On March 13, 2012 the Coast Guard denied a petition to amend the regulations concerning foreign-rebuilt determinations for vessels entitled to a coastwise trade endorsement. The Coast Guard denied the petition because, among other reasons, (i) a settled understanding of the regulation now exists due to court decisions, (ii) the proposal would result in onerous new requirements for any applicant seeking to have work done at a foreign shipyard, and (iii) the proposed amendments would make the Jones Act inconsistent with national treatment obligations of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994.
According to the International Trade Commission, a section 337 patent complaint on certain food waste disposers and components and packaging was filed on behalf of Emerson Electric Co. on March 16, 2012. The proposed respondent is:
The International Trade Administration has issued a notice highlighting the antidumping and countervailing (AD/CV) duty-related provision of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KFTA), which took effect on March 15, 2012. Article 10.7 of the KFTA, which covers AD/CV duties, requires, among other things: (1) notification to the other party after receipt of a petition; and (2) the opportunity for the other party to take action on price and/or quantity of subject merchandise, after both initiation and the preliminary determination, in order to reach a settlement. This provision is not subject to dispute settlement, and only the notification requirements are binding.
The International Trade Administration has issued a fact sheet announcing its affirmative final determinations in the antidumping duty investigations of bottom mount combination refrigerator-freezers from Korea and Mexico (A-580-865 and A-201-839, respectively), and the countervailing duty investigation of the same product from Korea (C-580-866), its finding of targeted dumping for two companies from Korea, and its finding of AD critical circumstances for one company from Mexico.
The International Trade Administration has issued a fact sheet announcing its affirmative final determinations in the antidumping and countervailing duty investigations of certain steel wheels from China (A-570-973, C-570-974), its finding of AD critical circumstances for one company and the China-wide entity, and its finding of CV critical circumstances for all other Chinese producers/exporters.
The following are trade-related highlights of the Executive Communications sent to Congress for March 16, 2012:
On March 19, 2012 the following trade-related bill was introduced:
The following are the trade-related hearings scheduled from March 20-23:
Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-MA), a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, announced on March 19, 2012 that he sent three separate petitions to the Food and Drug Administration requesting the agency permanently remove regulatory approval for the use of bisphenol-A (BPA) in (i) infant formula and baby and toddler food packaging, (ii) small reusable household food and beverage containers, and (iii) canned food packaging, on the grounds that manufacturers have stopped using BPA in these products.
Officials at the U.S.-Panama Business Council state that the Panamanian Minister for Commerce and Industry, Ricardo Quijano, has set a goal of October 1, 2012 for the implementation of the U.S.-Panama Free Trade Agreement. Quijano attended the recent “Panama Week” conference held March 15-16 in Washington, DC.