The International Trade Administration's Civil Nuclear Trade Advisory Committee (CINTAC) scheduled a public meeting June 5, 2012. Items on the agenda include discussion of the ITA's Civil Nuclear Trade Initiative update, the Civil Nuclear Trade promotion activities, and a public comment period. The CINTAC was established in response to an identified need for consensus advice from U.S. industry to the U.S. Government regarding the development and administration of programs to expand U.S. exports of civil nuclear goods and services in accordance with applicable U.S. laws and regulations. Public seating is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Members of the public wishing to attend the meeting must pre-register by June 1, 2012 to obtain clearance into the building. Copies of CINTAC meeting minutes will be available within 90 days of the meeting.
The International Trade Administration is seeking comment on any subsidies, including stumpage subsidies, provided by certain countries exporting softwood lumber or softwood lumber products to the U.S. during the period July 1 through December 31, 2011.
The Bureau of Industry and Security scheduled a partially open meeting of its Materials Technical Advisory Committee for May 17, 2012, in Washington, D.C. The Committee advises the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Export Administration on technical questions that affect the level of export controls applicable to materials and related technology. During the open session, the committee will hear remarks from BIS senior management, a report on the Composite Working Group and other working groups, a report on regime-based activities, and a discussion on the Role of the Department of Commerce in export of Avian Influenza Virus and related technology. The open session will be accessible via teleconference to 20 participants on a first come, first serve basis. To join the conference, submit inquiries to Yvette Springer at Yvette.Springer@bis.doc.gov by May 10, 2012.
The Bureau of Industry and Security said it will hold a partially open meeting of its Materials Processing Equipment Technical Advisory Committee on May 22, 2012, in Washington, D.C. The Committee advises the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Export Administration on technical questions that affect the level of export controls applicable to materials processing equipment and related technology. During the open session, the committee will hear presentations of papers and comments by the public, discussions on results from the last, and proposals for the next Wassenaar Meeting, and a report on proposed a recently issued changes to the Export Administration Regulations. The open session will be accessible via teleconference to 20 participants on a first come, first serve basis. To join the conference, submit inquiries to Yvette Springer at Yvette.Springer@bis.doc.gov by May 10, 2012.
The State Department issued a proposed rule to revise USML Category V (explosives and energetic materials, propellants, incendiary agents, and their constituents) to remove catchall categories, narrow the articles controlled on the USML, to make this list of items more positive, and address multilateral obligations. At the same time, BIS is proposing the creation of four new 600 series ECCNs to control articles removed from Category V that would instead be controlled by the CCL. The State Department is also not proposing any tiering at this time.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Web site as of May 1, 2012, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching on the listed CBP message number at http://addcvd.cbp.gov.
Mexico's Diario Oficial of April 30, 2012, lists notices from the Secretary of the Economy as follows:
The World Trade Organization said that on April 29, 2012, it welcomed Montenegro as its 154th member, and will welcome Samoa as its 155th member on May 10, 2012.
The World Trade Organization said discussions in the Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures on April 26, 2012, continued to focus on encouraging more members to notify their subsidy programs, and on improving the timeliness and completeness of notifications. The WTO said some delegations expressed concern over the latest report that half of members had so far failed to submit the required subsidy notifications, which were due June 30, 2011.
Argentina’s non-automatic licenses and other measures on a range of imports continued to cause concern among some delegations, many complaining that their countries’ exports to Argentina have suffered, at a meeting of the World Trade Organization’s Import Licensing Committee on April 27, 2012.