The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has posted to its Web site the reports of 32 Trade Advisory Committees on the proposed U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (Morocco FTA).
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a notice announcing that it is withdrawing its June 20, 2002 proposed rule that would have, among other things, allowed inspectors from APHIS to require that cargo be returned to the port of first arrival or, if convenient, another location as specified by APHIS for inspection when necessary.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted a notice to its Web site stating that the third 2003/2004 "low duty" tariff rate quota (TRQ) for specialty sugar for the April 19, 2004 through September 30, 2004 period opens for 2,000,000 kilograms on April 19, 2004 at 1:00 p.m. EDST or its equivalent in other time zones. CBP notes that this TRQ is expected to oversubscribe at opening moment.
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) revoking two classification rulings on certain waterproof clogs, (b) revoking two classification rulings on certain aluminum compounds and salt, and (c) revoking two classification rulings on certain voice and data terminal blocks. CBP states that it is also revoking any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in these notices.
The Journal of Commerce reports that in response to concerns about port congestion, the California legislature is considering a bill to require a premium fee for daytime use of marine terminals in Los Angeles-Long Beach. According to the article, the bill's author, Assemblyman Lowenthal, has said he will push for passage of the bill if the port community does not establish a program for extended gate hours by summer. (JoC dated 03/22-28/04, www.joc.com.)
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a notice stating that it has postponed the preliminary antidumping (AD) duty determinations on carbazole violet pigment 23 from China and India to June 18, 2004 (from April 29, 2004).
Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department decides, based on all relevant information, to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. The following have been issued since BP's most recent update:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a new informed compliance publication (dated March 2004) entitled "What Every Member of the Trade Community Should Know About: Entry." CBP states that this publication is a review of the requirements that attach to the "entry" of imported merchandise.
Due to the large number of bills introduced during the week of March 29, 2004 through April 2, 2004, this is Part I of a two-part series of summaries. See future issue of ITT for Part II.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an ABI administrative message stating that the programming for the ABI "HN" border cargo release application will be modified to no longer allow the transmission of a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) entry type "06."