The Border Trade Alliance released a Dec. 30 letter it sent to the Mexican Embassy asking that nation to pause its regulatory changes that end tariff-free treatment of apparel and textile home goods that are imported into Mexico but destined for U.S. consumers. The same change also increased the tariffs on 121 apparel goods from China to 35% (see 2412240009).
As customs brokers seek to employ artificial intelligence, expect government regulators to observe but not necessarily hand down heavy-handed guidance on using AI tools to conduct customs business, according to trade and AI experts International Trade Today interviewed.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is proposing to list e 4-chloromethcathinone, a central nervous system stimulant, under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a notice released Dec. 27. “If finalized, this action would impose the regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to schedule I controlled substances on persons who handle (manufacture, distribute, reverse distribute, import, export, engage in research, conduct instructional activities or chemical analysis with, or possess) or propose to handle 4-chloromethcathinone.” Comments are due Jan. 29.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is seeking comment on its pest risk analysis that looked at the ability to import fresh pineapple fruit (Ananas comosus) for consumption from Indonesia while also preventing the introduction of plant pests or noxious weeds. APHIS determined that one or more phytosanitary measures could be sufficient to prevent the importation of pests or noxious weeds, according to a notice. Comments on the phytosanitary measures are due by Feb. 28.
An EPA final rule that becomes effective Jan. 17 will restrict and eventually ban the use of perchloroethylene (PCE), a chemical solvent often used in dry cleaning and degreasing, due to the "unreasonable risk of injury to health" when using the substance, it said in a Federal Register notice.
The Congressional Research Service, in an updated report last week on the ban on goods made with forced labor in the Trade Act of 1930, highlighted how the U.S. has used negotiations in free trade agreements to try to expand the bans on goods made with forced labor.
A three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit told the Court of International Trade that it has now twice wrongly told an importer that its first-sale price method to determine the duty level of its cookware was prohibited.
Flexport employees advised attendees on a webinar this week to prepare for a scaling back of de minimis, in case the rulemaking that removes goods subject to Section 301 tariffs moves forward.
Tariffs promised by President-elect Donald Trump would result in increased prices for U.S. consumers, experts warned in an analysis of current trade flows and tariff rates.
Congress will pass a spending bill before leaving next week, and while everyone wants to attach their legislation to it, the prospect for Haitian trade preferences to get a ride seems relatively strong.