Miscellaneous International Trade Notices
According to Business Wire, PierPASS Inc. has announced that OffPeak, its new program to reduce congestion at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, will begin on Saturday, July 23, 2005. The article states that although PierPASS had initially planned for a ramp-up period, with off-peak shifts added gradually, the ramp-up period has now been eliminated and all 12 international container terminals at the two ports will launch five full OffPeak shifts starting July 23, 2005. (See ITT's Online Archives or 06/08/05 news, 05060810, for BP summary on OffPeak.)(Business Wire article, dated 06/07/05, available at http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050607/75460.html?.v=1.)
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
1. PierPASS Sets July 23, 2005 as Launch for its OffPeak Program
2. House Rejects Resolution Withdrawing Approval of the U.S. from the Agreement Establishing the WTO
The Congressional Record reports that on June 9, 2005, the House of Representatives failed to pass H.J. Res. 27, a resolution withdrawing the approval of the U.S. from the Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO). (See ITT's Online Archives or 05/26/05 news, 05052699 1, for BP summary on the House Ways and Means Committee's rejection of H.J. Res. 27.) (Congressional Record, dated 06/09/05, available at
http://thomas.loc.gov/r109/r109d09jn5.html.)
3. TSA Begins Third and Final Phase of Hazmat Threat Assessment Program for Truck Drivers
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued a press release announcing that it began the third and final implementation phase of the Hazmat Threat Assessment Program - the fingerprinting of commercial truck drivers applying to renew or transfer the hazardous materials endorsement (HME) on their State-issued commercial drivers licenses (CDL). (See ITT's Online Archives or 12/07/04 news, 04120715 for BP summary of delay to May 31, 2005 for this third and final phase, as well as other amendments to TSA's final rule on this hazmat threat assessment program.)
4. APHIS Final Rule Adopts Avian Flu-Related Restrictions on Malaysia
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a notice announcing that it is adopting as a final rule, without change, an earlier interim rule that added Malaysia to the list of regions where the H5N1 subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza (avian flu) is considered to exist. Effective August 7, 2004, the interim rule imposed import restrictions on certain birds and bird products from Malaysia. (See ITT's Online Archives or 02/04/05 news, 05020415, for BP summary of this interim rule.) (APHIS D/N 04-091-2, FR Pub 06/10/05, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-11504.pdf)
5. BIS Final Rule Adopts Interim Licensing Policy for Certain State Dept. Sanctioned Entities, Etc.
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has issued a final rule, that adopts without change, a March 2005 interim final rule that set forth BIS' licensing policy for entities subject to sanctions imposed by the State Department under the Iran-Iraq Arms Nonproliferation Action of 1992, the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000, and the Missile Technology Control Act of 1990. In addition, the interim final rule also imposed a new license requirement for certain entities sanctioned by the State Department and identified one specific entity, Tula Instrument Design Bureau of Russia, subject to this new license requirement. (See ITT's Online Archives or 03/09/05 news, 05030910, for BP summary of this interim final rule.) (BIS D/N 041222360-5141-02, FR Pub 06/09/05, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-11418.pdf)