U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:

A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Web site as of February 16, 2012, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. These messages are available by searching on the listed CBP message number at http://addcvd.cbp.gov.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted an updated version of its TRQ/TPL "threshold to fill" list, a quick reference to monitor TRQs and TPLs that are approaching their restraint limit or have filled their in-quota (low) rate. The list is divided into two sections: those that are at least 85% filled and those that are filled.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a CSMS message informing all ACE report users that all ACE reports are now up to date. On February 15, 2012, CBP had announced in CSMS #12-000047 that all Account Management, Authorized Data Extract, Entry Summary, Multi-Modal Manifest, Reference and Transactions reports were not updated. The CSMS further stated that reports should be up to date by February 16 and that a subsequent message would be issued once the data load was completed.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection's C-TPAT administrators have issued a message to all C-TPAT partners to clarify a February 2012 notice that announced that a new ISO mechanical seal standard would apply on March 1, 2012. CBP explains that as no accredited independent laboratories have been willing to test a certain element of the ISO seal standard requirements, the new standard cannot be met. CBP is therefore delaying implementation of the new standard until this issue is resolved. However, C-TPAT partners are encouraged to buy seals that comply with another part of the standard that is attainable.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced that it recently seized thousands of hair dryers that were determined to constitute a “substantial product hazard” under U.S. law, for failing to have adequate immersion protection. CBP officers in the port of Los Angeles seized an entire shipment of 9,768 hair dryers and the port of Miami seized 3,614 hair dryers that lacked shock protection for consumers, which could lead to an electrocution if contact is made with a water source. These two shipments, containing a total of 13,382 hair dryers, had an estimated domestic value of approximately $229,998 with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $2,506,517. The hair dryers were identified through a nationwide targeting operation by the CBP Import Safety Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC).

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced that it will conduct the next Customs Broker License Examination on Monday, April 2, 2012.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued its February 15, 2012 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 46, No. 8), which contains four notices of ruling actions, as follows:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued the following news releases related to commercial trade and related issues:

A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages posted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Web site as of February 15, 2012, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. These messages are available by searching on the listed CBP message number at http://addcvd.cbp.gov.