U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a news release and fact sheet regarding the requirements for shipments of firewood of all hardwood (non-coniferous) species1 from Canada imported into the U.S.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has posted to its Lacey Act Web page new PPQ Form 505 (December 2008), entitled "Plant and Plant Product Declaration Form" for imported plants and plant products.
The General Services Administration has posted to its RegInfo.gov Web site the Fall 2008 semi-annual regulatory agendas for Federal government agencies.
The International Trade Data System has posted a presentation providing a global product classification context overview, which was given during the November 11, 2008 Product Information Committee meeting. (Presentation available at http://www.itds.gov/linkhandler/itds/tsn/product_info_comm/gpc_overview.ctt/gpc_overview.pdf.)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted a document providing statistics on the national total of fiscal year 2007 and 2008 (for October 1 through June 30 only) interception statistics for wood packaging materials.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a federal order, effective immediately, requiring heat treatment for shipments of all firewood made of hardwood species entering the U.S. from Canada.
The World Customs Organization has posted a press release announcing that on October 22, 2008, Ecuador deposited with the WCO Secretary General its instrument of accession to the International Convention on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (Harmonized System). This makes Ecuador the 135th Contracting Party to the Harmonized System Convention. (WCO, dated 11/07/08, available at http://www.wcoomd.org/press/default.aspx?lid=1&id=168)
The Department of Homeland Security has issued a press release announcing the completion of Southern Exposure, a full-scale exercise (FSE) marking the culmination of the Southeast Transportation Corridor Pilot (SETCP). The exercise ran from Oct. 23 through Nov. 5, 2008, and was sponsored by the DHS Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO), along with other federal, state, and local participants. The FSE was intended to demonstrate the Southeast region's capabilities to coordinate, communicate, and respond during and after a possible radiological/nuclear threat to the region's interstate highways. (Dated 11/06/08, available at http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1225999813655.shtm)
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are working to liberalize the proposed phase-in plan, scheduled to begin in April 2009, for enforcing the imported plant and plant products declaration required by the Lacey Act Amendments, which was enacted as part of the 2008 Farm Bill.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has issued a release regarding its hosting of more than 1,000 leading suppliers, Chinese officials, and NGOs in Beijing, China. The company outlined a series of aggressive goals and expectations to build a more environmentally and socially responsible global supply chain. (Wal-Mart press release, dated 10/22/08, available at http://walmartstores.com/FactsNews/NewsRoom/8696.aspx.)