The U.S. and Canada began on Oct. 1 a pilot program to harmonize the screening process for maritime cargo between the two countries, CBP and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said. The pilot is part of the "Beyond the Border" initiative, a wide ranging effort to facilitate trade and travel between the U.S. and Canada. The pilot focuses on maritime cargo arriving at Prince Rupert, British Columbia, with subsequent movement via rail before entering the U.S. at International Falls, Minn.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit unanimously ruled with the Justice Department in a suit filed by the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild (ACCG) over the implementation of import restrictions on cultural property from China and Cyprus. Circuit Judge Harvie Wilkinson declined to take up such a far reaching review into "negotiations between the Department of State and foreign countries, injecting the courts into an area of law covered by statutorily conferred executive discretion and congressional oversight," he said in his opinion.
New lobbyist registrations on trade issues include:
Lawmakers from the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees lauded the Oct. 22 announcement of the U.S.-Panama Free Trade Agreement entering into force at the end of the month.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP posted an Oct. 22 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 Oct. 22. 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.
CBP will add air cargo in-bond functionality to the Automated Broker Interface on Nov. 5, the agency said in a CSMS message. ABI in-bond requests, which are currently being tested, may only be transmitted for air waybills that have been transmitted and accepted in the Air Automated Manifest System, said CBP. CBP also provided a set of tips on using air in-bonds:
CBP is formally announcing and expanding its Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) pilot program to include a wider group of companies involved in the cargo business, the agency said in a Oct. 24 Federal Register notice. CBP will allow other express couriers, passenger carriers, all-cargo carriers, and freight forwarders to participate in pilot program. The pilot is now open to all organizations within the air cargo supply chain, though "participation is limited to those parties with sufficient information technology infrastructure and support." Comments on the pilot are due Nov. 24.
The Obama administration should reconsider its preliminary decision to terminate the agreement suspending an antidumping investigation of Mexican tomatoes, the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) said in an Oct. 18 letter to the president. The International Trade Administration recently posted its preliminary results of the changed circumstances review of fresh tomatoes from Mexico, potentially leading to a new antidumping investigation and the imposition of AD duties. (See ITT's Online Archives 12092821 for summary of the preliminary results.)