U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an administrative message announcing that the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Operational and Administrative System for Import Support (OASIS) would be down for maintenance on Thursday, August 12, 2004 between 10:00 p.m. EDT and 12:00 a.m. EDT.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a notice stating that it is postponing the preliminary antidumping (AD) duty determination on certain circular welded carbon quality line pipe from China an additional 50 days, until no later than September 29, 2004 (from August 10, 2004).

(a) final de minimis AD rate of 0.01%; no cash deposit will be required although suspension of liquidation will continue.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice requesting comments by September 1, 2004 regarding the establishment of a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel to examine whether Japan has implemented the recommendations and rulings of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) in a dispute involving Japanese phytosanitary measures restricting the importation of U.S. apples.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site certain updated Trade Support Network (TSN) committee Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) user requirement recommendations and CBP ACE Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) message drafts.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an August 2004 version of its Compliance Policy Guide (Guide) on the FDA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP's) strategy for enforcing the requirements of the interim final rule for submitting prior notice (PN) for imported food after August 12, 2004.

On August 9, 2004, President Bush signed into law the conference version of H.R. 2443, the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004 (Public Law (P.L.) 108-293).