The Foreign-Trade Zones Board approved a request from the Port of San Francisco to expand FTZ No. 3’s service area to include several neighboring counties. The zone previously serviced only San Francisco and San Mateo Counties, but now also includes Contra Costa, Martin and Solano Counties. Portions of Sonoma and Napa Counties are now serviced as well.

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements issued interim procedures it will follow in implementing short supply provisions of the U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement (PATPA). Under those provisions, CITA will consider requests to modify the list of fibers, yarns, or fabrics not available in commercial quantities in a timely manner in the U.S. A textile or apparel good imported into the U.S. containing such listed fibers, yarns, or fabrics will be treated as if it is an originating good for purposes of PATPA rules of origin, regardless of the actual origin of those inputs.

The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for May 10:

Parts of the Proposed Automated Export System Trade Interface Requirements have been revised to reflect Foreign Trade Regulations rewrite, the Census Bureau said in a May 8 AES Broadcast. The "601 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) - Export Shipment Information" and "Summary of Changes" document in AESTIR were revised. The changes made to the proposed AESTIR, including the revised 601, will be implemented Jan. 8, 2014. The AES upgrade is tentatively scheduled for completion after Sept. 30, 2013 and a specific date for Fall 2013 will be given later.

The International Trade Administration’s Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness will meet June 4 at 10 a.m. ET in Washington, D.C. The committee will continue to discuss topics raised at previous meetings, such as trade and competitiveness; freight movement and policy; information technology and data requirements; regulatory issues; and finance and infrastructure, the ITA said. The final agenda for the meeting will be posted one week before the meeting (here). The meeting will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis, but space will be limited, the ITA said.

The Census Bureau's Automated Export System branch is hosting the first webinar in its "Go Global" series on May 7 from 1-2 p.m. EDT. The topic is "Where to Get Started -- International Trade Administration, Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee." Registration closes May 6 (register and see the listing of upcoming Census webinars here).

The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for May 2:

The Census Bureau and Association of Small Business Development Centers are hosting an Automated Export System Compliance Seminar in Glen Ellyn, Illinois from May 15-16. Census Bureau experts will cover Foreign Trade Regulations filing requirements, commodity classification in Schedule B, and an overview of AES. The second day will feature a AESPcLink Workshop. Both seminars will be held at the College of Dupage.

Decreasing imports of consumer goods helped fuel a drop in the international trade deficit in goods and services for March. The deficit was $38.8 billion in March, down from $43.6 billion in February, said the Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis. Exports in March decreased by about $2 billion, while imports decreased by $6.5 billion. The drop in exports largely reflected decreases in the foods, feeds and beverages category. The February to March decrease in imports included a $3.4 billion drop in consumer goods and a $1.5 billion drop in capital goods. Exports of services increased by $0.1 billion in March, while service imports decreased the same amount.

The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for April 30: