The Drug Enforcement Administration is proposing to remove 6-beta-naltrexol and its salts from schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a proposed rule. DEA says the drug has no abuse potential. If the removal is finalized, DEA would eliminate “regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to controlled substances, including those specific to schedule II controlled substances, on persons who handle (manufacture, distribute, reverse distribute, dispense, conduct research, import, export, or conduct chemical analysis) or propose to handle" 6-beta naltrexol, it said. Comments are due Sept. 20.

In a review of how the domestic industry has or has not been given breathing room to adjust to imports, the International Trade Commission says there has been some improvement in the financial performance of domestic washing machine producers, increased production and employment, and progress in implementing adjustment plans. Imports have declined, and Samsung and LG started production of washers in South Carolina and Tennessee, respectively, though they are having difficulties ramping up.

Humanity United and the Freedom Fund are seeking applicants for grants that will be used "to conduct on-the-ground investigations and evidence collection to link forced labor practices with specific U.S. imports," the groups said in a request for proposals released last month. The effort, called the Tariff Act Legal Fund, "aims to catalyze enforcement of the import ban by supporting civil society organisations to collect and submit evidence to CBP," the groups said. The legal fund will provide for grants of $25,000 to $40,000 to as many as five CSOs, the groups said. The CSO will be expected to file a formal forced labor petition with CBP at the end of the grant period, the RFP said. "While the fund does not focus on specific countries or industries," proposals should involve goods mentioned on the Labor Department's list on goods made with forced or child labor and should not already be the subject of a CBP withhold release order. Application forms are due Sept. 16.

The Drug Enforcement Administration will temporarily list the synthetic cathinones N-ethylhexedrone, α-PHP, 4-MEAP, MPHP, PV8, and 4-chloro-α-PVP in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a notice. The chemical will be subject to import and export restrictions for schedule I substances. The agency can temporarily list controlled substances for up to three years before a permanent listing is required.

The International Trade Commission posted a recent webinar on the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill petitioning process. The ITC said it will begin accepting the petitions no later than Oct. 15. The agency will open the portal for public comments once the 60-day window for petition submissions closes in December, it said. There will also be a special process for requesting a renewal for a duty suspension that was approved in the last MTB process. The ITC proposed some changes to the MTB petitions in March (see 1903130026).

The International Trade Commission recently issued Revision 6 to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. Changes include the removal of Turkey from the Generalized System of Preferences program (see 1905170004), including its elimination from the list of GSP countries in General Note 4 and the removal of Turkish goods from the list of country-product pairs ineligible for GSP. The new version also removes Turkey from the lists in U.S. Notes 17 and 18 to Chapter 99 of developing countries exempt from safeguard duties on washing machines and solar cells. These changes took effect May 17. Effective May 20, the tariff schedule is amended to remove additional Section 232 tariffs on steel products from Turkey provided for in U.S. Note 16 to Chapter 99 and in subheading 9903.80.02, so that Turkey is now subject to the 25% tariff applicable to most other countries. Finally, Revision 6 includes changes to reflect the recently announced exemption of Mexico and Canada from Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum (see 1905170044), with modifications to U.S. Note 16 to Chapter 99 and subheadings 9903.80.01 and 9903.85.01 that took effect May 20.

All U.S. cargo and air transportation to and from any airport in Venezuela is suspended, effective May 15, the Department of Homeland Security said in a notice. "The Secretary of Homeland Security has determined that conditions in Venezuela threaten the safety and security of passengers, aircraft, and crew, and that the public interest requires an immediate suspension of air transportation," DHS said. The decision involved multiple factors, including the limited access of Transportation Security Administration employees to perform assessments in the airports and "the risk of Maduro regime actions against U.S. citizens and U.S. interests located in Venezuela," DHS said. Acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan made the decision, with input from the secretaries of Transportation and State. "If and when the conditions in Venezuela change and if in the public interest, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Secretary of Transportation, will revisit this determination," DHS said.

The International Trade Commission recently issued two updates to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule to reflect changes for Section 301 tariffs on products from China. In Revision 4, the ITC implemented the increase in duties on tranche three of goods subject to the tariffs from 10 to 25 percent, as announced in early May (see 1905060040). The increase in duty rates for subheadings 9903.88.03 and 9903.88.04, as well as U.S. Notes 20(e) and 20(g) to subchapter III of chapter 99, took effect May 10. The subsequently issued Revision 5 implemented a new batch of exclusions from tranche one of the tariffs under new subheading 9903.88.08 and U.S. Note 20(k) to subchapter III, and made conforming changes to U.S. Note 20(a) and U.S. Note 20(b). It also implemented new subheading 9903.88.09 for goods subject to tranche three of duties that are still subject to a 10 percent duty because they were exported from China before May 10 and entered before June 1. U.S. Note 20(l) explains the new provision. Also in Revision 5 but unrelated to Section 301 tariffs, the ITC updated Statistical Annexes A and B of the HTS to reflect the new name of North Macedonia.

The Centers for Disease Control is temporarily suspending importation of dogs from Egypt effective May 10, it said in a notice. The ban comes as a result of several cases of rabies found in dogs imported from Egypt, even on dogs imported with a valid rabies certificate, indicating a failure in the Egyptian rabies vaccination regime, CDC said. Dogs may still be imported from Egypt if the importer obtains advance written approval from the CDC, the agency said. Approval will be granted “on a limited and case-by-case basis and at CDC’s discretion,” it said. “This suspension will remain in place until appropriate veterinary controls have been established in Egypt to prevent the export of rabid dogs,” CDC said.

Trade finance, customs clearance and country of origin verification are three areas where blockchain can “transform international trade” by making transactions faster, more efficient and more transparent, according to a recently published study from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. The financial, trade and retail industries are currently testing or implementing blockchain technologies in each of these areas in an effort to explore the benefits of blockchain, though cooperation between the public and private sectors is necessary for the technology to mature, the study said.