The International Trade Commission released its seventh annual compilation of biweekly data on textile and apparel imports from China for 2015, including data by category for the span 2008-2015 (here). The data in the report are shown on an annual and quarterly basis, by category and by Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) 10-digit numbers. It consists of a series of tables that provide Chinese textile and apparel import statistics, including: import value by category and HTS number; Chinese market share; quantity of imports from China; unit value of imports from China; and unit value of imports from the world.
The International Trade Commission plans to submit two new forms to the Office of Management and Budget related to Miscellaneous Tariff Bill petitions, the ITC said in a notice (here). "The information requested by these forms is for use by the Commission in connection with evaluating miscellaneous tariff petitions submitted" under the new MTB process (see 1605200041), the ITC said. "Each interested party will be required to establish a user web account on the Commission website to submit a petition requesting the creation or renewal of miscellaneous tariff provisions in the [Harmonized Tariff Schedule] comment on a previously submitted petition," it said. The ITC expects up to 5,000 petitions and 14,000 comments, it said. Public comments are due Aug. 16. "Copies of the forms, supporting documents, and previously submitted comments" will eventually be available on the ITC website (here).
The Energy Department is setting new energy efficiency standards for battery chargers (here), and amending energy efficiency standards already in place for dehumidifiers (here), in two separate final rules. Compliance with the new standard for battery chargers is required beginning on June 13, 2018, while amended standards for dehumidifiers take full effect one year later on June 13, 2019.
The Energy Department recently amended energy efficiency test procedures for central air conditioners and heat pumps, in a final rule issued June 8 (here). Compliance with the amended procedures is required for representations made on or after Dec. 5, 2016.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will host a public webcast from noon to 4 p.m. on Aug. 3 and 4 to discuss import and export permit regulations and exemptions for infectious biological agents, substances and vectors, the CDC said (here). Representatives from the Transportation, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and Commerce departments, as well as CBP, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, CDC Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Public Health Agency of Canada will present during the webcast, CDC said.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is amending the Hazardous Materials Regulations to update and clarify certain regulations to foster safer transportation practices, address rulemaking petitions, respond to National Transportation Safety Board recommendations, aid international commerce, make editorial corrections and simplify rules, PHMSA said (here). The amendments include removing the packing group II designation for certain organic peroxides, and providing requirements to allow for shipments of damaged wet electric batteries, among other things, PHMSA said.
The Energy Department is setting new energy efficiency test procedures for portable air conditioners, in a final rule (here). The new test procedures apply to any “portable encased assembly, other than a packaged terminal air conditioner, room air conditioner, or dehumidifier, that delivers cooled, conditioned air to an enclosed space, and is powered by single-phase electric current,” including single-duct and dual-duct portable air conditioners. DOE recently determined portable air conditioners are covered by energy efficiency requirements, though the agency has not yet set a standard. Compliance with the new test procedures is required for any representations made on or after Nov. 28.
The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added tetrachlorvinphos, parathion, and malathion to its list of cancer-causing chemicals (Proposition 65 list), pursuant to the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, the office said (here). OEHHA intends to propose a safe harbor level for malathion, the office said. Proposition 65 requires warning labels on products that contain certain listed chemicals that are known to cause cancer or birth defects.
An International Trade Commission report on the Trans-Pacific Partnership says the deal’s elimination of technical barriers to trade will benefit express couriers, automotive manufacturers, and the agriculture industry, among others, but some in those industries remain skeptical about whether TPP will live up to the expectation. ITC released its congressionally mandated TPP report (here) on May 18 (see 1605190024). The assessment charted gains for U.S. automakers exporting to Japan, which ITC said would face fewer certification-related hurdles; and it projected success for seed and cheese producers shipping to Canada, which ITC said would encounter fewer registration and standards-related obstacles under the agreement. TPP’s technical trade barrier chapter will be particularly helpful for U.S. exports to Japan, Malaysia, and Vietnam, ITC said.
The Energy Department is amending energy efficiency test procedures for battery chargers, in a final rule (here). Use of the new procedures will be mandatory for any representations made beginning Nov. 16.