The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is proposing a new standard of identity for the Bolivian spirit Singani, it said. If the rule is finalized, TTB would add Singani as a type of brandy derived from grapes that is manufactured in Bolivia in compliance with the laws and regulations of Bolivia governing the manufacture of Singani for consumption in that country. In a departure from its usual practice, TTB is proposing to allow Singani to have an alcohol content as low as 35% (70 proof), despite the broader class of brandies having a minimum alcohol content of 40% (80 proof).

The Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list the Amur sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii), a fish species from the Amur River basin in Russia and China, as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act, it said in a proposed rule released Aug. 24. The species is already listed in Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Appendix II. If the rule is finalized, it will result in prohibitions on the import and export of the Amur sturgeon without obtaining FWS permits. Comments are due Oct. 25.

The Fish and Wildlife Service on Aug. 23 released a final rule listing the Franklin’s bumble bee (Bombus franklini), an insect species from Oregon and California, as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rule take effect Sept. 23.

The State Department and the Office of Foreign Assets Control recently announced a series of sanctions against Russia, including import restrictions on firearms and the designation of entities and individuals connected the poisoning of Russian opposition figure Aleksey Navalny. Coming on the one-year anniversary of Navalny’s poisoning with Novichok nerve agent, the new sanctions are being carried out “in concert” with the United Kingdom, State said.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is removing the Cumberland sandwort (Arenaria cumberlandensis), a perennial plant of the pink family found in southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee, from the Endangered Species List, it said in a final rule published Aug. 16. An FWS review indicates that “threats to the species identified at the time of listing (i.e., timber harvesting, trampling from recreational uses, and digging for archaeological artifacts) have been reduced to the point that they no longer pose a threat to the species, and the known range and abundance of Cumberland sandwort have increased,” FWS said. “Our review also indicates that potential effects of projected climate change are not expected to cause the species to become endangered in the foreseeable future,” the agency said. The delisting takes effect Sept. 15.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is removing the running buffalo clover (Trifolium stoloniferum), a member of the pea family found in the lower Midwest, from the Endangered Species List, it said in a final rule published Aug. 6. An FWS review indicates that “the threats to running buffalo clover have been eliminated or reduced to the point that the species no longer meets the definition of an endangered species or a threatened species,” the agency said. The delisting takes effect Sept. 7.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is proposing to list mesocarb, a substance with stimulating properties marketed in Russia for treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder that has no approved medical use and no known therapeutic application in the U.S., under schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a notice published Aug. 11. “If finalized, this action would impose the regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to schedule I controlled substances on persons who handle (manufacture, distribute, reverse distribute, import, export, engage in research, conduct instructional activities or chemical analysis with, or possess), or propose to handle, mesocarb.” Comments are due by Oct. 12.

After a request from Auxin Solar and Suniva that the solar cell, module and panel safeguard be extended, the International Trade Commission launched an investigation into whether the 18% tariff "continues to be necessary to prevent or remedy serious injury and whether there is evidence that the domestic industry is making a positive adjustment to import competition." The tariff is scheduled to sunset on Feb. 7, 2022.

The Federal Maritime Commission is investigating the surcharge practices of eight ocean carriers after receiving industry complaints that the carriers have “improperly” imposed fees, the commission said Aug. 4. The carriers -- CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, HMM, Matson, MSC, OOCL, SM Line and Zim -- have until Aug. 13 to respond to questions by the FMC’s Bureau of Enforcement and to “provide details that confirm any surcharges were instituted properly and in accordance with legal and regulatory obligations.”

A group of technology, auto, manufacturing and semiconductor groups urged congressional leaders to fund the CHIPS for America Act so the semiconductor industry can begin benefiting from tax credits and other incentives to boost U.S. semiconductor innovation (see 2107160040). The groups, including the Semiconductor Industry Association, the Information Technology Industry Council, the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, urged Congress in a July 22 letter to “expeditiously” approve funding for the bill and other programs to support the chip industry. “These initiatives will help grow the U.S. economy, create hundreds of thousands of good-paying middle-class jobs in advanced manufacturing and other fields, unleash billions in private sector investments, assure the supply of critical components essential to virtually all sectors of the economy, and strengthen our national security,” the groups wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.