The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is removing the water howellia (Howellia aquatilis), an aquatic herb from the northwestern U.S., as well as the orchid species Lepanthes eltoroensis (no common name), found in Puerto Rico, from the Endangered Species List, it said in two final rules released June 15. Threats to the species have been eliminated or reduced to the point they no longer meet the definition of an endangered or a threatened species, FWS said. The delistings take effect July 16.

The Centers for Disease Control released its formal notice late June 14 temporarily suspending imports of dogs from high-risk rabies countries (see 2106140047). The notice details the process for requesting advance approval from the CDC for otherwise prohibited imports, including for dogs imported for purposes related to science, education or exhibition. Importers that meet certain eligibility criteria detailed in the notice must request the relevant form from CDC and submit documentation including proof of rabies vaccination. The application must be submitted at least 30 days prior to importation. The dogs may be imported only into a port of entry with a live animal care facility with a CBP-issued Facilities Information and Resource Management System code. Currently, only New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport qualifies, the CDC said. The notice is effective July 14.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suspended imports of dogs that come from countries classified by CDC as being at high risk for rabies or have been in those countries within the previous six months, the agency said in a June 14 news release. The temporary suspension is effective July 14, it said. "This temporary action is necessary to ensure the health and safety of dogs imported into the United States and to protect the public’s health against the reintroduction of canine rabies virus variant," it said. The CDC may approve "on an extremely limited basis" imports of such dogs, it said. "No CDC Dog Import Permits are issued upon arrival. Dogs that arrive from high-risk countries without advance written approval from CDC will be denied entry and returned to the country of departure at the importer’s expense." The CDC also released a set of frequently asked questions and a list of the changes.

European and U.S. former government officials said they think the U.S. and European countries will find much common ground in efforts to make trade work for working people, but that getting on the same page with China will be a challenge.

The Drug Enforcement Administration permanently placed the synthetic cathinone N-ethylpentylone into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, in a final rule released June 11. The substance had been temporarily listed in Schedule I since 2018 (see 2008270025). The final rule takes effect June 14.

Dan Ikenson, who spent decades in trade policy at the libertarian Cato Institute, said he defended China's behavior for years after it joined the World Trade Organization. "I was in favor of welcoming China into the trading system," he said. But now, Ikenson said during a June 9 webinar hosted by the R Street Institute, he has come to see that China's last 15 years of state-directed capitalism produced enormous externalities. He said some of those externalities include the rise of populism, the political rejection of free trade, and even, in part, the presidency of Donald Trump.

The Federal Maritime Commission is accepting applications from those interested in joining its newly formed National Shipper Advisory Committee, the FMC announced June 7. The committee -- which will accept 12 members from the export community and 12 from the import community -- will meet at least once a year and advise the FMC on the “competitiveness, reliability, integrity, and fairness” of the ocean freight delivery system. Members will serve appointments of up to three years and will not be paid. Applications are due June 30.

A Japanese and a Korean economist said that trade tensions between their two countries are no longer really disrupting Korea's semiconductor industry, though they are still increasing costs for some of the Japanese exporters.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list two populations of the lesser prairie chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus), a grassland bird known from southeastern Colorado, western Kansas, eastern New Mexico, western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle, under the Endangered Species Act. The agency’s June 1 proposed rule would list the southern population as endangered, and the northern population as threatened but with a 4(d) rule that prohibits imports and exports. FWS had listed the lesser prairie chicken in 2014 before revoking the listing two years later in accordance with a court order. Comments are due by Aug. 2.

Importers, exporters and customs brokers have until June 11 to file objections to the release of data on shipments of plants and wildlife regulated by the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1999 and from 2015 to 2020, FWS said in a notice on its website. The agency says it has received a Freedom of Information Act request for data on shipments in its Law Enforcement Management Information System database, and will release the data if no objections are received by that date.