CBP Administrative Messages, Electronic Bulletin Board Notices, Etc

1. November 1, 2004 version of ACE Application Available

In September 2004, CBP issued a Federal Register notice announcing that it is expanding access to the ACE Secure Data Portal and that an ACE account must be established as a first step. (See ITT's Online Archives or 09/09/04 and 09/13/04 news, 04090905 and 04091305, for BP summaries regarding CBP's notice.) (ACE application available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/toolbox/about/modernization/ace_app_info/ace_application.ctt/ace_application.pdf.)

2. 2nd Global Specialty Sugar TRQ Opened on November 16, 2004

CBP has posted to its Web site a reminder of the November 16, 2004 opening of the second global specialty sugar tariff rate quota (TRQ) for the period October 1, 2004 through September 30, 2005.

According to CBP, this TRQ opened on November 16, 2004 at 12 noon EST (or its equivalent in other time zones) and the TRQ level is 7,000,000 kilograms. CBP states that a specialty sugar certificate is required to claim the in-quota (low) duty rate. CBP notes that this TRQ was expected to oversubscribe at opening moment. (QBT-04-555, dated 11/09/04, available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/import/textiles_and_quotas/qbts/QBT2004/2004_555.ctt/04_555.doc.)

3. Textile and Apparel Quotas 85% or More Filled as of November 15, 2004

CBP has posted to its Web site its "critical list" of textiles and apparel subject to import quotas with entered quantities 85% or more filled as of November 15, 2004. CBP states that this "critical list" may be used by CBP as a reference for releasing quota merchandise "off line" when the Automated Commercial System (ACS) is down for longer than four hours. CBP notes that textile and apparel merchandise for Electronic Visa Information System (ELVIS) countries cannot be released "off line" until it is processed through quota. CBP further notes that if the system is down for more than 24 hours, Headquarters Quota Branch should be contacted for further instructions. CBP also states that merchandise subject to tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) that are filled, may be released if entered under the "over quota" (high) rate of duty. (CBP's critical list, dated 11/15/04, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/textiles_and_quotas/textile_critical_list/)

4. Weekly Quota Commodity Report as of November 15, 2004

CBP has issued its weekly quota commodity report as of November 15, 2004. This report includes tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) on various products such as beef, tuna, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa powder, tobacco, certain JFTA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA TRQs, etc. This report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, CBTPA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA tariff preference levels (TPLs) for qualifying apparel and/or other textile articles, the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics under HTS 9902.51.11 & 9902.51.12, etc. (CBP's weekly quota commodity report, dated 11/15/04, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/textiles_and_quotas/commodity/)

5. FDA's PNSI is Back Up as of November 15, 2004

CBP has issued an ABI administrative message announcing that the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Prior Notice System Interface (PNSI) is back up as of Monday, November 15, 2004. CBP had previously reported in Adm: 04-2399 that PNSI would be down indefinitely, but now states that Adm: 04-2399 should be disregarded. (Adm: 04-2400, dated 11/15/04, available at http://www.brokerpower.com/cgi-bin/adminsearch/admmsg.view.pl?article=2004/2004-2400.ADM. Adm: 04-2399, dated 11/15/04, available at http://www.brokerpower.com/cgi-bin/adminsearch/admmsg.view.pl?article=2004/2004-2399.ADM.)

6. CBP Border Patrol Agents Rescue Migrants from Railroad Container

CBP has posted to its Web site a press release announcing that CBP Border Patrol agents from El Paso and officers from the Union Pacific Railroad Police helped rescue a large group of undocumented migrants from Mexico in a railroad container bound for California on November 8, 2004. (CBP press release, dated 11/09/04, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/press_releases/11092004.xml.)

7. Miscellaneous CBP Messages on AD and CV Duty Actions

CBP has issued messages on a number of antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duty actions, many of which (marked by an * in the action column) were previously published in the Federal Register by the International Trade Administration (ITA) and summarized in International Trade Today.

(The CBP messages marked with an * cover much of the same information as the ITA notices; however, CBP's messages often list the 10-character case number specific to each listed company(s). ITA notices only list the 7-character master case number. In addition, sometimes the master case number for CBP purposes (in parentheses, below, where applicable) differs from the ITA master case number.)