International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Aug. 4 - 8 in case they were missed.
Logistics industry associations continued to criticize a definition in the Food and Drug Administration’s proposed food transport regulations that they say could subject logistics providers to onerous requirements even though they are not in a position to comply. Under the agency’s February proposed rule on sanitary transportation of food (see 14020301), the "shipper" responsible for setting food safety procedures for a given shipment would be defined as the “person who initiates a shipment of food by motor vehicle or rail vehicle.” In recently submitted comments on the proposed rule, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and the International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA) say that definition would make logistics providers responsible for providing information they are in no position to know, like packaging and temperature requirements.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is proposing to codify its standard operating procedures for issuing special permits under the Hazardous Materials Regulations. Special permits are issued by PHMSA to allow for deviations from hazmat rules. PHMSA’s proposed rule adds to its regulations the standard operating procedures for evaluating and approving special permits. The proposed changes “do not change previously established special permit and approval policies,” said PHMSA. Comments are due Oct. 14.
A proposal by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to prohibit the coercion of drivers to violate trucking rules would “open a Pandora's box of unintended consequences” for customs brokers and forwarders, said the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America in comments dated Aug. 7. Because refusing drivers that are about to violate hours of service limits could be considered coercion under the proposal, the end result would be cargo sitting at docks because the driver wouldn’t be able to move it and the arranger of transportation wouldn’t be able to call the trucking company to get a new driver, said NCBFAA.
Mexico's Diario Oficial of Aug. 11 lists notices from the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of Economy as follows:
The Federal Trade Commission is updating EnergyGuide labels for central air conditioners, heat pumps, and weatherized furnaces in order to add new ranges of energy efficiency ratings for comparable products. The amendments will come into effect Jan. 1, 2015 alongside other changes to EnergyGuide labels for air conditioners, heat pumps, and furnaces that were finalized in February 2013 (here), it said.
The Commerce Department published notices in the Aug. 11 Federal Register on the following AD/CV duty 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 Commerce Department will conduct a changed circumstances review on pasta from Italy (A-475-818) to determine whether La Molisana S.p.A. is the successor company to La Molisana Industrie Alimentari and eligible for the latter’s zero percent antidumping duty rate. La Molisana says La Molisana Industrie underwent a name change after it was purchased in bankruptcy in 2011, but never ceased operations and continues to be the same business entity. Commerce could complete the review as soon as late September, but may take until May 2015 for its final decision.
The Commerce Department issued its quarterly list of (i) completed antidumping and countervailing duty scope rulings and (ii) anticircumvention determinations. The following list covers completed scope and anticircumvention rulings for the period April 1, 2014, through June 30, 2014:
Aluminum frames with polyester mesh screens attached for screen printing imported by Rheetech Sales & Services are not subject to antidumping and countervailing duties on aluminum extrusions from China (A-570-967/C-570-968), said the Commerce Department in a scope ruling issued Aug. 6. The screen printing frames are subassemblies and are exempt from duties as finished goods, it said.