The Department of Energy rescinds previously-granted authorization for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports only in extraordinary circumstances, taking into account private companies’ investment-backed expectations, the Department of Energy said in an Oct. 17 letter to Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. Murkowski in August requested clarification on the agency’s revocation and modification process for LNG exports, in a letter submitted to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz (here).

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) added on Oct. 15 an edit in the Automated Export System (AES) to prevent exporters and freight forwarders from inadvertently reporting electronic export information (EEI) on items of Encryption Commodities, Software and Technology, the Census Bureau said on Oct. 24. The items in question fall under Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCNs) 5A002, 5B002, 5D002 and 5E002 and the designation of “No License Required” (NLR) or AES license code C33. AES will expand the edit to include license code C32, effective Nov. 15, Census said.

The International Trade Administration’s Export.gov will host a webinar on Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. EDT that aims to explore U.S. energy equipment export opportunities in Mexico, a statement said. The Mexican economy is projected to grow by 5 percent on an annual average through 2018, the statement said, noting that demand for infrastructure and maintenance equipment will increase. The total demand for U.S. exports to Mexico is expected to rise 11 percent during the next five years, said the statement. The webinar is free of charge. To attend, register via Export.gov (here).

A shipment of 60,000 metric tons of U.S. sorghum arrived in China Oct. 18, marking a major step forward in the U.S.-China agricultural trade relationship, according to the U.S. Grains Council. The shipment, which will be used for animal feed, "demonstrates the continuing modernization of China's feed industry," a press release said. "The Council believes U.S. sorghum has significant potential to become a regular feed ingredient in China," said the group's director in China. "Sorghum imports from the United States can help keep food prices low and improve China's overall food security." Chinese corn import restrictions may mean the country will look to a wider variety of feed options, including sorghum, the association said.

The administration decision to continue to permit grazing, mining, logging, and oil and gas extraction on public lands, amid the on-going government shutdown, is illegal and environmentally degrading, said the Center for Biological Diversity in an Oct. 15 letter to Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. The shutdown continues to furlough regulatory enforcement personnel that protect lands and wildlife, read the letter. The Department of the Interior is also violating the following clauses of the Anti-Deficiency Act through permitting extracting activities to continue.

The much-anticipated Export Control Reform (ECR) transfer of U.S. Munitions List (USML) items to the Commerce Control List (CCL) officially took effect on Oct. 15, but exporters are unable to take advantage of the shift due to the on-going government shutdown. The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) continues to deny action on license applications submitted through the BIS SNAP-R system.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) will broadcast publicly non-confidential portions of the WTO Boeing dispute hearing slated for Oct. 31, the WTO said (here). The European Union originally requested consultations over U.S. subsidies to large civil aircraft in 2005 (here). The delayed public broadcast is expected to start at 4:00 a.m. EDT on Oct. 31. Interested parties should email completed forms to OpenMeetingDS353-215@wto.org by 11:00 a.m. EDT on Oct. 24.

Should the U.S. government lift burdensome regulatory and legal barriers for domestic liquefied natural gas (LNG) exportation, countries across the globe will purchase U.S. LNG in large quantities, foreign diplomats and lawmakers told a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power forum held on Oct. 10. Although pending Trans-Pacific Partnership and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) trade pacts could potentially foster LNG trade, U.S. lawmakers should seek alternate methods of breaking down LNG export barriers due to uncertainty surrounding the negotiations, the emissaries said.

U.S. companies continue to face significant market access and licensing obstacles in China, a U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) survey revealed, following its release on Oct. 10. The vast majority of survey respondents, all USCBC member companies, said Chinese operations remain profitable, however, and a growing number of companies place China in the top five global market priorities, said the survey summary (here).

Correction: The Bureau of Industry and Security export license operations related to Export Control Reform (ECR) will come to a halt while the government shutdown remains in effect, said Under Secretary of the Commerce Department’s BIS Eric Hirschhorn at a Sept. 18 meeting with the President’s Export Council Subcommittee on Export Administration. As part of ECR, the Commerce and State departments are implementing a rule on Oct. 15 that transfers U.S. Munitions List items to the Commerce Control List. (see 13100414).