Commerce to Hold On-Site Testing of New Online Section 232 Exclusion Portal

The Commerce Department will hold public testing sessions Dec. 6-7 in Washington as part of its development of an online portal to handle requests for exemptions from Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum products, it said in a notice. Once the portal is established, the portal will replace the current process on regulations.gov, “streamlining” the exclusion process by using web-based forms and allowing users to view and track exclusion requests, objections and rebuttals in a single system. Commerce intends to transition to the new portal “sometime in late 2018 to early 2019,” it said. Before it does, the agency will issue amendments to its Section 232 regulations and allow for public comments on the new process. Requests to participate in testing should be submitted by email by Nov. 29. Remote testing will not be available, and participants must pay their own travel costs to Washington. Only citizens and lawful permanent residents of the U.S. will be eligible to test. Participation will be capped at 36 people, with priority given to those that have submitted documents related to Section 232 exclusion requests.