According to The Journal of Commerce (JoC), the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach may reduce the time that importers and exporters have to store their containers for free. (JoC, dated 02/16/04-02/22/04, www.joc.com)
In the February 25, 2004 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBP Bulletin) (Vol. 38, No. 9), CBP issued a notice proposing to modify or revoke four classification rulings on glass-beaded artificial fruit and foliage. CBP states that it is also proposing to revoke any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in this notice.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a notice regarding the visa and Certificate of Origin/Eligibility numbers for the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement's (SFTA's) tariff preference level (TPL) for certain cotton or man-made fiber (MMF) apparel.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has reissued a November 1999 ABI administrative message which stated that there is a persistent problem with rejects of entries of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated products sent through the FDA interface with the Automated Broker Interface (ABI). The majority of such rejects result from the two scenarios described in this notice.
The General Accounting Office (GAO) has issued a report entitled, Export Controls: Post-Shipment Verification Provides Limited Assurance That Dual-Use Items Are Being Properly Used, in response to a request by Senator Jon Kyl.
In mid-February 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stated that it was delaying the compliance date for inbound air shipments from its previously announced date of March 4, 2004.
On February 24, 2004, World Trade Organization (WTO) arbitrators decided that the European Union (EU) has no current right to retaliate against the U.S.' Antidumping Act of 1916 (1916 Act). However, the arbitrators did allow for the EU to retaliate if final judgments or settlements are made under the 1916 Act in the future.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued its first version (dated February 12, 2004) of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on its final rule requiring the advance electronic presentation of information pertaining to cargo (sea, air, rail, or truck) prior to its being brought into, or sent from, the U.S.
According to The Wall Street Journal, a growing coalition of steel producers and consumers is considering whether to petition the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) to limit exports of scrap steel, as recent growth in exports to Asia and elsewhere has sent scrap prices soaring. (WSJ, dated 02/12/04, www.wsj.com)
According to government sources, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is expected to delay, until April 2004 or later, its "document accuracy test" of textiles and apparel that are quota-free and visa-free, and entered using entry type '01.'