The International Trade Commission on March 23 issued Revision 2 to the 2018 Harmonized Tariff Schedule. Changes, many of which take immediate effect, include provisions required to implement Section 232 tariffs on aluminum and steel products that took effect March 23 (see 1803230014). The ITC said it is aware of some technical issues with the documents and is "working to resolve it as quickly as possible." International Trade Today will have more details on the changes in a subsequent issue.
The International Trade Commission recently issued further changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule meant to implement Section 201 safeguard duties on solar cells. Changes to 10-digit statistical suffixes in the tariff schedule allow for reporting of photovoltaic generators and solar modules comprising lead-acid batteries attached to solar cells. The modifications, approved by the interagency “484(f)” Committee for Statistical Annotation of Tariff Schedules, took effect March 1.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is seeking public comment on a petition to exempt “inflatable head protective devices for bicyclists” from safety standard testing requirements, it said in a notice. The petition, submitted by Hovding Sweden AB, asks whether testing for CPSC's Safety Standard for Bicycle Helmets is necessary when the product "complies with, and is certified to, requirements in a standard developed by SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden." The product "is worn around the cyclist's neck, like a collar" and in a crash will inflate "to cover the rider's head for a few seconds and then deflates." CPSC would like input on whether such inflatable devices provide a level of protection similar to that of helmets and "what existing standards or other performance requirements could be used to evaluate the reliability and integrity of the deployment systems in inflatable helmets, such as sensors and batteries."
The World Customs Organization issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:
The Fish and Wildlife Service is removing the Eureka Valley evening-primrose (Oenothera californica ssp. Eurekensis), also known as the Eureka evening-primrose or the Eureka Dunes evening-primrose, from the list of endangered and threatened species, it said in a final rule. FWS is also reclassifying Eureka dune grass (Swallenia alexandrae), also known as Eureka dunegrass or Eureka Valley dune grass, from an endangered to a threatened species, it said. The final rule takes effect March 29.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission will continue to detain and seize hoverboards that don’t meet the requirements of the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) standard for self-balancing scooters, it said in a Feb. 22 letter to importers and retailers of the product. "You should not manufacture, import, distribute, or sell self-balancing scooters that do not comply with the UL standard," said the letter from Robert Kaye, director in the CPSC Office of Compliance and Field Operations. "I urge you to review your product line immediately and ensure that all self-balancing scooters that you manufacture, import, distribute, or sell in the United States comply with the UL standard. Failure to do so puts U.S. consumers at risk of serious harm and may result in enforcement action."
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.”