On April 2, 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued its third version of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and responses regarding the inbound portion of its final rule requiring the advance electronic presentation of information pertaining to cargo (sea, air, rail, or truck) prior to its being brought into, or sent from, the U.S.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has made preliminary affirmative antidumping (AD) duty determinations that light-walled rectangular pipe and tube (LWRPT) from Mexico and Turkey is being, or is likely to be, sold at less than fair value in the U.S.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a notice announcing that the Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC) will hold an open meeting on May 14, 2004 in Denver, CO. According to the notice, the ETTAC will discuss environmental technologies trade policies and programs. (FR Pub 04/08/04, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/pdf/04-7705.pdf)

Timeframes

In the April 7, 2004 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBP Bulletin) (Vol. 38, No. 15), CBP issued notices (a) proposing to revoke a classification ruling on certain laryngectomy covers, and (b) proposing to revoke two classification rulings on industrial smokehouse apparatus. CBP states that it is also proposing to revoke any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in these notices.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a notice announcing that it is reopening until May 14, 2004 the comment period for its interim final rule on prior notice of imported food shipments.

The World Customs Organization (WCO) has issued an amending supplement (No. 4, dated August 2003) to the Harmonized System Explanatory Notes (ENs). (Although not binding on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the ENs are followed by CBP whenever possible.) (This is Part V of a multipart series of summaries on this amending supplement. See future issues of ITT for additional summaries.)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued messages on a number of antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duty actions, many of which (marked by an * in the action column) were previously published in the Federal Register by the International Trade Administration (ITA) and summarized in International Trade Today.

(a) preliminary AD rate of zero

(b) preliminary de minimis AD rate (Dole: 0.18%, TIPCO: 0.12%, and Kuiburi: 0.30%)