The International Trade Administration announces that the President’s Export Council will hold a meeting on September 16, 2010 to discuss topics related to the National Export Initiative, and advice from the President’s Export Council as to how to promote U.S. exports, jobs, and growth.
The National Marine Fisheries Service has granted a request for an affirmative finding, effective from April 1, 2010 through March 31, 2015, to the Government of Spain under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), which will allow yellowfin tuna harvested in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean in compliance with the International Dolphin Conservation Program by Spanish flag purse seine vessels or purse seine vessels operating under Spanish jurisdiction to be imported into the U.S.
In its statement on adjusting the estimated Gross Domestic Product to 1.6 percent for the second quarter of 2010, the Commerce Department noted that the downward revision reflected a wider trade deficit and lower inventories, as well as surprisingly large swings in net exports late in the quarter. Commerce also stated that American consumers disposable net income increased at more than a 4 percent annual rate, while business investments in equipment and software grew at more than a 20 percent annual rate for the second straight quarter.
On the final day of the National Minority Enterprise Development Week Conference, Commerce Secretary Locke stated that minority businesses already export twice as much as the average business, as they often have existing cultural, family or business ties to foreign countries. The National Export Initiative (NEI) seeks to build on that, with a goal of increasing the number of small-, medium- and minority-owned businesses exporting to more than one market by 50 percent over the next five years. Full remarks here.
The Environmental Protection Agency on August 27, 2010, denied a petition calling for a ban on the production and distribution of lead hunting ammunition. EPA states it reached this decision because the agency does not have the legal authority to regulate this type of product under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) -- nor is the agency seeking such authority. The petition was filed under TSCA, which requires the agency to review and respond within 90 days.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is revising its notice concerning the fiscal year 2011 tariff-rate quota allocations of raw cane sugar, refined and special sugar, and sugar-containing products. USTR is revising the effective date of that notice to September 1, 2010 (from October 1, 2010). According to USTR sources, the effective date has been revised in order to make the FY 2011 raw sugar cane TRQ allocations available early. (USDA recently announced that the FY 2011 raw cane sugar TRQ would open one month early.) (See ITT's Online Archives or 08/20/10 news, 10082023, for BP summary of USDA' s announcement of the September 1 raw cane sugar TRQ opening.)
The Foreign Agriculture Service issued the following GAIN reports:
On August 25, 2010, APHIS updated its Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Canadian Border Agricultural Clearance Manual. This Manual serves as a guide for authorized Federal officers at ports of entry along the Canadian Border.
On August 25, 2010, APHIS updated its Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Import PPQ Manual. The manual lists by country fruits and vegetables that are admissible into the United States. It includes a description of methods for sampling and inspecting selected fruits and vegetables. It also contains pictorial identification guides, and a glossary for common and scientific names of fruits and vegetables.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued updated versions of its list of Canadian (August 24, 2010) firms eligible to export meat and poultry to the U.S.