On October 1, 2009, the Animal and Plant Inspection Service launched Phase III of its enforcement of the Lacey Act Declaration requirements for imports of plants and plant products. Phase III extended enforcement of the declaration requirement to additional HTS Chapter 44 products, such as plywood, veneered panels, wooden frames, and tableware and kitchenware of wood.
The American Apparel & Footwear Association has submitted comments to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regarding the implementation of the Lacey Act provisions. AAFA's comments address the scope of enforcement, form and content of declaration, definitions, de minimis, enforcement of the underlying Lacey Act, etc. (Comments, dated 11/02/09, available at http://www.apparelandfootwear.org/letters/laceyactusdacomments091102.pdf.)
The American Apparel and Footwear Association has issued a press release on the breakthrough in negotiations to hold an election on whether to reinstate the ousted President of Honduras. AAFA states that it and other key textile and apparel stakeholders will monitor the implementation of this agreement and advise U.S. officials about its impact on U.S. businesses. (Press release, dated 10/30/09, available at https://www.apparelandfootwear.org/userfiles/file/pressreleases/103009AAFAApplaudsBreakthroughTowardsRestoringStabilityinHonduras.pdf.)
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a notice, effective October 30, 2009, withdrawing its interim rule which was to raise fiscal year 2010 user fees on November 1, 2009, for agricultural quarantine and inspection (AQI) services provided in connection with certain commercial vessels, commercial trucks, commercial railroad cars, commercial aircraft, and international airline passengers arriving at ports in the customs territory of the U.S.
In a letter to Secretary of State Clinton, eight U.S. textile and apparel trade associations warned that the continuing crisis in Honduras is causing permanent damage to what once was the most economically vibrant textile and apparel trade platform in the CAFTA region. The letter is a follow-up to a September 25th letter to the Secretary which noted job losses in the U.S. and Honduras and urged the U.S. government to support a quick resolution of the crisis. (Press release, dated 10/28/09, available at http://www.ncto.org/newsroom/pr20091028.pdf.)
On October 14th, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, swore in Richard Lidinsky, Jr. as the Federal Maritime Commission's 18th Chairman. President Obama had designated then-Commissioner Lidinsky as Chairman on September 11th. (News release, dated 10/23/09, available at http://www.fmc.gov/speeches/newsrelease.asp?SPEECH_ID=289)
The World Bank reports that the global use of remedy laws such antidumping and countervailing duties, safeguards, and China-specific safeguards increased 52.6% in the third quarter of 2009 compared to the third quarter of 2008. (Notice, dated October 2009, available at http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTPREMNET/Resources/PREMNote144Antidumping.pdf)
The ITA has issued a fact sheet on the 2009 U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT),which will be convened October 28 and 29, 2009 in Hangzhou, China. The fact sheet discusses the background and objectives of the 2009 JCCT, and information on U.S.-China trade flows. The ITA has also issued a press release on the upcoming JCCT, which is available here. (Fact sheet, posted 10/21/09, available at http://www.commerce.gov/s/groups/public/@doc/@os/@opa/documents/content/prod01_008529.pdf)
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has announced that it will be holding a second public meeting to discuss the agricultural quarantine and inspection user fee increases scheduled to go into effect on November 1, 2009.
The World Customs Organization states that at the 8th Asia-Europe Customs DGs/Commissioners Meeting held in Greece on October 15-16, 2009, members adopted the ASEM Trade Facilitation Action Plan on Customs Matters (TFAP) for 2010-2012, which includes enhanced dialogue with business and exploration of the possibility to implement pre-arrival and pre-departure security declaration in line with SAFE Framework of Standards. (Report, posted 10/20/09, available at http://www.wcoomd.org/speeches/?v=1&lid=1&cid=2&id=172)