The Bureau of Industry and Security opened registration for its Eighth Annual Export Control Forum, set for Feb. 25-26 in Newport Beach, Calif. The conference will be a streamlined, west-coast version of the agency’s annual Update Conference on Export Controls and Policy, BIS said, scheduled for a day and a half instead of three days. Policy management, technical, legal, and enforcement personnel from BIS and other relevant agencies will provide detailed information on recent and upcoming export control changes. Day one will conclude with a networking reception. Day two will continue in plenary session. There will be no breakout sessions as in previous years. BIS said it will post the agenda for the conference shortly. Registration is here, and costs $525.

The Environmental Protection Agency said it's revising the regulations on the labeling of pesticide products and devices intended solely for export, in a Federal Register notice scheduled for Jan. 18. The new rules clarify which provisions apply under various circumstances and increase the specificity of the regulations by requiring that people who transfer unregistered pesticide products between registered establishments operated by the same producer within the U.S. must also comply with the requirements if those products are intended solely for export at the time of such transfer.

The potential for liquified natural gas exports is a historic opportunity to develop more American energy swiftly and responsibly, said U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donahue, continuing the Chamber's campaign in support of the exports. He said LNG exports would reduce the U.S. trade deficit and contribute to jobs growth, improved national security and more revenue for the government.

The Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) will host an Automated Export System Compliance Seminar and an AESPcLink Workshop in San Diego, Calif., Jan. 30-31, the Census Bureau said. At the seminar on Jan. 30, Census experts will cover the filing requirements of the Foreign Trade Regulations, Schedule B classification requirements, and provide an overview of AES. On Jan. 31, two AESPcLink Workshops will be conducted. More information is available here, and registration is available here.

The Emergency Committee for American Trade (ECAT) "has serious reservations about reports suggesting that some in the business community may favor the obstruction of approvals to export liquefied natural-gas resources, or LNG," said President Calman Cohen in a statement. He said the U.S. has a legal process for approving the export of LNG to ensure that such exports are in the public interest, and competition in energy markets promotes efficiency, "which benefit producers and consumers alike." In contrast, artificial trade barriers create economic distortions that "would have adverse consequences for the U.S. economy," Cohen said.

The Bureau of Industry and Security issued a final rule, effective Jan. 16, amending the list of eligible destinations for three Authorization Validated End-User listings at Supplement No. 7 to Part 748 of the Export Administration Regulations, and removing an eligible ECCN for one of the VEUs. The final rule also adds a statement clarifying that language in the VEU supplement doesn’t supersede other EAR requirements. These changes are not because of activities of concern, but instead arise from the companies’ normal course of business or company requests, BIS said.

The Bureau of Industry and Security issued a final rule, effective Jan. 16, removing from the Entity List four persons, modifying one entry, and removing another redundant entry. Some of these changes resulted from the End-user Review Committee’s annual review of entities in the United Arab Emirates, Armenia, Cyprus, France, and Iran.

The Census Bureau will hold a webinar Jan. 16 from 2-3 p.m. ET on “A Basic Guide to Exporting: How to Avoid Penalties on Export Shipments. The webinar will explore current export compliance practices, provide guidance to the Foreign Trade Regulations, and offer insight on how to avoid CBP penalties. Payment of $15 is required to attend. Registration is available here.

Notices from the Export-Import Bank of the U.S. of applications for loans or guarantees in excess of $100 million:

Commenters generally supported the Bureau of Industry & Security's proposed rule on a 180-day time limit for completion of voluntary self-disclosures and Revised Notice of the Institution of Administrative Enforcement Proceedings. But they also suggested several tweaks. The comment period closed Jan. 7.