The U.S. should expand federal funding for technology research to help U.S. industries lead in areas such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence and biotechnology, a House subcommittee said in an Oct. 6 report. The report outlines revisions for the U.S. intelligence committee to better support U.S. innovation and research, and said the government needs to act or risk falling behind in technology competition with China.
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new reporting requirements for 45 chemicals under significant new use rules. The proposed SNURs would require notification to EPA at least 90 days in advance of a new use by importers, manufacturers or processors, it said in a notice released Oct. 8. Importers of chemicals subject to these proposed SNURs would need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements should these proposed rules be finalized, EPA said. Exporters of these chemicals would become subject to export notification requirements. Comments on the proposed SNURs are due Nov. 9. The SNURs would cover the following chemical substances:
There is a desire for more “uniformity” for country of origin and marking under USMCA, similar to the rules in Part 102 of NAFTA, said Heidi Bray, manager-U.S. and global customs compliance for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Bray and other Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee members mentioned a variety of USMCA “challenges” during the Oct. 7 COAC meeting. She said she thinks it would be a good idea to bring back a USMCA working group to discuss those issues.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control announced a range of sanctions targeting 17 major Iranian banks for operating in the country’s financial sector and one Iranian bank for being affiliated with the Iranian military. The agency also issued a general license authorizing certain transactions with the banks and announced a 45-day wind-down period for activities involving non U.S. people and companies.
The Bureau of Industry and Security removed 40 entries and added 26 others to its Unverified List, the agency said in a final rule released Oct. 8. BIS removed the 40 entries -- located in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates -- after verifying their “legitimacy and reliability” relating to the end use of items subject to the Export Administration Regulations or because their companies are no longer “involved in U.S. exports.” BIS added the 26 others -- located in Armenia, Finland, Hong Kong, Germany, Pakistan, Turkey, the UAE, Mexico and China -- because it was unable to verify their “bona fides” through an end-use check. The changes take effect Oct. 9.
Michael Ding is now a Department of Homeland Security acting deputy assistant secretary, replacing Christa Brzozowski, who recently left DHS. Ding's new role was mentioned during the Oct. 7 Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) meeting. Ding said his predecessor left him “big shoes to fill.” Brzozowski is now senior manager, public policy at Amazon as of October, according to her LinkedIn profile. Neither Amazon nor DHS immediately returned comment upon request.
The World Customs Organization issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:
The United Kingdom released a report Oct. 7 on the comments received from its freeports consultation (see 2004080020) and outlined its plans for the project, including measures surrounding customs operations, taxes and other “policy considerations.” The report said responses were “generally” positive about the proposed customs model for freeports, which will include “simplified declaration procedures” but remain focused on targeting illegal trade. The U.K. said it will continue compliance checks on goods entering freeport areas and touched on a range of other issues in the 48-page document, including freeport operators, trade remedies and value-added taxes. The document also summarizes questions it asked commenters during the consultation period. The U.K. said it will soon launch a “bidding process” to determine freeport locations.
The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade issued guidance Oct. 7 for procurement opportunities for U.K. business after the country's European Union exit takes effect Jan. 1, 2021. The guidance provides information for bidding on procurement opportunities under the Government Procurement Agreement and the U.K.'s trade agreements.
Switzerland launched a campaign to target illegal imports of medical masks after seeing an increase in “non-conforming” masks entering the country, its Federal Customs Administration said in an Oct. 6 notice. The campaign, completed earlier this year, included inspections on 29 shipments containing more than 34 million face masks. About one-third of the shipments didn't conform, Switzerland said, with deficiencies including missing conformity markings on packaging, missing addresses, incomplete information on the packaging, a lack of test results that proved the masks were conforming and masks that were not tested in an “accredited” laboratory. The campaign resulted in five “administrative proceedings” by Switzerland Customs, including a ban on certain mask shipments. “The results of the operation showed that fairly large quantities of non-conforming medical face masks were circulating on the Swiss market,” the notice said.