The Energy Department is adopting new energy efficiency standards for dedicated purpose pool pump motors, it said in a Sept. 28 final rule, which is effective Nov. 27. The compliance date for the new standards varies by motor size, with compliance required for motors with a total horsepower less than 0.5 by Sept. 29, 2025; total horsepower between 0.5 and 1.14 by Sept. 28, 2027; and total horsepower between 1.15 and 5 by Sept. 29, 2025.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is proposing to list ethylphenidate, a central nervous system stimulant, under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a notice published Sept. 22. “If finalized, this action would impose the regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to schedule I controlled substances on persons who handle (manufacture, distribute, reverse distribute, import, export, engage in research, conduct instructional activities or chemical analysis, or possess) or propose to handle ethylphenidate.” Comments are due by Nov. 21.

The International Trade Commission recently released Revision 11 to the 2023 Harmonized Tariff Schedule, which extended the dates of subheadings 9903.88.67 and 9903.88.68 through Dec. 31. Both subheadings cover product exclusions from Section 301 tariffs. The 67 subheading covers a variety of pumps, actuators and other mechanical appliances of Chapters 84, 85, 86, and 90. The 68 subheading covers a variety of medical devices.

Taiwan-based carrier Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. violated the Shipping Act by not providing agreed upon space, charging "extracontractual prices and surcharges” and charging unfair detention and demurrage fees, Bed Bath & Beyond said in a recent complaint to the Federal Maritime Commission. Bed Bath & Beyond is seeking reparations for the "injuries" caused by Yang Ming, telling the FMC that it may have been subject to more than $700,000 in unfair charges.

A think tank with roots in libertarianism that now supports a carbon tax warned that members of Congress who want to pass a carbon border adjustment tax without a domestic carbon tax face more than just litigation at the World Trade Organization.

Jane Hartley, U.S. ambassador to the U.K., this week said the U.S. could do more "smaller" things to develop the trade relationship with the U.K. rather than tackle a broader free trade agreement. The "time frame of the political calendar," more so in the U.S. than across the pond, and broader challenges, both policy-wise and temporally, may restrict the development of a larger deal, she said during an interview with Bloomberg TV.

A former Office of the U.S. Trade Representative career negotiator and a former Trump administration trade adviser say that even if the U.S. is not going to reenter into a tweaked Trans-Pacific Partnership -- as they advised in an earlier think tank piece -- the U.S. needs to take trade negotiations in Asia more seriously to not get left behind.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is finalizing changes to its regulations on quotas for controlled substances and the list I chemicals ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine. DEA’s final rule defines "the types of quotas, update the method to abandon quota, clarify the current language to ensure that both manufacturers and distributors are required to obtain certification of a buyer’s quota, reduce overall inventories, formalize the existing practice of use-specific subcategories for individual manufacturing and procurement quotas, and modify existing deadlines to fix/issue quotas," the agency said. It also implements legislative changes to the Controlled Substances Act. The final rule takes effect Nov. 29.

Connecticut-based electronics manufacturer Hubbell Inc. accused freight forwarder DSV of violating U.S. shipping regulations by failing to provide the required service under a negotiated contract, Hubbell said in an Aug. 28 complaint to the Federal Maritime Commission. The manufacturer also accused DSV, headquartered in Denmark, of assessing $900,000 in overbilled or “improper” charges.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is issuing a final rule listing the South Sierra and South Coast distinct population segments of the foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii), a stream-dwelling amphibian from Oregon and California, as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, and the North Feather and Central Coast distinct population segments of the species as threatened. The listings for the North Feather and Central Coast groups include a 4(d) rule for this species that prohibits importation and exportation without a permit. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rule take effect Sept. 28.