The Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking input from the public as it develops its negotiating positions on proposed resolutions, decisions and amendments set to be discussed at the 17th regular Conference of the Parties of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, it said (here). FWS will also hold a public meeting on July 19 to discuss proposed agenda items, it said in a notice. Comments on U.S. negotiating positions and agenda items are due Aug. 8. The CITES conference is set for Sept. 24 through Oct. 5 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Energy Department is proposing to revise its energy efficiency certification and enforcement regulations for electric motors. The agency’s proposed rule (here) would conform its rules for electric motors to those for all other products regulated by DOE, it said. The proposed regulations would also provide specific sampling plans, certification of efficiency requirements, independent testing laboratory and certification program requirements, and labeling requirements for electric motors and small electric motors, DOE said. Comments on the proposal are due July 25.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on June 22 issued new regulations for lighting and marking of agricultural equipment that may be operated on public roads. The agency’s final rule (here) adopts American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Standard 279.14, a “voluntary industry consensus standard” for “originally manufactured agricultural equipment,” it said. Compliance with the new requirements will be mandated as of June 22, 2017.

The International Trade Commission recently launched an investigation into the potential economic effects of a change to rules of origin under the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement for artificial filament yarn, it said (here). The proposed change (here), recently agreed to by the U.S. trade representative and Chilean negotiators, would allow goods of subheadings 5408.22 and 5408.23 to qualify for preferences under the agreement after a change from certain headings under the same chapter. Currently goods under these subheadings only qualify with a change from another chapter. The ITC’s report on the effects of the change is due to the administration in three months. Comments on the proposed change are due July 11.

The Fish and Wildlife Service will issue a final rule (here) listing the elfin-woods warbler (Setophaga angelae), a bird species in Puerto Rico, as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rule take effect July 22.

The International Trade Commission released its report on changes to rules of origin under the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA), it said in a June 17 press release (here). The report (here) considered the economic effects of the potential modifications, which would affect fishing lures, gaming machines, polyvinyl chloride and some chemicals. Among other things, the ITC found that the "proposed modification for the rule of origin for fishing lures could result in a significant increase in U.S. imports of fishing lures from CAFTA-DR partner countries," it said in the release. "However, because U.S. imports from CAFTA-DR countries are a small portion of total U.S imports of fishing lures, the effect on total U.S. imports of these products is likely negligible. For all other products, the likely effects on U.S. imports from CAFTA-DR partner countries are negligible."

The Labor Department is extending the comment period on its proposal to add carpets from India to the “List of Products Requiring Federal Contractor Certification as to Forced or Indentured Child Labor” (the EO List), until July 15, DOL said (here). DOL received three comments during the initial comment period, which opened in 2014, and DOL and the departments of State and Homeland Security received 19 more comments after the period expired. In determining whether a product should be added to the EO list, officials consider the nature of information describing the use of forced or indentured child labor, the source of the information, date of the information, level of corroboration of the information by “appropriate sources,” how many incidents the information covered, and “whether recent and credible efforts are being made to address forced or indentured child labor in a particular country or industry.”

The Fish and Wildlife Service is considering regulatory changes governing FWS procedures for seizures and forfeitures, the agency said in a notice (here). "This proposed rule will make the current regulations easier to understand through the use of simpler language and will also more clearly explain the procedures used in administrative forfeiture proceedings," the agency said. Among the proposed changes are revised or new definitions, it said. Comments are due Aug. 16.

The International Trade Commission released its seventh annual compilation of biweekly data on textile and apparel imports from China for 2015, including data by category for the span 2008-2015 (here). The data in the report are shown on an annual and quarterly basis, by category and by Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) 10-digit numbers. It consists of a series of tables that provide Chinese textile and apparel import statistics, including: import value by category and HTS number; Chinese market share; quantity of imports from China; unit value of imports from China; and unit value of imports from the world.

The International Trade Commission plans to submit two new forms to the Office of Management and Budget related to Miscellaneous Tariff Bill petitions, the ITC said in a notice (here). "The information requested by these forms is for use by the Commission in connection with evaluating miscellaneous tariff petitions submitted" under the new MTB process (see 1605200041), the ITC said. "Each interested party will be required to establish a user web account on the Commission website to submit a petition requesting the creation or renewal of miscellaneous tariff provisions in the [Harmonized Tariff Schedule] comment on a previously submitted petition," it said. The ITC expects up to 5,000 petitions and 14,000 comments, it said. Public comments are due Aug. 16. "Copies of the forms, supporting documents, and previously submitted comments" will eventually be available on the ITC website (here).