The U.S. export procedure for liquefied natural gas (LNG) and coal may be in violation of international treaties, said a National Associations of Manufacturers (NAM) commissioned report dated November 2013. If foreign nations challenge U.S. LNG and coal export restrictions at the World Trade Organization (WTO), WTO dispute officials may rule in favor of the challengers, said the report. Former WTO Appellate Body Chairman James Bacchus authored the report.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission received an export license amendment application from the National Nuclear Security Administration at the Energy Department. The Energy Department is seeking an amendment for its license to export high-enriched uranium to the Institute for Radioelements in Belgium via French manufacture. The specific amendment requests are as follows:

The U.S. Export-Import Bank approved a $61.1 million direct loan to Inversiones Eolicas de Orosi Dos S.A., to buy U.S. manufactured wind-turbine generators for use on a wind farm project in Costa Rica, the Ex-Im Bank said Nov. 26 in a press release. The U.S. company, Gamesa, will export the generators from its Pennsylvania manufacturing facility.

The overhaul of immigration law in the U.S. could potentially ramp up U.S. agricultural exports between 0.2 percent and 3.2 percent, said the White House in an immigration legislation fact sheet released Nov. 24. The overhaul could pave the way for more temporary, agricultural industry workers to enter the U.S., said the White House. Long-term "agricultural output" could also increase by between 0.2 percent and 2.0, according to the fact sheet.

Should U.S. officials dismantle Chinese investment barriers in the U.S., the U.S. will reap the benefits of increased exports to China, said Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Chao on Nov. 15, according to a press release (here). Wang Chao spoke at the China-U.S. Investment Promotion Forum in Beijing. The U.S. deficit with China continues to rise, topping off at over $30 billion in September (here). The sheer U.S.-Chinese trade and investment relations, however, is critical to both economies, said Wang Chao. “Bilateral trade volume developed from USD 2.45 billion in 1979, to USD 484.7 billion in 2012, increasing almost 200 times,” said Wang Chao, according to the release. “U.S. is still one of the largest sources of foreign investment, and meanwhile, China’s investment in U.S. is enjoying a rapid growth."

As the Commerce and State departments move forward with their effort to finalize changes to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), satellite companies must be properly prepared to understand the enforcement, compliance and implementation aspects of the rules, a government official and compliance experts said Nov. 19 at a Washington Space Business Roundtable event. By the end of the year, the agencies plan to complete a final draft of the new rules, which mainly focus on moving satellite components and technology that aren't crucial to military operations and national security from the munitions list to the less restrictive Commerce Control List (CCL), said Kevin Wolf, assistant secretary of commerce for export administration.

The Census Bureau on Nov. 12 confirmed the removal of 14 Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCNs) from the Commerce Control List (CCL). The Bureau of Industry and Security published on Oct. 4 a final "CCL clean-up" rule that implemented the removals (see 13100906). The following 14 ECCNs no longer exist on the CCL:

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced on Nov. 6 the preliminary results of its antidumping investigation on U.S., Canadian and Brazilian cellulose pulp exports, deciding dumped cellulose pulp imports damaged Chinese industry, said MOFCOM. MOFCOM set preliminary dumping margins for U.S. companies at 18.7 - 29.8 percent, while Canadian margins are 0.7 - 50.9 percent and Brazilian margins are 6.8 - 49.4 percent. U.S., Canadian and Brazilian cellulose pulp exporters are now subject to cash deposit requirements. The Chinese tariff number cellulose pulp products are 47020000, 47032100, 47061000 and 47063000. The products are largely used in production of chemical fibers, such as viscose fibers, viscose staple fiber and viscose filament yarn, said MOFCOM.

The interagency Export Control Reform (ECR) effort continues to prioritize, first and foremost, final rule publication for the transfer of items from U.S. Munitions List (USML) Category XV (Spacecraft Systems and Associated Equipment) to the Commerce Control List (CCL), said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration, Kevin Wolf, at a Nov. 5 Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Sensors and Instrumentation Technical Advisory Committee meeting. The agencies aim, by December, to craft the rule language for the category and begin the informal congressional notification process, said Wolf.

The U.S. Export-Import Bank and FedEx have joined forces in a new alliance that provides U.S. small- and medium-sized exporters greater access to the global market by increasing the availability of Export-Import Bank products and services, said a joint press release. FedEx international representatives will now conduct client outreach and coordination in order to provide exporters Export-Import Bank services that “protect against the risk of nonpayment" and "extend credit to buyers, eliminating the need for expensive letters of credit or cash-in-advance payments,” said the release. “The first steps for a business as it expands to international markets can be daunting. We are helping clear the hurdles for small and medium size businesses to access the 95% of the world’s population outside of U.S. borders,” said Michael Ducker, Chief Operating Officer and President, International, FedEx Express in the release.