The Office of Foreign Assets Control is publishing the names of four individuals in Colombia whose property and interests in property have been unblocked pursuant to Executive Order 12978, "Blocking Assets and Prohibiting Transactions With Significant Narcotics Traffickers," effective July 15, 2010.
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is adopting as a final rule, with minor technical changes, effective August 23, 2010, temporary regulations that implemented increases in Federal excise tax rates on tobacco products and cigarette papers and tubes, the floor stocks tax provisions of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, and the new statutory criteria for denial, suspension, or revocation of tobacco permits.
This forum in its fifth year has made strong progress in the areas of visa reform, aviation liberalization and introductory steps toward a bilateral tax treaty. The Department of Commerce and the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade are working to develop an agenda under the U.S. -- Brazil Commercial Dialogue to include topics such as; green technology and customs modernization.
Commerce Secretary Locke and Korea's Minister of Knowledge-Economy Choi confirmed on July 20, 2010 the importance of strengthening the U.S.-Korea commercial relationship and continuing to deepen cooperation on trade and investment issues. Both expressed interest in finding a way forward on the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA).
The International Trade Administration announces a meeting of the Civil Nuclear Trade Advisory Committee on August 5, 2010, which will include discussion of Subcommittee final reports on treaties and regulation; civil nuclear technology; domestic competitiveness; etc.
Secretary of State Clinton, at a meeting of the U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, announced that the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) would provide $50 million to support a private equity investment fund designed to invest in companies in Pakistan that could benefit from technological upgrades. The fund has a target capitalization of $150 million.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has posted a list of current in-progress Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) risk analyses as of July 8, 2010, which reflects all import requests currently being evaluated by APHIS-PPQ that meet the requirements in 7 CFR 319.5. The risk analyses and rulemaking or other policy documents for each issue on this list may be in any stage of preparation, review, or clearance, but have not yet been released publicly.
The Environmental Protection Agency is requesting applications for essential use allowances for calendar years 2012 and 2013, which provide exemptions from the phaseout of production and import of ozone-depleting substances. The U.S. Government will use the applications as the basis for its nomination of essential uses at the 23rd Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, to be held in 2011. Applications are due by August 23, 2010.
The Bureau of Industry and Security has posted the following updated schedule for its export control and compliance training outreach efforts:
FSIS has provided updated information for the export of U.S. meat and poultry to the following countries: