Miscellaneous International Trade Notices
The Journal of Commerce Online reports that Senator Biden, senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has said that he will introduce legislation calling for billions of dollars in additional security measures, including 100% screening of containers at U.S. ports. (JoC Online dated 12/07/06, www.joc.com.)
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
1. Senator Biden Says He Will Introduce 100% Container Screening Bill
2. DHS and DOE Launch First Phase of the Secure Freight Initiative
On December 7, 2006, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Energy (DOE) announced the first phase of the Secure Freight Initiative (SFI). According to a DHS press release, the SFI will build upon existing port security measures by enhancing the federal government's ability to scan containers for nuclear and radiological materials overseas and to better assess the risk of inbound containers. See future issues of ITT for additional details on the SFI. (DHS press release, dated 12/07/06, available at http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1165520867989.shtm.)
3. Industry Groups Call for Withdrawal of BIS' Proposed Rule on Exports to China
Shippers' NewsWire reports that 24 large industry groups are calling for the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) to withdraw and reconsider a proposed rule concerning requirements for exports destined to China. The July 2006 proposed rule is intended to make it more difficult for China's military to obtain certain American-made technologies and products. (See ITT's Online Archives or 11/08/06 news, 06110805, for BP summary of BIS' supplemental guidance on this proposed rule, with links to earlier BP summaries on the proposed rule.) (American Shipper Pub 12/05/06, www.americanshipper.com)
4. Ag Secretary Expresses Disappointment in Korea's Rejection of U.S. Beef
The Secretary of Agriculture has issued a statement expressing his disappointment in the decision by South Korea to reject all three U.S. beef shipments sent since the South Korean market re-opened to beef in September 2006. (USDA Release No. 0458.06, dated 12/06/06, available at http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2006/12/0458.xml)
5. U.S. and Bolivia Extend Cultural Property Protection Agreement
The State Department has issued a press release announcing that the U.S. and Bolivia have extended for an additional five year period a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) protecting Pre-Columbian archaeological materials and Colonial and Republican ethnological materials from Bolivia. This MOU originally entered into force on December 4, 2001. (State Dept. press release no. 2006/1091, dated 12/05/06, available at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/77382.htm)
6. U.S. and Ukraine Sign Science and Technology Agreement
The State Department has issued a press release announcing that the U.S. and Ukraine have signed the U.S.-Ukraine Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement, which provides a framework for cooperation among a variety of public, private, and academic research establishments, and builds on the successes of two previous agreements in 1994 and 2000, particularly in the fields of energy and health. (State Dept. press release no. 2006/1089, dated 12/04/06, available at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/77337.htm)