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.
The International Trade Commission on Aug. 23 launched a new Import Monitoring Tool on its website (here), as required by the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act enacted in February (see 1602240071), the ITC said (here). The tool will allow users to determine whether import data changed throughout a period of time and uses public monthly import data provided by the Commerce Department based on Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) tariff line, the ITC said. When users first access the tool, they will see U.S. imports ranked by tariff line in descending order based on the “largest absolute change” during the latest two quarters. Users can also adjust ranking criteria to a percentage-change basis; set apart a group of tariff lines from a certain HTS chapter, heading or subheading; segregate changes by specific importer; and view corresponding changes in import quantities, the ITC said. Users can also query the data by HTS tariff line and see associated country or quantity details. The Import Monitoring Tool contains import data for the eight latest quarters, the ITC said.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is reinstating threatened status for slickspot peppergrass (lepidium papilliferum), a plant species from the state of Idaho, under the Endangered Species Act, it said in a final rule (here). FWS had originally listed the plant as threatened in 2009, but a federal court subsequently overturned the listing. FWS says its final rule relisting the species addresses the court’s concerns. Import and export restrictions set by the final rule take effect Sept. 16.
The Energy Department is proposing to amend energy efficiency test procedures for walk-in coolers and walk-in freezers, it said (here). Proposed changes include an update to certification and enforcement provisions to address the performance-based energy conservation standards for walk-in cooler and freezer equipment, and new labeling requirements to aid manufacturers in determining which components would be considered for compliance purposes as intended for walk-in cooler and freezer applications, DOE said. Comments are due Oct. 17.
The Energy Department is proposing new energy efficiency standards for uninterruptible power supplies, which are a class of battery chargers, it said (here). The proposed standard would define the product as “a combination of convertors, switches and energy storage devices (such as batteries), constituting a power system for maintaining continuity of load power in case of input power failure.” Comments on the proposed rule are due Oct. 4.