CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP published the quarterly Internal Revenue Service interest rates used to calculate interest on overdue accounts (underpayments) and refund (overpayments) of customs duties. For the quarter which began July 1 and ends Sept. 30, the interest rates for overpayments will be 2 percent for corporations and 3 percent for non-corporations, and the rate of underpayments will be 3 percent for corporations and non-corporations. These interest rates are subject to change for the calendar quarter beginning Oct. 1 and ending Dec. 31, said CBP.
Quota entries should be submitted at the Port of San Francisco in blue folders, said the port director in an information notice. "Failure to file quota entries in a blue folder may result in quota not being reported timely and the quota category filled without proper processing by CBP," the notice said. The requirement is effective as of July 28, it said.
In the July 30 issue of the CBP Customs Bulletin (Vol. 48, No. 30), CBP published notices that propose to revoke rulings and similar treatment for the tariff classification of dental lamps and toothbrush sets.
In the July 23 issue of the CBP Customs Bulletin (Vol. 48, No. 29), CBP published notices that propose to revoke a ruling and similar treatment for the tariff classification of conductive greases.
CBP issued its July 30 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 48, No. 30), which contains the following ruling actions:
The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security expanded its export restrictions on Russia as part of a series of increased sanctions on Russia related to the country's continued role in Ukranian political unrest. "BIS will institute a policy denying export, reexport or foreign transfer of certain items for use in Russia’s energy sector that may be used for exploration or production from deepwater, Arctic offshore, or shale projects that have the potential to produce oil," the agency said. BIS said it will also add OJSC United Shipbuilding to its Entity List. "While these sanctions do not target or interfere with the current supply of energy from Russia or prevent Russian companies from selling oil and gas to any country, they make it difficult for Russia to develop long-term, technically challenging future projects."
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled against meat industry trade groups that challenged Agriculture Department’s country of origin labeling (COOL) regulations. Senior Circuit Judge Stephen Williams issued the opinion for the court, which reviewed the case en banc. The July 29 ruling denies the American Meat Institute's request for a preliminary injunction that would have stopped implementation of the rule.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
The International Wood Products Association (IWPA) is working with Myanmar to encourage the development of independent wood verification and forest management programs, the association said in a press release. “Currently, logging legality verification programs are in their infancy in Burma and our plan is that by launching direct trade with the country we can provide critical market support for the establishment of such programs,“ said its Executive Director Cindy Squires. A license recently issued by Treasury Department allows IWPA members to trade with the Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE), the state-owned enterprise responsible for the timber trade in the country, the association said. "IWPA pursued and received a license for trade with MTE, which is on the Treasury Department’s List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons," it said. " In light of the one-year license granted to IWPA, only IWPA Members are eligible for this direct trade program."