The Department of Commerce is seeking applications by Nov. 9 to attend a roundtable on renewable energy in Tokyo on Dec. 3. The ITA will accept 20-25 applicants. The application period begins Oct. 25. According to the ITA, The dialog will provide an opportunity for Japanese policy-makers to benefit from the viewpoints of U.S. clean energy companies and those companies to be able to learn more about the policy and regulatory landscape for renewable energy developing in Japan at this time. Following the roundtable, the delegation will travel to Fukushima Prefecture and Sendai for site visits to learn the current condition of reconstruction following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
The International Trade Administration plans a conference Dec. 4 on trade issues impacting the U.S. machinery manufacturing industries. At the conference in Washington, D.C., the ITA will discuss significant trade barriers facing U.S. machinery manufacturer exporters in foreign market destinations.
The Bureau of Industry Security will hold a partially open meeting of the Information Systems Technical Advisory Committee Nov. 7-8 in Washington, D.C. In the Nov. 7 public session, ISTAC will hear working group reports and industry presentations. The open session will be accessible via teleconference to 20 participants on a first come, first served basis. To join the conference, submit inquiries to Yvette Springer at Yvette.Springer@bis.doc.gov no later than Oct. 31.
The Census Bureau sent out AES Broadcast #2012070 as part of a series of monthly educational broadcast messages on the Automated Export System. This month Census is highlighting AES error codes 501 (Export Information Code Missing) and 510 (Export Information Code Cannot Be Claimed With License Code). The broadcast covers the reasons for these error messages and how to resolve them, as follows:
The Bureau of Industry and Security issued a Critical Technology Assessment on night vision focal plane arrays, sensors, and cameras. The report, compiled by the BIS Office of Technology Evaluation, was done to examine the impact of export controls on key existing or emerging technologies that are subject to the Export Administration Regulations. The night vision equipment examined in this assessment is controlled under U.S. Munitions List Category XII and EAR ECCNs 6A002 and 6A003. Highlights of the report include:
Mohammed Reza “Ray” Hajian of Tampa, Fla. was sentenced Oct. 18 to four years in federal prison, as well as a $10 million fine and one year of supervised release following the end of his prison term, for conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Iranian Transaction Regulations, said Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Hajian pleaded guilty July 11, along with three of his companies: RH International, Nexiant, and P & P Computers.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to CBP's website Oct. 18, 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 http://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.)
With U.S. Agent liability set to begin for Food and Drug Administration foreign facility reinspection fees, a bevy of questions still surrounds the issue. The fees, which can reach $289 per hour for fiscal year 2013, have been in effect since Oct. 1, 2011. But FDA still hasn’t begun invoicing for the fees, and will only do so once it finalizes a guidance on small business fee reductions. Biannual foreign facility registration renewal, which is statutorily required to run Oct. 1-Dec. 31 of this year and would include designation of U.S. Agents by foreign facilities, has also been delayed pending “finalization of related guidance documents,” said an FDA spokeswoman. And many customs brokers have removed themselves as U.S. Agents to avoid liability, said Roger Clarke of customs broker Williams Clarke Co. “It is unknown how this will play out with a shortened registration period, no published guidelines or updated Q&A, and a reduced number of possible U.S. Agents,” he said.
The Bureau of Industry and Security's National Defense Stockpile Market Impact Committee is seeking comments on the potential market impact of the proposed disposal, upgrade, and acquisition levels of strategic materials for the fiscal year 2014 Annual Materials Plan. The Committee advises the National Defense Stockpile Manager on the projected domestic and foreign economic effects of all acquisitions and disposals of materials from the stockpile. Comments are due by Nov. 19.
Beginning in March 2013, the Census Bureau will release its monthly trade statistics 35 days after the end of the reference month, it said. The monthly data is currently available 42 days after the end of the month. Census said changes in technology leading to processing improvements have allowed it to accelerate the release.