporter

December 3, 2019Business NewsOil Production, USadmin

The U.S. solidified its status as an energy producer by posting the first full month as a net exporter of crude and petroleum products since government records began in 1949.

The nation exported 89,000 barrels a day more than it imported in September, according to data from the Energy Information Administration Friday. While the U.S. has previously reported net exports on a weekly basis, today’s figures mark a key milestone that few would have predicted just a decade ago, before the onset of the shale boom.

Read entire article HERE.

Norwegian Companies Fuel Growth in the American Heartland

September 2, 2019AmCham News, Membership GuideCincinnati, Columbus, DNV GL, Mike DeWine, Norway, Ohio, USadmin

Norwegian Companies Fuel Growth in the American Heartland

This article originally appeared in the 2019-2020 AmCham Membership Guide.

Offering a combination of low living costs, business-friendly policies, top-notch universities, and a talented, highly innovative population, the American Heartland, a region comprised of states such as Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio, has become an increasingly popular place to invest for a growing number of Norwegian companies.

One such company is DNV GL. The Oslo-based provider of risk management and quality assurance services to the maritime, oil and gas, healthcare, and power and renewables industries employs 145 people in two of Ohio’s largest cities, Cincinnati and Columbus.

“For us, access to talented professionals and good communications in a cost-effective environment are important factors in deciding where to establish our specialized laboratories. Columbus is attractive given the presence of The Ohio State University (OSU), which produces many excellent engineers and scientists with a desire to continue working in the local area after graduation,” notes Steven Sawhill, Director of US Government and Public Affairs for DNV GL.

“DNV GL has a special relationship with OSU – the company’s scientists serve as adjunct professors at the university, and OSU graduate students can conduct experiments at DNV GL’s laboratories when they require highly specialized equipment. Columbus is also home to other excellent engineering and research institutes, including the Battelle Memorial Institute, the world’s largest private research and development foundation, providing yet another source for collaboration and interaction,” he concludes.

The company operates its state-of-the-art Materials and Corrosion Technology Center in the Columbus suburb of Dublin. Much of the Center’s work concerns the pipeline and oil & gas industry, but the Center’s wide range of competencies has opened the door for a diverse range of projects, including collaborative efforts with the US Navy, US Airforce, and the US Department of Energy.

Such projects require a high degree of technical competence, and nearly a quarter of the Center’s employees hold PhDs. Many more hold advanced degrees in various engineering and scientific fields, highlighting Ohio’s ability to cultivate the high-skill labor force necessary to support knowledge-intensive industries.

Map of the American Heartland. Photo: Wikipedia

Cincinnati, on the other hand, serves as the country headquarters for DNV GL Healthcare North America, which has become the United States’ second-largest hospital accreditation body, working with hospitals to mitigate risk, increase safety, and enhance effectiveness.

DNV GL’s Sawhill touts Cincinnati’s talent pool and central location when discussing the reasons the company chose to headquarter its national healthcare operations in the Queen City.

“Such work requires a broad geographic network of healthcare professionals employed to visit, survey, and work with hospitals across the country. Cincinnati is an excellent hub location for coordinating that sprawling network, as sixty-percent of the nation’s population lives within a one-hour flight or a one-day drive from Cincinnati.”

AmCham member companies with a presence in Ohio according to the 2017 Royal Norwegian Embassy in Washington D.C. report Norway Creates Jobs in the United States.

The contributions of Norwegian companies like DNV GL have not gone unnoticed by state officials in Ohio. In a quote provided to AmCham, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine commended Norwegian companies for their continued investment in Ohio’s economy, encouraging more companies to follow DNV GL’s lead and invest in the Buckeye State.

“Norwegian companies supply hundreds of jobs in Ohio, and we welcome additional investment. We appreciate the contributions of companies like DNV GL and encourage other Norwegian companies to benefit from Ohio’s strong business climate, world-class research institutions, and strategic location. Ohio is not only a great place to do business, it’s also a great place to live. We have abundant natural resources, a great quality of life, and a low cost of living.”

US News: Norway Named World’s Top Performing Country in Clean Energy Innovation

September 2, 2019Business News, EnergyClean Energy, Innovation, Norway, US, USAadmin

The top performing country in the world in the field of contributions to global clean energy innovation is Norway, followed closely by Finland and Japan, according to a recent report published by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a nonprofit public policy think tank based in Washington, D.C.

The United States ranked No. 4 in the ITIF report. Other countries in the top 10: France, Canada, Germany, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Denmark.

Read entire article HERE.