CBP will add a number of new features to the Automated Commercial Environment in a July 12 update, the agency said in a information notice. The deployment will add unified filing of cargo release and importer security filing data, it said. Six shipment types will be allowed within ACE Cargo Release: Standard or regular filings, To Order Shipments, Military and Government, U.S. Goods Returned, International Mail Shipments, and Outer Continental Shelf Shipments. All others will need to be filed as stand-alone ISF transactions, it said. The update will also add system validations for entry summaries, it said. Users will see new system error messages for informal entry restrictions, charges restrictions, taxes and other fees, it said.

CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske and Israel's Tax Authority Director General Moshe Asher recently finalized a mutual recognition arrangement that allows for the two countries to consider each other's trusted trader programs -- Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) in the U.S. and Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) for Israel -- for customs purposes, said CBP. As expected (see 14061619), the signing was held at the World Customs Organization conference in Brussels, Belgium. "The arrangement provides tangible and intangible benefits to C-TPAT and Israel AEO program members to include: fewer exams when shipping cargo, a faster validation process, common standards, efficiency for Customs and business, transparency between Customs administrations, business resumption, front of the line processing, and marketability," it said.The agency announced plans for a mutual recognition in 2012 (see 12121007).

CBP ruled that "All-In-One" (AIO) toner cartridges originate in Japan for government procurement “buy American” purposes. The ruling came in response to a request from Ricoh Company, which designed and developed the cartridges, said CBP. Unlike most cartridges, the Ricoh cartridges contain a cleaning unit, which cleans the surface of the organic photo conductor (OPC) that allows the toner particles to be affixed to paper, and a development unit, in addition to the powder. The OPC drum is produced in Thailand with parts from various countries and requires "experienced technicians, as the assembly is of a delicate nature," the ruling said. "We find that substantial manufacturing operations are performed in Japan in producing the AIO cartridge," said CBP. "While the OPC drum is manufactured in Thailand, the other parts of the cleaning unit originate in Japan. As a result of the assembly of the cleaning unit in Japan, the OPC drum becomes an integral part of the cleaning unit such that it may be considered a product of Japan."

CBP has resolved an issue related to the processing of Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) payments in the Automated Commercial System (ACS), it said in a CSMS message sent on the evening on July 2. CBP had previously said final daily statements for ACH credit payments made on July 1 were be delayed for a day as a result of a processing problem in ACS (see 14070227).

CBP New York/New Jersey will host a seminar in Newark on July 11 at 9:30 a.m. to provide an overview of free trade agreements, with part of the training specifically focusing on the U.S.-Korea FTA. Registration is required, and space is limited, so early registration is encouraged, said CBP. To register email Alice.Liakakos@cbp.dhs.gov.

CBP is extending the comment period to Aug. 6 for an existing information collection for goods temporarily exported for repairs. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection with no change to the burden hours.

CBP is extending the comment period to Aug. 6 for an existing information collection for its bonded warehouse regulations. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection with no change to the burden hours.

CBP is extending the comment period to Aug. 6 for an existing information collection for entry summaries. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection with no change to the burden hours.

CBP and the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC) recently opened up their 2014 Trade Efficiency Survey to responses from the trade community. The survey will be open until July 23 (here). Information gathered in the survey will be used to set priorities and assess the economic impact of trade initiatives.

CBP will temporarily allow non-automated consolidated freight stations, warehouses and terminals to release cargo based on screen printouts presented to them by filers while the agency conducts its Simplified Entry pilot, it said on July 2. CBP says the interim procedures will allow non-automated facilities that don’t get electronic releases to handle entries filed under the pilot. Simplified Entry does away with the filing of paper Form 3461, so CBP won’t be creating courtesy copies or otherwise stamping forms, it said.