The Drug Enforcement Administration said it intends to temporarily add the synthetic opioid U-47700 to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (here). DEA can issue a final order temporarily adding the substances after a period of 30 days passes. If issued, the final order will take effect immediately and will stay in effect for a maximum of three years, pending completion of a permanent scheduling order.

The Drug Enforcement Administration said it intends to temporarily add the opioids mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, both found in the increasingly popular drug kratom, to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (here). DEA can issue a final order temporarily adding the substances after a period of 30 days passes. If issued, the final order will take effect immediately and will stay in effect for a maximum of three years, pending completion of a permanent scheduling order.

A successful Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will require U.S. negotiators to agree to repeal Jones Act shipping competition policies and to give up some restrictions on commercial air travel and government procurement projects, said Dan Ikenson, director of the Cato Institute’s Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, in a blog post (here). So far in TTIP negotiations, the U.S. “hasn’t budged an inch” toward any trade liberalization in those areas, he said. “Until that is no longer the case, the TTIP should be considered a failure,” Ikenson wrote. After Brexit’s aftereffects and some of the political controversy surrounding trade and TTIP de-intensifies, the U.S. and the EU should approach the negotiating table willing to liberalize all bilateral trade, “including sacred cows,” Ikenson said. Upping the ante will bring a higher level of interest, excitement and leverage needed to conclude a solid trade agreement, he said.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will end its partner government agency message set pilot for data submission in ACE, ATF said in a notice (here). While the pilot will end as of Aug. 31, "the mandatory filing date for filing entries in ACE has yet to be determined," ATF said. The agency began the pilot last summer (see 1507290025). "Importers should be aware that no changes have been made to the requirement that importers submit their copy of the Form 6A (with Sections I and III completed) to ATF within 15 days of release from CBP custody," ATF said.

The Energy Department will require monthly reports from shippers of natural gas that pass through the U.S. in transit, it said (here). DOE says it does not consider in-transit shipments, which include “shipments of natural gas that only temporarily pass through the United States before returning to their country of origin, or temporarily pass through a foreign country before returning to the United States, for consumption or other disposition,” to be import or export shipments that require the agency’s authorization. However, DOE will require the entity holding title to the natural gas to file a report within 30 days of the end of the month that the in-transit shipment was completed, providing DOE details of the shipment. DOE will also require report filers to maintain copies of the reports in their records. The notice is effective Aug. 30.

The Energy Department is amending energy efficiency test procedures for medium base compact fluorescent lamps, and adopting new test procedures for all compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) including hybrid CFLs and CFLs with bases other than a medium screw base, in a final rule (here). Compliance with the new test procedures is required for all representations beginning Feb. 27, 2017.

The Drug Enforcement Administration placed the synthetic opiate thiafentanil into Schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act, in a final rule (here). Effective Aug. 26, thiafentanil is subject to new registration, labeling, recordkeeping, and import and export requirements. DEA is accepting comments on the rule until Sept. 26.

The International Trade Commission is planning to roll out systems and mechanisms in the next few weeks to facilitate its consideration of petitions for duty suspensions and reductions under the miscellaneous tariff bill (MTB) petitions process, the ITC said (here). MTBInfo, the “pre-launch” site for MTB-related information, will debut in early September and publish updates about the MTB process before it goes live Oct. 14, including educational and contact info, filing and commenting tips, and official document postings, the ITC said. Further, the ITC expects to issue MTB rules and procedures on MTBInfo and in the Federal Register in September, the commission said. The ITC will provide more information in early October on the introduction of its web-based MTB portal -- currently being developed -- to be used for filing and commenting on petitions. All “pre-launch” information will remain accessible through links after the petition process software debuts, the ITC said.

A nearly $900,000 Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program grant will fund a 17,000-square-foot expansion and renovation of the Auburn-Lewiston (Maine) terminal aircraft apron, improving cargo capabilities at the port of entry, according to an announcement from the office of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine (here). Specifically, the project will expand the existing terminal aircraft apron to the heavy aircraft apron, will conclude a “full-depth reconstruction” of the existing terminal aircraft apron, and allow more space for parking for larger aircraft, Collins’ office said. The improvements are expected to take 45 days, with work beginning “after Labor Day weekend,” Collins’ office said.

The American Postal Workers Union scheduled protests against the Trans-Pacific Partnership for Aug. 23 during its biennial convention in Orlando, Fla., union President Mark Dimondstein said in a statement (here). A post on the Campaign for America's Future blog contends that, while TPP allows corporate investors to sue governments “for what they consider to be violations of the agreement that hurt their profits,” the deal denies the same recourse for labor, environmental, consumer or other types of stakeholder groups who might feel their rights were violated. Dimondstein further charged that the deal is deceitful, saying the “devious” TPP was negotiated in secret and seeks to bolster the power of multinational corporations and deny advocacy rights to citizens and workers. Furthermore, TPP might deny the U.S. Postal Service the decision-making authority for engaging in activities such as postal banking, a financial service provided through USPS until the mid-1960s, the blog post said. The TPP will likely come before Congress in a “lame-duck” vote, and a previous blog post urged anti-TPP advocates to push congressional Democrats, particularly in the House, to go on the record in opposing the deal (here). The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees didn't comment.