Miscellaneous International Trade Notices

1. Senators Announce Bipartisan Agreement on Product Safety Legislation

2. LA Port Moving Ahead With Employee-Only Truck Driver Mandate

American Shipper reports that Los Angeles port officials plan to move forward with the mandate in the Clean Air Action Plan requiring port-servicing trucking firms to hire employee-only drivers, despite the news that neighboring Long Beach port would not be adopting the requirement. (See ITT's Online Archives or 02/21/08 news, 08022110, for BP summary of the port of Long Beach approving truck concession requirements and allowing contractor drivers.) (American Shipper, dated 02/18/08, available at http://www.americanshipper.com/SNW_story.asp?news=85364)

3. State Dept Advisory Committee to Discuss NAFTA Security & Prosperity Partnership, Etc.

The State Department has issued a press release announcing that its Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy will hold an open meeting on March 10, 2008 in Washington DC to discuss regulatory issues, including the U.S.-Canada-Mexico Security and Prosperity Partnership and the U.S.-European Union Transatlantic Trade Council. (State Dept. press release, dated 02/19/08, available at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2008/feb/101062.htm)

4. Court Hears Case that FMCA is Breaking Law in Cross-Border Truck Pilot

eTrucker reports that on February 12, 2008, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals held a hearing to listen to arguments by Public Citizen, the Teamsters, and others that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has broken the law by continuing on with its U.S.-Mexico cross-border trucking pilot in spite of a measure in the 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act prohibiting its establishment. (See ITT's Online Archives or 02/12/08 news, 08021210, for BP summary of the 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act) (eTrucker, dated 02/14/08, available at http://www.etrucker.com/apps/news/article.asp?id=66782)

5. DoD Official, 2 Others Arrested on Espionage Charges Involving China

The Justice Department has issued a press release announcing that Tai Shen Kuo, Yu Xin Kang, and Gregg William Bergersen (an official in an agency within the Defense Department) were arrested on espionage charges related to the passage of classified U.S. government documents and information to the government of China. According to court documents, the criminal conduct spanned a two-year period from January 2006 to February 2008. (DOJ press release, dated 02/11/08, available at http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2008/February/08_nsd_105.html)

6. BIS Announces Steps to Implement Deemed Export Recommendations

The Bureau of Industry and Security has issued a press release announcing that it has completed its review of the Deemed Export Advisory Committee's (DEAC) report. BIS has begun to work with its U.S. government partners, including the Departments of Defense, State, and Energy, to consider the report's analysis and recommendations as a basis for reforming current deemed export policy. (BIS press release, dated 02/06/08, available at http://www.bis.doc.gov/news/2008/deac_rec02062008.html)

7. USDA ERS Issues Monthly Foreign Agricultural Trade Data

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service has issued its monthly statistics for the foreign agricultural trade of the U.S., which contains agricultural export, import, and trade balance data for fiscal years 2004-2008 and calendar years 2003-2007. (Foreign agricultural trade data available at http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/FATUS/MonthlySummary.htm)

8. India Extends Prohibition on Livestock from Countries Reporting Avian Flu

The Foreign Agricultural Service has issued an attach report stating that the Indian government has issued an extension for another six months from January 31, 2007 to the official gazette notification prohibiting the import of specific livestock and livestock products into India from all countries reporting high and low pathogenic avian influenza. (FAS attach report, dated 02/12/08, available at http://www.fas.usda.gov/scripts/gd.asp?ID=146293635)

9. Chinese National Sentenced to Prison for Shipment of Sea Turtle Shells

The Department of Justice has issued a press release announcing that Wang Hong, a Chinese national, was sentenced to 167 days in prison and three years of supervised release in connection with his sale and shipment of endangered sea turtle shell and shell products from China to the U.S., as part of a multi-year undercover investigation conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Branch of Special Operations. (DoJ press release, dated 02/19/08, available at http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2008/February/08_enrd_128.html)

10. Justice Dept Says 6^th Defendant in Sea Turtle Smuggling Case Pled Guilty

The Justice Department has issued a press release announcing that Esteban Lopez Estrada, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Denver to one felony count of smuggling and one felony count of money laundering in connection with the smuggling of sea turtle and other exotic skins and skin products into the U.S. from Mexico. Including this plea, six of the seven defendants detained in the case have now pleaded guilty. (DOJ press release, dated 02/08/08, available at http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2008/February/08_enrd_103.html)

11. FSIS Open Meeting to Prepare for CCMAS Codex Committee Session

The Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued a notice announcing a public meeting on February 28, 2008 in College Park, MD to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft U.S. positions that will be discussed at the 29th Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling, which will be held in Budapest, Hungary on March 10-14, 2008. (D/N FSIS-2008-0001, FR Pub 02/14/08, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20081800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-2760.pdf)

12. CPSC Alert on Fire Hazard with Remote Controlled Planes, Helicopters

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a consumer alert regarding an emerging fire hazard from the battery technology being used with remote-controlled helicopters and airplanes. CPSC is urging consumers to follow manufacturer's instructions when charging toys that contain rechargeable lithium batteries. (CPSC release no. 08-189, dated 02/12/08, available at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08189.html)

13. DOT's National Surface Transportation Commission to Hold Open Meeting

The Department of Transportation National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission will hold an open meeting on March 5th in Washington, DC. The Commission is responsible for future highway and transit needs and the finances of the Highway Trust Fund, and for making recommendations regarding alternative approaches to financing surface transportation infrastructure. (D/N OST-2007-27407, FR Pub 02/14/08, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20081800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-2678.pdf)

14. GAO Testimony on DHS Management and Mission Functions

The Government Accountability Office has issued testimony entitled, "Department of Homeland Security: Progress Made in Implementation of Management and Mission Functions, but More Work Remains." Although GAO made no new recommendations in this testimony, it has made approximately 900 recommendations to DHS over the past 5 years to strengthen departmental operations. (GAO-08-457T, dated 02/13/08, available at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08457t.pdf)

15. Columbus, Cleveland Pipelines on Paper Check Conversion OTC Program

U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Ports of Columbus and Cleveland have both issued Pipelines announcing the implementation of the Financial Management Service (FMS) Paper Check Conversion Over the Counter (PCC OTC) program at their respective ports. With this program, all checks will be scanned to create legally acceptable substitute checks for electronic deposit. (CBP Columbus Pipeline 08-008, and Cleveland Pipeline 08-054, available via email by sending a requestto documents@brokerpower.com)

16. Justice Dept Reports Former Engineer Charged with Economic Espionage

The Justice Department has issued a press release announcing that a former Boeing engineer, Dongfan "Greg" Chung, was arrested after being indicted on charges of economic espionage and acting as an unregistered foreign agent of China, for whom the engineer stole Boeing trade secrets related to several aerospace programs, including the Space Shuttle. (DOJ press release, dated 02/11/08, available at http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2008/February/08_nsd_106.html)

17. CBP Accredits Five Companies as Commercial Gaugers and/or Laboratories

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued notices stating that it has accredited and approved the following companies as commercial gaugers and/or laboratories for petroleum and petroleum products, organic chemicals and vegetable oils, and to test petroleum and petroleum products for customs purposes, in accordance with 19 CFR 151.12 and/or 151.13, on the effective dates listed (see individual notice for dates of next triennial inspections):