The Department of Defense, General Services Administration, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration have issued a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to add Armenia as a designated country, due to the accession of Armenia to membership in the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement. The rule also updates the FAR lists of countries that are party to the Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft. DoD notice amending original notice by changing incorrect dates here.
Brian Feito
Brian Feito is Managing Editor of International Trade Today, Export Compliance Daily and Trade Law Daily. A licensed customs broker who spent time at the Department of Commerce calculating antidumping and countervailing duties, Brian covers a wide range of subjects including customs and trade-facing product regulation, the courts, antidumping and countervailing duties and Mexico and the European Union. Brian is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason University. He joined the staff of Warren Communications News in 2012.
The International Trade Administration and Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs released on March 9, 2012 the “U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor Framework: A Guide to Self-Certification,” which provides detailed information to U.S. firms navigating Switzerland’s data protection laws. The U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor Framework, launched in February 2009, provides a streamlined means for U.S. organizations to comply with Switzerland’s data protection laws and helps U.S. companies to avoid experiencing interruptions in their business transactions with Swiss companies. More than 1,600 U.S. companies currently participate in the Framework.
The International Trade Administration received a petition on March 1, 2012 to initiate antidumping and countervailing duty investigations for drawn stainless steel sinks from China. ITA is accepting comments on domestic industry support for the petition to determine whether the petition meets the dual requirements of support by domestic producers or workers accounting for (1) at least 25% of the total production of the domestic like product and (2) more than 50% of the production of the domestic like product produced by that portion of the industry expressing support for, or opposition to, the petition. Comments are due by 5:00 pm on March 21, 2012.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee on March 7, 2012 unanimously approved the Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act of 2012 (H.R. 3783), which would require the Secretary of State to use existing funds to create a tailored strategy to fight the activities of Iran and its proxies in the Western Hemisphere. See Committee Chairman Ros-Lehtinen’s press release (dated 03/07/12) here.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a proposed rule to amend the Export Sales Reporting Requirements to add reporting for pork (fresh, chilled, and frozen box/primal cuts) and distellers dried grain (DDG). Under this proposed rule, all exporters of U.S. pork and DDG would be required to report, on a weekly basis, information on the export sales of pork and DDGs to the Foreign Agricultural Service. Comments on this proposed rule are due by May 7, 2012.
The International Trade Administration released new data on March 6, 2012, showing that international merchandise trade exports from 377 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) totaled $1.13 trillion in 2010. ITA states that much of the growth in exports in the largest metropolitan areas, such as New York, Houston, and Los Angeles was concentrated particularly in transportation equipment, chemical manufacturing and other general manufacturing. According to the ITA, since the launch of the President’s National Export Initiative in 2010, merchandise exports from MSAs have increased 15.4% over 2009 levels.
The International Trade Commission has voted to institute an investigation of certain ink application devices and components thereof, and methods of using the same. The products at issue in this investigation are ink application devices used in tattooing and permanent makeup application - specifically, disposable needle cartridges designed to reduce health risks associated with the application (337-TA-832).
On March 6, 2012 the Senate resumed consideration of S. 1813, which would reauthorize the Federal-Aid Highway and highway safety construction programs. On March 7, 2012 the Senate agreed to proceed to consideration of amendments to the bill starting March 8 and, if the package of amendments is agreed to, S. 1813 will be up for full Senate vote.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously approved legislation on March 7, 2012 that strengthens sanctions against the Syrian regime. The Syria Freedom Support Act (H.R. 2106) imposes new sanctions targeting the Syrian energy and financial sectors, and proliferation activities. Among other measures, the bill also contains new sanctions targeting top regime officials, a visa ban on persons who provide the Syrian regime with military equipment, and authorization for financial and political assistance to entities that support a peaceful democratic transition in Syria.
The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) released a report on March 8, 2012 entitled, “Occupying the Information High Ground: Chinese Capabilities for Computer Network Operations and Cyber Espionage.” The report details how China is advancing its capabilities in computer network attack, defense, and exploitation and examines issues related to cybersecurity, China, and potential risks to U.S. national security and economic interests. The report was prepared for the USCC by Northrop Grumman Corp, and is a follow-up to an earlier 2009 report.