On Dec. 18 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for Dec. 19:
The International Trade Administration is asking for comments by Feb. 19 on procedures for requesting safeguard measures on textile imports from Panama. The ITA said it expects 6 responses per year, including one request for safeguards and five comments on the request, to take four hours each to complete. Comments should be submitted to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at jjessup@doc.gov).
The Senate agreed to include a provision granting presidential authority over satellite export controls in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012, according to a press release by House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Howard Berman (D-Calif.). The amendment, agreed to in conference, would allow the transfer of satellites and related items from the State Department’s U.S. Munitions List to the Bureau of Industry and Security’s Commerce Control List, Berman said. It would also prohibit the export of such items to China, North, Syria and Iran, he said.
The Court of International Trade denied Millenium Lumber’s motion to dismiss a penalty action seeking $1.8 million in liquidated damages for the failure to get the necessary licenses to import softwood lumber from Canada. Millenium argued the government failed to exhaust its administrative remedies because CBP didn’t complete administrative proceedings to mitigate the penalty before bringing suit to collect the penalties. Relying on its past precedent, CIT said CBP mitigation proceedings are voluntary and discretionary, and so are not a prerequisite for liquidated damages actions.
The Court of International Trade ordered a refund, with interest, of antidumping duty cash deposits paid by U.S. importer AMS Associates (d/b/a Shapiro Packaging), after finding the International Trade Administration violated its regulations by retroactively suspending liquidation of entries of laminated woven sacks from China (A-570-916) in what was in effect a scope inquiry. The ITA had conducted the scope inquiry during the 2008-09 administrative review of the AD duty order, in response to concerns that importers were avoiding AD duties by entering merchandise made with third-country fabric. CIT also found the ITA is permitted to conduct scope inquiries during administrative reviews.
On Dec. 17 the Food and Drug Administration posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:
During the week of Dec. 10-16, the Food and Drug Administration modified the following existing Import Alerts (not otherwise listed on the FDA's new and revised import alerts page) on the detention without physical examination and/or surveillance of:
On Dec. 17 the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Dec. 17 to Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.