International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
PHILADELPHIA -- CBP has not issued any withhold release orders for goods unrelated to Uyghur forced labor since the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act passed in late 2021. Eric Choy, the CBP official whose office oversees the ban on goods made with forced labor, said that targeting forced labor abuses outside of China "is something that we're definitely reprioritizing resources [for], to focus in on those efforts." Choy, who is executive director of Trade Remedy Law Enforcement Directorate, said in an interview during the CBP Trade Facilitation and Cargo Security Summit last week that he expects there will be a WRO announced before October.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing car manufacturers, recently wrote the White House to say that if Cleveland-Cliffs purchases U.S. Steel, more than two-thirds of steel used in vehicles would be produced by the resulting company. Cleveland-Cliffs has been agitating against Nippon Steel, which made a higher bid for U.S. Steel.
The FTC is allowing more time for comments on proposed changes to its EnergyGuide labeling regulations, including new requirements for EnergyGuide labels on air cleaners, clothes dryers, “miscellaneous refrigeration products” and portable electric spas. The proposed rule, released Feb. 1 (see 2402010028), also would modify existing labels for clothes washers, televisions and “several heating products,” including instantaneous gas water heaters and pool heaters. Comments are now due April 19.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is amending import and export requirements for the African elephant (Loxodonta Africana) included in a Section 4(d) rule issued under the Endangered Species Act, it said in a final rule April 1.
The International Trade Commission published notices in the April 1 Federal Register on the following AD/CVD injury, Section 337 patent or other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):
The International Trade Commission is beginning a Section 337 investigation on allegations that imports of fire extinguishing devices are infringing on Nano Fire and Defender Safety's patented aerosol fire extinguishing technology, the ITC said in a notice April 1. In a complaint filed Feb.22 (see 2402280081), Nano Fire, which licenses the technology to Defender Safety, said Halma and its affiliate Halma Holdings, as well as FirePro Systems and Hochiki America, are importing fire extinguishing devices that infringe on its patented fire extinguishing composition that needs no pressure storage. In the investigation, the ITC will consider whether to issue a limited exclusion order and cease and desist order banning imports from Halma, FirePro and Hochiki America.
The Commerce Department published notices in the Federal Register April 1 on the following AD/CV duty proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, scope, affected firms or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):
The Commerce Department is giving advance notice that in automatic five-year sunset reviews scheduled to begin in May it will consider revoking the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on circular welded carbon-quality steel pipe from China (A-570-910/C-570-911); glycine from India (A-533-833/C-533-834); and laminated woven sacks from Vietnam (A-552-823/C-552-824). It also will consider revoking the AD orders on glycine from Japan (A-588-878) and Thailand (A-549-837) and silicomanganese from India (A-533-823), Kazakhstan (A-834-807) and Venezuela (A-307-820), as well as the CVD order on glycine from China (C-570-081). These orders will be revoked, or the investigation terminated, unless Commerce finds that revocation would lead to dumping and the International Trade Commission finds that revocation would result in injury to the U.S. industry, Commerce said.
The Commerce Department has released the preliminary results of its antidumping duty administrative review on stainless steel sheet and strip in coils from South Korea (A-580-834). The agency preliminarily set a 58.79% AD rate for the one company remaining in the review, Korinox Co., Ltd. Any changes to the cash deposit rate would take effect on the publication date of the final results of this review. Rates calculated in this review will be used to set assessment rates for importers of subject merchandise from Korinox that was entered July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023.