Latest Harmonized System updates

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued an ABI CSMS message announcing that the problem involving requests for prior notice (PN) confirmation numbers for Food and Drug Administration (FDA)/Bioterrorism Act (BTA) shipments has been resolved.

The Port of Los Angeles has posted an announcement to its Web site stating that the LA Board of Harbor Commissioners will vote on the proposed Port of Los Angeles Clean Truck Program at a special Board meeting on March 20, 2008. (LA Web site available at http://www.portoflosangeles.org/)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted a memo providing proration and liquidation instructions for the 2008 in-quota (low duty) tariff-rate quota quantity for tuna and skipjack (tuna), in airtight containers, not in oil, weighing with their contents not over 7 kilograms each, that is not the product of any U.S. insular possession.

During a February 22, 2008 press conference call, several trade members of the Trade Support Network¹ discussed a variety of issues, including an update on the status of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's proposal to have a minimal number of edits and validations in the Automated Commercial Environment system (commonly referred to as "Edit-Lite").²

1. CBP Posts PEA FAQ and Revised PSA Sample Form

The Washington Trade Daily reports that Colombian Trade Minister Luis Guillermo Plata has asked the U.S. to extend trade preferences under the Andean Trade Preference Act, as amended by the Andean Trade Preferences and Drug Eradication Act, until 2009 while congress debates a free trade agreement signed between Colombia and the U.S. (Washington Trade Daily, dated 02/04/08, available at http://www.washingtontradedaily.com/)

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection sources, two truck Automated Commercial Environment updates that were scheduled to be implemented on Saturday, January 26, 2008 are now rescheduled for Saturday, February 2, 2008.

On January 26, 2008, U.S. Customs and Border Protection was scheduled to implement an Automated Commercial Environment update to enable electronic in-bond requests filed via the Automated Broker Interface message QP¹ to update a shipment that is reported in a truck ACE e-manifest with a shipment release type of Pre-Arrival Processing System (PAPS²).

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has made available on its Web site a large group of documents related to its Focused Assessment Program (FAP).

The Census Bureau has posted to its Web site a list of 180 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) numbers that are invalid for use in reporting exports (either via the Automated Export System (AES) or on a paper Shipper's Export Declaration (SED)) as of January 1, 2008.