The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing changes to its regulations on imports of plants for planting. The proposed rule would make changes specific to certain plants and regions, codify existing APHIS practices, and clarify and update some provisions in the regulations. Comments on the proposal are due by Feb. 15.
The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for Feb. 11:
The Court of International Trade is making “technical amendments” to its Forms 17 (Business Proprietary Information Certification) (here) and 18 (Notification of Termination of Access to Business Proprietary Information Pursuant To Rule 73.2(c)) (here), as well as its appendix of forms (here). On each form, references to “the Appendix on Access to Business Proprietary Information Pursuant to Rule 73.2(c) to the Rules” would be amended to refer to Administrative Order No. 02-01. The changes are effective March 1.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to CBP's website Feb. 8, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at addcvd.cbp.gov. (CBP occasionally adds backdated messages without otherwise indicating which message was added. ITT will include a message date in parentheses in such cases.)
Mexico's Diario Oficial of Feb. 8, lists notices from the Secretary of the Economy as follows:
The International Trade Commission launched its investigation of the effects of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement on small and medium-sized businesses. The U.S. Trade Representative requested the investigation on the effects of KFTA on the production, distribution, and export strategy of U.S. SMEs, and how U.S. SMEs have benefited from specific provisions of KFTA. The report will also explore challenges that U.S. SMEs may have faced in exporting to Korea, the ITC said. The final report is due May 1.
The monthly trade deficit fell by over 20 percent from November 2012 levels to $38..5 billion in December on a significant rise in exports paired with an even sharper fall in imports, said the Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis in their U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services Report for December 2012. The report showed that, as compared to revised November 2012 levels, exports were up $3.9 billion to $186.4 billion, and imports fell by $6.2 billion to $224.9 billion. Lower crude oil imports made up over half of that decline, or $3.3 billion. As compared to December 2011 totals, exports increased by 4.9 percent, and imports were down 2 percent.
The International Trade Commission is publishing notices in the Feb. 8 Federal Register on the following AD/CV injury, Section 337 patent, and other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will appear in another ITT article):
The International Trade Administration published notices in the Feb. 8 Federal Register on the following AD/CV 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 International Trade Administration issued the preliminary results of the final administrative review of the antidumping duty order on ball bearings and parts thereof from Germany (A-428-801) for four companies, preliminarily assigning zero rates to three companies. Should the ITA continue to find that these companies had zero dumping margins in the final results of this review, it will instruct CBP to liquidate all entries of subject merchandise exported by these companies without regard to antidumping duties. The ITA revoked these orders effective Sept. 15, 2011, so entries of subject merchandise are no longer covered by a cash deposit requirement. These preliminary results are not in effect. The ITA may modify them in the final results of this review and change the estimated AD cash deposit rate for these companies.