USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is making changes to its list of Harmonized Tariff Schedule codes the agency plans to implement Phase VII of the Lacey Act provisions.
The Foreign-Trade Zones Board issued the following notices on Sept. 20:
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements is adding a two-way stretch woven polyester, rayon, spandex fabric to the "short supply list" in Annex 3.25 of the Dominican Republic-Central America-U.S. Free Trade Agreement for items not commercially available in a timely manner, it said in a notice. CFI Textiles requested the additions in August. The fabric, classifiable under Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheading 5515.11.00, is being added in unrestricted quantities. Under short supply provisions of CAFTA-DR, fibers, yarns and fabrics listed in Annex 3.25 are provided with tariff preferences under the trade agreement.
The Bureau of Industry and Security has completed a round of interagency review on an Information and Communication Technology Services (ICTS) supply chain proposed rule involving “connected vehicles.” The rule, sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Aug. 20 and completed Sept. 19, could propose import restrictions on certain Chinese connected vehicles as part of a rulemaking begun in February (see 2402290034).
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative asked Peru to verify that five timber shipments exported from Peru to the U.S. complied with Peruvian law and regulations. "[D]espite improvements in some areas, there are still serious concerns about illegal logging in Peru," it said, explaining the action.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will open a docket for comments on Sept. 23 for views on proposed new Section 301 tariffs on 8101.94.00 (Tungsten, unwrought); 8101.99.10 (Tungsten bars, rods, plates, sheets, strip and foil); 8101.99.80 (Tungsten, articles nesoi); 2804.61.00, Silicon; and 3818.00.00 (Chemical elements doped for use in electronics.
Reps. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., and Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., along with two other Republicans and one Democrat, recently introduced a bill to amend the Controlled Substances Act to require that all manufacturers, distributors, importers and merchants involved with pill presses only import, carry, or sell machines with serial numbers affixed to them.
The leading Democrat in efforts to restrict de minimis in the House of Representatives, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore, has tried to restrict de minimis eligibility since the beginning of 2022, and has said that getting a bill passed is how he'd like to end his career in Congress (see 2402150060).
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
A listing of recent Commerce Department antidumping and countervailing duty messages posted on CBP's website Sept. 19, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at CBP's ADCVD Search page.