The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of July 23-29:
High-end home and car audio supplier AudioControl opposes Trade Act Section 301 tariffs on electronics components and materials imported from China “and used in our US manufacturing of our products” because it will “cause the adverse effect of what is intended” in trying to thwart allegedly unfair Chinese trade practices, said CEO Alex Camara in comments posted Friday in docket USTR-2018-0026.
The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices as of July 27 (some may also be given separate headlines):
Roanoke Trade has seen a recent increase in the number of CBP notices mandating increased customs bond amounts, Patrice Lafayette, assistant vice president-client services at Roanoke, said during a July 25 webinar. "On average we normally see anywhere from 30 to 60 mandated increases issued on a monthly basis, but I can tell you that since the new tariffs have come out, this number practically tripled ... in June," she said. CBP has been expected to start taking a more aggressive stance on bond sufficiency as new tariffs take effect (see 1807020017).
CIT Grants Preliminary Injunction Prohibiting Imports of Mexican Fish Caught Near Endangered Species
Imports of all fish products from Mexican fisheries that use gillnets close to a nearly extinct species of porpoise will be banned while a legal proceeding on the ban proceeds, Court of International Trade Judge Gary Katzmann said in a July 26 ruling. The ruling granted a preliminary injunction meant to prevent further threats to vaquita porpoises, of which fewer than 30 remain, "pending final adjudication of the merits," it said. While legal arguments remain undecided, "what cannot be disputed is that the vaquita’s plight is desperate, and that even one more bycatch death in the gillnets of fisheries in its range threatens the very existence of the species," CIT said.
CTA wants the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to remove 54 tariff lines from the list of imports from China targeted for a second tranche of 25 percent Trade Act Section 301 duties, said Sage Chandler, vice president-international trade, in comments filed Monday in docket USTR-2018-0018. Chandler’s testimony Tuesday at the USTR’s public hearing on the proposed tariffs (see 1807230032) reflects “what is in the comments,” that CTA worries tariffs will bring “disproportionate” harm to U.S. consumers and businesses without thwarting allegedly unfair Chinese trade practices, emailed CTA spokeswoman Izzy Santa.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of July 16-22:
The American Institute for International Steel and two companies asked the Court of International Trade on July 19 to immediately stop the enforcement of Section 232 tariffs, AIIS said in a news release. A summary judgment is necessary to prevent further monetary harm to steel importers, as well as "the port authorities, customs brokers, insurance companies, and logistics companies that are members of AIIS and that derive significant portions of their revenue from their handling of imported steel," AIIS said in its filing.
CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan highlighted some planned additional benefits to participation in the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program, in prepared remarks for the July 18 Senate Finance International Trade Subcommittee hearing on U.S. ports and trade. The ongoing transitioning of the Importer Self-Assessment program into CTPAT Trade Compliance "includes the extensive development of new benefits," he said. CBP has a loose deadline of the end of 2018 for transitioning ISA participants into CTPAT (see 1709070010), and a phased rollout of new CTPAT standards is expected to begin in October (see 1806070058).
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of July 9-15: