The Fish and Wildlife Service is issuing a final rule listing the Egyptian tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni; syn. Testudo werneri), a terrestrial tortoise from Libya, Egypt and Israel, as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The listing includes a 4(d) rule for this species that prohibits importation and exportation without a permit. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rule take effect May 1.

The Federal Maritime Commission on March 24 approved a confidential settlement agreement to resolve a detention and demurrage dispute between Philip Reinisch Co. and Flexport International. The "proceeding would require potentially expensive discovery and briefing," the FMC said, and both parties "determined that the settlement reasonably resolves the issues raised in the complaint without the need for costly and uncertain litigation."

The New York State Legislature passed an amendment March 20 to a bill passed last year that banned perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in apparel. The bill expands the ban to outdoor apparel and outerwear, which had previously been exempt, according to a post on the Kelley Green Law blog.

The Federal Maritime Commission is "actively seeking information" to confirm whether ocean carriers and marine terminal operators are complying with a recent ruling about per diem detention charges, the FMC said March 23.

The International Trade Commission recently released Revision 2 to the 2023 Harmonized Tariff Schedule, adding four HTS subheadings under chapter 99 to implement Presidential Proclamation 10522 of Feb. 24, "Adjusting Imports of Aluminum Into the United States."

Critical mineral arrangements with the EU or other allies are likely to end up in court, Georgetown Law Professor Kathleen Claussen said during a discussion of the legality of a mini deal with the EU. There are two facets of the legality question -- is a sectoral agreement legal under World Trade Organization rules about nondiscrimination, and does the administration have the authority to qualify these agreements as free trade agreements, as it implements the Inflation Reduction Act.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is revoking the registration of two vehicle importers for submitting false and misleading certifications of conformance for vehicles they imported, NHTSA said in a March 14 news release. Bisbee Importing of Davison, Michigan, and Metro Auto Importer of Clinton Township, Michigan, no longer will be allowed to legally import through NHTSA’s Registered Importer program “due to serious and systemic violations of federal safety requirements,” the agency said.

The Federal Maritime Commission will amend its civil penalty regulations and procedures to align them with changes made by the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022. The final rule, released March 17 and effective April 19, makes changes to the language in the FMC's regulations that allows the commission to be able to "order a refund of charges" in a charge complaint proceeding, it said. The FMC also said that if a refund of charges is ordered in addition to a civil penalty, the civil penalty must be reduced so that freight carriers do not pay more than the "actual injury" caused.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is issuing a final rule listing the longsolid (Fusconaia subrotunda) and round hickorynut (Obovaria subrotunda), freshwater mussels found in rivers and lakes in the Eastern U.S., as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The listing includes a 4(d) rule for this species that prohibits importation and exportation without a permit. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rule take effect April 10.

The Federal Communications Commission seeks additional comments on aspects of its recent order banning the import and sale of any new telecommunications equipment listed on its Covered List, which currently includes products from Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua (see 2211300062), the FCC said in a notice published in the March 8 Federal Register.