A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages posted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Web site as of December 23, 2011, 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 issued a memorandum announcing that the 12-month valued-added tariff preference level for certain apparel eligible to receive duty-free treatment under Haiti HOPE opened December 20, 2011 for the December 20, 2011 - December 19, 2012 period. The TPL limit is 326,752,739 SME. Federal Register notice available here. (QBT-11-584, dated 12/19/11)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a memorandum announcing a special import quota of 14,594,057 kg for upland cotton that is provided for in HTS Chapter 99, Subchapter III, U.S. Note 6 and is entered under HTS 9903.52.11. (CBP notes that this quantity is not subject to the TRQs in Chapter 52 Additional U.S. Notes 5 through 10.)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has seized thousands of decorative lights this holiday season that could have caused fires or electric shocks. The potentially dangerous holiday lights were identified through a nationwide targeting operation between with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the CBP Import Safety Commercial Analysis and Targeting Center (CTAC). CBP officers in the port of San Juan, Puerto Rico, seized a shipment of 5,700 sets of holiday lights with undersized wires that could overheat and cause fires or become exposed and cause electric shocks. CBP officers in the port of Los Angeles also seized a shipment of 151 life-sized illuminated holiday figurines bearing counterfeit Underwriter Laboratories, Inc. (UL) markings, indicating that the lights did not undergo a valid UL evaluation for potential risk of fire, shock, and personal injury. The domestic value of both shipments is estimated to be nearly $160,000.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers are working with Consumer Product Safety Commission investigators around the country to identify, examine, sample and test imported shipments that may be unsafe or hazardous. CBP announced that it recently seized the following imported toy shipments with high levels of lead and plastic phthalates from a Chicago-area warehouse before the merchandise was released into stores: (1) A shipment of FBI Action Play Sets from China after CPSC tested a sample which was found to contain excessive levels of lead. The shipment of 47,700 FBI Action Play Sets was valued at more than $8,760; and (2) a shipment of plastic light musical balls from China after CPSC tested a sample which was found to contain excessive levels of phthalates. The shipment of 4,720 toy balls was valued at more than $3,190.
On December 22, 2011, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the seizure of more than 327,000 counterfeit items with a manufacturer's suggested retail price worth an estimated $76.8 million as part of its "Operation Holiday Hoax II."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued CSMS message #11-000319 stating that it is aware of several issues trade participants are encountering when submitting Importer Security Filing (ISF) data to CBP, in particular with the status notifications. There have been several cases of unsolicited status notifications to trade participants as well as a failure to send S1 bill on file messages where appropriate. CBP is currently working to address these issues. A follow up CSMS message will be issued once a fix has been implemented.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued the following news releases related to commercial trade and related issues:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted the following points of contact for the Enforcement Policy Branch related to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) for rough diamonds. The KPCS is a joint government internationally recognized certification system that imposes extensive requirements on its members to enable them to certify shipments of rough diamonds as "conflict-free" and prevent conflict diamonds from entering legitimate trade.
The International Trade Commission states it has posted a preliminary version of the 2012 Harmonized Tariff Schedule to its website, which will not be sent to the Government Printing Office for distribution. While this preliminary version is not intended to contain the numerous WCO-recommended tariff changes, it should contain the 484(f) Committee changes approved to take effect on January 1, 2012, as well as other non-WCO related changes (the WCO-recommended changes are waiting on a Presidential Proclamation which is expected to be signed in late 2011).