The Environmental Protection Agency published a final rule Dec. 2 setting new significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for 32 chemical substances subject to Premanufacture Notices (PMNs). As a result of the SNURs, persons planning to manufacture, import or process any of the chemical substances for an activity designated as a significant new use by this rule are required to notify EPA at least 90 days in advance. Importers of chemicals subject to these SNURs will need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements, and exporters of these chemical substances will now become subject to export notification requirements. The final rule takes effect Jan. 31. The SNURs cover the following:
The Office of Foreign Assets Control added two Haitian politicians to its Specially Designated Nationals List in connection with drug trafficking, it said in a Dec. 2 news release. The action comes less than a month after the U.S. and Canada designated two other Haitian politicians (see 2211040064).
The Wassenaar Arrangement last week published export control changes agreed to by member states during the 2022 plenary, including updated versions of due diligence best practices and a list of commonly used end-user assurances. The changes include new controls for a range of technologies, including supersonic flight technology and “rim-driven motors for submarine propulsion,” the plenary chair said in a statement. The group also updated existing controls on high-performance computers and lasers; exchanged information on transfers of dual-use goods; and shared “experiences in national export control implementation,” enforcement and licensing.
U.S. share of global semiconductor design revenue has declined over the past decade, partly due to export controls and other trade restrictions, the Semiconductor Industry Association and Boston Consulting Group said in a report last week. If the U.S. continues on its path and doesn’t properly tailor its restrictions, U.S. shares of global revenues could drop 10 percentage points over this decade, the report warned.
The European Commission proposed to EU member states the possibility of using assets frozen under the Russia sanctions regime to compensate Ukraine for damages incurred by the war with Russia, the commission announced Nov. 30.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls updated its “redline” document to help industry better view changes made to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations as a result of the agency’s ITAR reorganization effort. The revised document reflects changes made to the ITAR as a result of DDTC’s continued temporary suspension of restrictions on certain defense exports to Cyprus (see 2211210028) and “limits redlines to only those changes made by the March 23 reorganization rule” (see 2203220013).
The Congressional Research Service this week updated its report on U.S. sanctions against Venezuela, outlining the types of designations imposed on the country and policy considerations for the U.S. government and Congress. The report now reflects the Treasury Department’s decision last month to grant Chevron a general license to resume certain oil activities in Venezuela for the first time in years (see 2211280042). CRS said “fluctuations in oil prices also have put pressure on U.S. and European officials to find alternate sources to replace Russian-supplied oil.”
The U.S. on Nov. 30 sanctioned four people with ties to terrorist groups. The State Department said the designations target leaders of al-Qa’ida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The four are Mufti Hazrat Deroji, Atif Yahya Ghouri, Muhammad Maruf and Osama Mehmood.
At least three vessels, including a Chinese-owned ship, have illegally exported Venezuelan oil and falsified cargo documents to conceal the oil’s origin, Reuters reported Nov. 30. The ships include the Chinese-owned supertanker Young Yong, sanctioned by the U.S. in November (see 2211030036), which loaded oil in Venezuela last year before sailing to the Chinese port of Qingdao with cargo documents that stated the oil was from Malaysia, the report said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control added three people and two companies to its Specially Designated Nationals List for providing financial services and facilitating weapons procurement for Hezbollah, the agency said Dec. 1.