The Drug Enforcement Administration is permanently placing the synthetic benzimidazole-opioids butonitazene, flunitazene and metodesnitazene in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a final rule. The substances had already been temporarily listed in Schedule I since 2022 (see 2204110029). The final rule takes effect Oct. 25.

The Fish and Wildlife Service has downgraded the red-cockaded woodpecker (Dryobates (= Picoides) borealis) from an endangered species to a threatened species. However, restrictions on imports and exports will remain in effect under a 4(d) rule adopted by the agency. The final rule is effective Nov. 25, FWS said in a notice.

The Federal Maritime Commission’s enforcement arm is investigating two cases involving potentially unlawful or unfair maritime shipping practices, including one that hasn’t yet been made public, said John Crews, director of the FMC’s Bureau of Enforcement, Investigations and Compliance.

Decoupling between the U.S. and China in the most technologically advanced products is real, economists said at an Oct. 21 Peterson Institute for International Economics event, but trade overall between the two countries continues to grow, if more slowly than trade with other partners.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is listing ethylphenidate, a central nervous system stimulant, under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a notice released Oct. 21. Import and export restrictions set by the listing take effect Nov. 21.

Think tank scholars from Cato Institute, a libertarian organization, say the best chance for preventing a 20% tariff on all non-Chinese imports and a 60% tariff on Chinese imports is for Congress to curtail the executive's power to impose tariffs during the upcoming lame-duck session.

The Federal Maritime Commission is bringing on two temporary administrative law judges to help it handle a “significant increase” in complaints and disputes filed before the commission, the FMC said Oct. 8. Most complaints involve COVID-19 pandemic-era supply chain issues. “Adding two additional judges will permit the OALJ to ensure timely adjudication of the record number of pending proceedings,” the commission said.

The Federal Maritime Commission urged carriers and terminal operators not to retaliate against shippers for questioning an invoice or filing a complaint with the FMC, warning the cargo shipping industry this week that it will pursue serious penalties against those that violate the anti-retaliation provisions of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act.

The U.S. should use its Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain executive order as a tool to restrict a broader range of imports that are dumped by foreign companies in the U.S., said Rush Doshi, a Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow and former National Security Council official. He also said the administration and Congress should work to codify the ICTS order, which could allow the U.S. to better harmonize the restrictions with allies.

Economists at the Peterson Institute for International Economics said that if the U.S. were to move all Chinese imports into Column 2 of the tariff schedule, removing permanent normal trade relations status, it would increase inflation by four-tenths of a percent if China were to retaliate, and it would hurt manufacturing the most -- the area politicians most want to protect.