The Consumer Product Safety Commission and similar agencies in Canada and Mexico "formalized their cooperative relationship through the ratification of a trilateral memorandum of understanding," the CPSC said in a Feb. 22 news release. "The MOU is intended to memorialize cooperative efforts already underway, as well as to facilitate future joint activities,” CPSC Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle said. Goods "produced in North America or imported from outside, to any of the three countries, may easily find their way into another partner’s jurisdiction through our extensive shared borders," the CSPC said. "The MOU will facilitate better regulatory cooperation and technical exchanges among product safety authorities to share best practices and improve the potential for alignment of requirements at high levels of safety. For example, a recent project by the three agencies analyzed and recommended testing solutions for unaddressed hazards from wall outlet chargers for small electronic products -- an initiative that will be expanded under the MOU to include other product areas for aligning approaches to safety."
The Federal Trade Commission is amending its energy efficiency labeling regulations on dishwashers, furnaces, room air conditioners and pool heaters, it said in a final rule. The changes affect ranges of comparability and unit energy cost figures on EnergyGuide labels, the FTC said. The final rule also sets a compliance date of Oct. 1, 2019, for EnergyGuide labels on room air conditioner boxes, which had been on hold until Canada announced similar provisions, the FTC said. The final rule takes effect May 23.
The American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) published the 19th edition of its Restricted Substances List, which provides information on regulations and laws that restrict or ban certain chemicals and substances in finished home textile, apparel and footwear products around the world. The AAFA released the last list in March 2017. The list "serves as a practical tool to help individuals in textile, apparel and footwear companies, and their suppliers -- responsible for environmental compliance throughout the supply chain -- to become more aware of various national and international regulations governing the amount of substances that are permitted in finished home textile, apparel, and footwear products," the AAFA said.
A bill recently introduced in the California state legislature would ban importation and sale in the state of cosmetics tested on animals. Introduced by state Sen. Cathleen Galgiani, D-Stockton, S.B. 1249 “would make it unlawful for any cosmetic manufacturer to knowingly import or sell any cosmetic, including personal hygiene products such as deodorant, shampoo, or conditioner, in California if the final product or any component of the product was tested on animals after Jan. 1, 2020,” according to a press release from the non-profit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. “A violation would result in a fine of up to $500 for the first violation and up to $1,000 for each subsequent violation.”
The International Trade Commission recently released an updated version of the 2018 Harmonized Tariff Schedule, making several changes required to implement safeguard duties on large residential washers and solar cells (see 1801230052), it said. According to the ITC’s change record, “Revision 1.1” changes unit of quantity requirements for washing machines from “X” to “No.” and adds “W” for watts to the units of quantity for solar cells under subheading 8541.40.6030. New statistical note 9 to Chapter 85 clarifies that, “for statistical reporting purposes under subheading 8541.40.6030, importers should report the total watts at maximum power based on standard test conditions according to the latest revision of International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60904, ‘Photovoltaic Devices.’” Provisions for the safeguards are also added to Chapter 99, as detailed in the annex to the presidential proclamation setting the new tariffs (see 1802020012). The changes took effect Feb. 7.
A recent change to Peruvian logging permit rules will make it “nearly impossible” for Peruvian timber to be legally imported into the U.S. and European Union, the non-governmental Environmental Investigation Agency said in a Feb. 7 news release. Following concerns that cropped up in 2015 over illegal timber harvesting in Peru (see 1608170039), the Peruvian government’s response has been to “fire and intimidate key officials, reduce data collection at export points, and most recently to change transport permit requirements so that wood cannot be traced back to its source -- in contravention of Peru’s own laws and international commitments,” the EIA said. “Peru’s new rule interpretation will make it impossible to trace any wood product for sale or export back to its forest source and therefore, given the way U.S. and European Union regulations are being enforced, will make it essentially impossible for Peruvian timber to legally enter those markets,” said Lisa Handy, EIA director-forest campaigns. “If you can’t even figure out where your timber came from, how can you possibly claim to know it’s legal?”
The Fish and Wildlife Service issued a final rule listing the Texas hornshell (Popenaias popeii), a freshwater mussel species from New Mexico, Texas and Mexico, as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rule take effect March 12.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is temporarily adding all "fentanyl-related substances" to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said. The agency's temporary scheduling order covers "any substance not otherwise controlled in any schedule," including substances not yet developed as of publication of DEA's notice, "that is structurally related to fentanyl" in certain ways listed in the notice. DEA plans on publishing notices detailing the actual substances covered by the order as they are developed, though "even in the absence of a future publication by DEA specifically identifying such a substance, the substance will be controlled by virtue of the temporary scheduling order." DEA proposed the temporary scheduling order in December (see 1712290012). The listing takes effect Feb. 6, and will be in effect for up to three years.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is temporarily adding seven fentanyl-related synthetic opioids to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said. The substances are valeryl fentanyl, parafluorobutyryl fentanyl, para-methoxybutyryl fentanyl, para-chloroisobutyryl fentanyl, isobutyryl fentanyl, cyclopentyl fentanyl and ocfentanil. The listing takes effect Feb. 1, and will be in effect for up to three years.
The National Marine Fisheries Service is issuing a final rule to list the oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharinus lonigmanus) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. New import and export restrictions established by the final rule take effect March 1.