The Drug Enforcement Agency proposed 2015 quotas for the manufacture and import of controlled substances Schedule I and II of the Controlled Substances Act. Substances not listed in the table included in DEA's notice will have a quota of zero. DEA is also proposing quotas for the Schedule I chemicals ephedrine, phenylpropanolamine, and pseudoephedrine. Comments are due by Aug. 1.

The Energy Department is making revisions to a proposed rule on energy efficiency test procedures for LED lamps that it issued earlier this month. DOE originally issued its proposed rule on LED lamps in 2012 to add tests that would support new Federal Trade Commission labeling requirements that had been set two years prior. In a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking issued June 3, DOE amended its proposal to revise methods for calculating the lifetime of LED lamps, and add calculations for lamp efficacy and color rendering index. DOE is now again issuing a supplemental proposed rule, this time revising the June 3 rule’s proposed definition of “lifetime” and adding a new definition for "time to failure" in light of the revised definition of lifetime. Comments are due Aug. 4.

The International Trade Commission is beginning an investigation into the global rice trade for a report to Congress, it said on June 17. As part of its investigation, the ITC will look at major rice producers and exporters like Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Uruguay, and Vietnam, as well as the U.S. rice market. It will assess the impact of government policies in those countries on rice production, exports, consumption and prices. House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp requested the investigation on May 9 (see 14051626). The report is due in April 2015.

The Federal Trade Commission is proposing changes to its energy-use labeling rules, including an extension of “lighting facts” label requirements to non-general service light bulbs. Under the FTC’s proposed rule, lighting facts labels would be required for decorative consumer bulbs not currently covered by label requirements. The FTC would also set new marking requirements for decorative bulbs. Other provisions of the FTC’s proposed rule would change label reporting requirements, the use of hang tags, and air conditioner and ceiling fan labeling. Comments on the proposed rule are due Aug. 18.

Industry groups urged New York legislators to reject bills in the state senate and assembly that would place new restrictions on the sale of consumer products that contain certain chemicals, in a letter dated June 3. Similar to laws recently passed in Maine, Washington, and California, the New York bill would create a list of priority chemicals and ban consumer products that contain those chemicals in some circumstances (see 14040401). The American Apparel and Footwear Association, Toy Industry Association, and 22 other groups said the bills would only further a developing patchwork of state regulations that would hamper economic growth.

The Obama administration is proposing new government-wide requirements for contractors to report all suspected counterfeit and nonconforming products to the Government-Industry Data Exchange Program (GIDEP) database. The Defense Department instituted similar rules in May for counterfeit electronic products (see 14050602). Now the government is proposing amendments to the Federal Acquisition Regulations that would extend that reporting across all products and agencies. Reporting would be required for any suspect counterfeit item, or any item that contains a major or critical nonconformance that was undetected by the supplier in a common item, and has resulted in the release of other nonconforming items to more than one customer. “The rule is intended to reduce the risk of counterfeit items entering the supply chain by ensuring that contractors report suspect items to a widely available database,” it said. Comments are due Aug. 11.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the South Korean Intellectual Property Office announced on June 5 the expansion of cooperation in patent classification activities. Under the agreement, South Korean regulators will increase the number of technical areas in which they classify patent documents using the joint U.S.-European Union Cooperative Patent Classification system. PTO said the change will make it easier to find existing South Korean patents and apply for new patents in South Korea.

The U.S. goods and services deficit increased to $47.2 billion in April from $44.2 billion in March, the Census Bureau said. The goods deficit specifically increased $3.3 billion in April. Goods exports decreased $0.6 billion to $135.1 billion, and goods imports increased $2.7 billion to $200.9 billion, said Census. The U.S. registered export decreases in capital goods ($0.3 billion); foods, feeds, and beverages ($0.3 billion); automotive vehicles, parts, and engines ($0.2 billion); and consumer goods ($0.1 billion). The March to April increase in export of goods reflected increases in industrial supplies and materials ($0.2 billion) and other goods ($0.1 billion). The March to April increase in imports of goods reflected increases in consumer goods ($1.1 billion); automotive vehicles, parts, and engines ($0.9 billion); capital goods ($0.8 billion); other goods ($0.3 billion); and foods, feeds, and beverages ($0.2 billion). A decrease occurred in industrial supplies and materials ($0.3 billion).

The Federal Trade Commission on June 4 published in the Federal Register its final rule making changes to the wool labeling regulations. The final rule relaxes fiber content disclosure requirements on hang tags, clarifies definitions on cashmere and virgin or new wool, updates the definition of country of origin to match CBP’s interpretation, and makes changes to guaranty provisions (see 14052827). The changes take effect July 7.

The Energy Department (DOE) says it intends to change its procedures related to the approval of facilities to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to non-free trade agreement (FTA) countries. Under the new procedures, DOE would no longer issue conditional approvals while the application awaits a decision on environmental impact by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The agency would also process applications in the order they become ready, rather than any predetermined order of precedence. Comments are due July 21.