The Federal Maritime Commission released a notice of the filing of the following agreements under the Shipping Act of 1984. Interested parties may submit comments on the agreement to the Secretary, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, DC 20573, within 10 days.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP posted a July 29 version of its CF 1400 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Entrances) electronic query report of the Vessel Management System (VMS), in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by entrances. CBP also posted a version of its CF 1401 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Clearances) electronic query report of the VMS, in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by clearances.
CBP issued its weekly tariff rate quota and tariff preference level commodity report as of July 29. This report includes TRQs on various products such as beef, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa products, and tobacco; and certain BFTA, DR-CAFTA, Israel FTA, JFTA, MFTA, OFTA, SFTA, UAFTA (AFTA) and UCFTA (Chile FTA) non-textile TRQs, etc. Each report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, BFTA, DR-CAFTA, CBTPA, Haitian HOPE, MFTA, NAFTA, OFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA TPLs and TRQs for qualifying textile articles and/or other articles; the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics, etc.
A small number of goods in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule don't have corresponding free trade agreement (FTA) tariff change rules (TCR), said CBP in a CSMS message. That's because the FTA were negotiated using an HTS that has since been modified -- in 2007 and 2012 -- and corresponding tariff change rules have not yet been implemented, the agency said. Until the rules "are implemented, manufactures of affected goods seeking to perform a TCR origination analysis should perform the operation classifying both the good and its materials in accordance with the most recent HTSUS that has both the tariff item and the corresponding TCR," it said. The certification should include the current HTS number the HTS number used to perform the TCR, it said.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for July 22-26 in case they were missed.
The International Air Cargo Association appointed Doug Brittin, previously with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, as secretary general, the association said. Brittin will succeed Danial Fernandez, who "has been offered a substantial continuing role in the Association," effective Aug. 15, the group said.
The Federal Trade Commission plans a public roundtable discussion to talk about its proposed rulemaking for Care Labeling rules, it said in a notice. The FTC proposed the rule changes last year (see 12091920). The roundtable, scheduled to start at 9:15 a.m. Oct. 1 at 601 New Jersey Ave., NW, Washington D.C., will "explore issues relating to professional wetcleaning, care symbols, the Rule’s reasonable basis requirements, and other issues raised in comments received in response to the NPRM."
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on July 26 denied a request from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association seeking a review of a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rule that requires U.S.-based drivers -- but not drivers based in Mexico or Canada -- to obtain medical certificates. While, unlike the U.S., "Mexico and Canada incorporate physical fitness criteria as part of their licensing regimes," the statutory requirements being implemented from the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act do not call for such an exemption, the OOIDA argued.
CBP and the Consumer Product Safety Commission stopped and seized two shipments of playground equipment from China found to have too-high levels of lead, said CBP in a press release. Both shipments were initially held in Detroit and later CPSC analysis found the goods to be unsafe for the U.S. consumer market, said CBP. The first shipment, destined for Minneapolis, had a declared value of $1,550 and the second shipment, destined for Canton, Mich., was declared at $4,691, said CBP.