CBP has released its Feb. 14 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 58, No. 06), which includes the following ruling action:
For proponents of the Strengthen Wood Product Supply Chains Act, requiring the federal government to tell importers a specific reason the goods were detained and provide information that "may accelerate the disposition of the detention" would increase transparency and save importers money on demurrage fees. For the bipartisan bill's opponents, the bill's planks, including allowing importers to move the wood to a bonded warehouse after the first 15 days of detention, would undermine law enforcement.
Consultants and associations that support international trade in Africa, Asia, Western Europe and the Western Hemisphere agreed that the shift in trade policy in the U.S. has trading partners questioning whether America will meet its commitments, or, in the words of the German Marshall Fund's Heather Conley, enter a "nationalistic economic crouch" that will be difficult to end. The panel spoke at a Washington International Trade Association event Feb. 12.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is listing the queen conch (Aliger gigas) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, it said in a final rule released Feb. 13. While the agency isn't setting import or export restrictions at this time, it said it intends "to propose protective regulations to conserve queen conch throughout its range in the future," including possible import and export prohibitions or restrictions.
The Department of Energy is setting new energy efficiency standards for consumer conventional cooking products, including cooktops, ranges and ovens, it said in a direct final rule released Feb. 13. Compliance with the new standards will be required by Jan. 31, 2028.
The International Trade Commission is beginning a Section 337 investigation on allegations that capacitive discharge ignition systems from Motortech infringe on Altronic’s patents, it said in a notice released Feb. 13 (ITC Inv. No. 337-TA-1390). A complaint filed by Altronic in January said Motortech is making ignition systems for industrial internal combustion engines that copy its patented technologies (see 2401170030). The ITC will consider issuing a limited exclusion order and cease and desist order banning imports from the Germany-based Motortech and its affiliate Motortech Americas.
The Commerce Department published notices in the Federal Register Feb. 13 on the following AD/CV duty proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, scope, affected firms or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):
The Commerce Department has published the preliminary results of a countervailing duty administrative review of truck and bus tires from China (C-570-041). This review covers subject merchandise from the exporters under review entered during the period Jan. 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022.
The Commerce Department has released the final results of the antidumping duty administrative review on frozen warmwater shrimp from Vietnam (A-552-802). Commerce determined that no companies under review qualify for a separate rate, making them part of the Vietnam-wide entity, and subject to the Vietnam-wide entity rate of 25.76%. Commerce will assess AD at this rate on subject merchandise from these 118 companies entered Feb. 1, 2022, through Jan. 31, 2023. A new 25.76% cash deposit rate takes effect for these 118 companies on Feb. 14, when these final results are to be published in the Federal Register.
The Commerce Department has published the final results of the antidumping duty administrative review on emulsion styrene butadiene rubber from Mexico (A-201-848), making no changes to its preliminary results. Commerce set an AD rate of zero percent for Industrias Negromex S.A. de C.V., the one mandatory respondent in the review. Because the rate is zero percent, that zero percent rate was also applied to three non-individually examined companies -- Continental Tire de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Hyundai Glovis Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V. and Pirelli Neumaticos S.A. de C.V.