CBP denied a request from MDT Armor Corp. that the company's temporary importation bond (TIB) be extended after it exported a vehicle beyond the TIB expiration date. CBP said in the April 9 ruling that it found MDT's explanations to be lacking. Panmet Group, an agent working on behalf of MDT, told CBP that it did submit a timely TIB extension request and "was under the impression that the request had been processed." CBP's ruling only applies to the TIB extension request and not liquidated damages, the agency said.

The Automated Export System Downtime Policy was deactivated on April 19 and ACE AESDirect is now operational following the unscheduled ACE AES outage on April 18, the Census Bureau said in an April 19 email. "As a reminder, you are REQUIRED to file all Electronic Export Information (EEI) for shipments that were exported under the AES Downtime Policy, along with any new AES transactions, to receive an Internal Transaction Number (ITN)," it said. The agency also asked filers not to submit shipment more than once. "Due to the high volume of shipments that are being processed at this time, please be patient in obtaining an AES response message. Do not submit shipments more than once," Census said in another email.

The Census Bureau added a new port of export code to the Automated Export System, the agency said in an April 17 email. The new code is 5589 for Meacham International Airport in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new reporting requirements for 11 chemicals under significant new use rules. The proposed SNURs would require notification to EPA at least 90 days in advance of a new use by importers, manufacturers or processors. Importers of chemicals subject to these proposed SNURs would need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements should these proposed rules be finalized, EPA said. Exporters of these chemicals would become subject to export notification requirements. Comments on the proposed SNURs are due May 20.

The Agricultural Marketing Service is amending it regulations on grade and size requirements for oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and pummelos grown in Florida. The final rule removes grade and size requirements for Ambersweet and Temple oranges, and simplifies tables in the regulations outlining grade and size requirements for interstate and export shipments. It does not make any substantial changes to related provisions for imported grapefruits, AMS said. The final rule takes effect May 18.

The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls has deactivated International Traffic in Arms Regulations "exemption code 22 CFR 126.5C," CBP said in an April 16 message. That section of the federal code only says "reserved." The exemption code "will not be accepted in Electronic Export Information" submissions effective immediately, CBP said. "Appendix O of the Automated Export System Trade Interface Requirement" will also be updated to remove the code, it said.

CBP's reallocation of 750 officers from Ports of Entry to Border Patrol is affecting exports from the U.S., according to an April 4 call with CBP officials. According to an emailed write-up of the call from the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, this "deployment will affect outbound as well, as there is far fewer staff overall." The NCBFAA said that "CBP acknowledged that all southwest cargo ports are being impacted" and "the option is available to direct to other ports, but all will see an expected wait time increase."

The Census Bureau visited 13 companies in 2018 as part of its Automated Export System compliance review program, the agency said in an April 3 blog post. The average AES compliance rates prior to the visits were 85 percent, it said. Such visits are meant to "help noncompliant companies understand the export reporting requirements" and avoid government enforcement actions, Census said. Noncompliance includes "filing incorrect Schedule B or Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) numbers, filing with foreign currency, filing with incorrect units of measure, or failing to verify information with a commodity analyst," it said.

The International Trade Commission is accepting proposals for changes to the World Customs Organization’s Harmonized System tariff schedule for potential adoption in 2027, it said in a notice. The proposals will be reviewed by the ITC, CBP and the Census Bureau, and will be published for further comment, prior to potential submission to the relevant WCO committees by November 2022 for final WCO approval by June 2024. Proposals are due to the ITC by March 1, 2020.

The Department of Homeland Security is pouring more resources into export enforcement with a new task force headquartered in Detroit, a CBP official said. Officials are calling the enforcement body a Global Trade Task Force: a DHS-led effort with cooperation from several other customs agencies, including CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The task force, which launched in February, will use resources from multiple customs agencies to further tighten vulnerabilities in the commerce stream, said CBP Director of Field Operations Christopher Perry. “Each agency has unique capabilities and authorities,” Perry said. “By leveraging these capabilities, it helps us act as force multiplier.”