The West Cameron Port Commission has applied to create a new foreign-trade zone in Cameron Parish near Lake Charles, Louisiana, according to a notice issued by the FTZ Board. The zone would be the second FTZ in the Lake Charles area. If approved, the West Cameron Port zone would have a service area under the Alternative Site Framework of Wards 3, 4, 5, and 6 of Cameron Parish. Comments on the proposed FTZ are due by May 16.
President Barack Obama’s Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) budget request includes $3.3 million in International Trade Administration export promotion programs that launched in FY14, said the ITA in a March 13 press release. “With 95 percent of the world’s consumers living outside the U.S. border, the requested budget will allow us to increase our efforts to assist U.S. companies interested in exploring the opportunities provided by exporting their goods and services,” said Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Ken Hyatt. “The requested budget will also enable us to continue to communicate our open investment policy and advocate for the United States as a premier investment destination.” The budget recommends changing the name of the International Trade Administration to the International Trade and Investment Administration, and would increase funding for the agency 8 percent over the 2014 enacted level (see 14030506).
The International Trade Administration is planning a trade promotion mission to India in November for U.S. companies in the ports and marine technology industry. The trade mission will visit Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Kochi Nov. 9-15, with an optional visit to Goa afterward. Participants will meet with port officials and pre-screened potential business partners, said the ITA. The mission is for companies and trade associations that provide port and marine equipment and services including security, logistics, vessel tracking, oil spill detection, dredging, underwater exploration and mapping. The ITA says it will begin reviewing applications on May 14 until a maximum of 15-20 participants is reached.
Exporters that file electronic export information to the Automated Export System (AES) should contact the Census Bureau’s Foreign Trade Division for available AES compliance reports, said Census in a March 12 blog. The report rates company compliance and identifies total number of unresolved fatal errors companies incur, said Census. Those interested in receiving the report should call 800-549-0595 and select option 1.
The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for March 13:
The Foreign-Trade Zones Board approved the expansion and reorganization under the Alternative Site Framework of FTZ 20 around the Norfolk-Newport News Port of Entry in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. The zone will now cover Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, Mathews, Northampton, Southampton, Sussex, Surry and York Counties, as well as part of Accomack County. It will also cover the independent cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach and Williamsburg. The ASF reorganization will allow companies throughout the service area to request subzone status through the relatively simple "minor boundary modification" process.
The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for March 12:
The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for March 11:
The Foreign-Trade Zones Board approved an application to combine three FTZs in Eastern North Carolina. FTZ 66 in Wilmington, FTZ 67 in Morehead City, and FTZ 214 in Kinston will be merged into a new FTZ 214 run by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, said the FTZ Board.
The Cedar Rapids Airport Commission submitted an application to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board to reorganize FTZ 175 under the Alternative Site Framework, and expand the zone to cover 30 counties in Eastern Iowa, according to an FTZ Board Federal Register notice. Under the reorganization, the zone's service area would cover Appanoose, Benton, Blackhawk, Buchanan, Cedar, Clinton, Davis, Delaware, Des Moines, Dubuque, Grundy, Henry, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Mahaska, Monroe, Muscatine, Poweshiek, Scott, Tama, Van Buren, Wapello, and Washington Counties. The zone would be adjacent to the Quad-Cities and Des Moines Ports of Entry. ASF streamlines processes for designation of new FTZ subzones and usage driven sites within the larger service area by allowing companies to request zone status through the relatively simple "minor boundary modification" process. Comments on the application are due by May 12.