The U.S. Trade Representative was due to submit by September 2, 2009, his recommendation to President Obama on whether to grant relief to union workers in the form of additional duties on imported tires from China. Although the President has 15 days to decide the issue, trade sources expect him to make a decision before the deadline. This case is of interest to other industries as it will be President Obama's first Section 421 decision, and it was brought by a union rather than domestic industry. (USW press release, dated 09/02/09, available at http://www.usw.org/media_center/news_articles?id=0382 )
CBP has posted Amendment 42 to the Customs and Trade Automated Interface Requirements document. The following changes were made:
CBP has issued a memorandum informing CBP ports and the trade that the filing period of the First Sale Declaration indicator has ended effective August 19, 2009. According to CBP sources, the ABI system will continue to accept the first sale indicator if it is submitted, even though it is no longer required. (See ITT's Online Archives or 08/19/09 news, 09081905, for previous BP summary of the end of the requirement.) (Memorandum, dated 08/26/09, available at http://apps.cbp.gov/csms/docs/17686_132725359/End_of_Delcaration_of_First_Sale.pdf)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently began posting Trade Support Network monthly activity reports summarizing the activity of all of the TSN Committees and Subcommittees.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted its report to Congress on the Automated Commercial Environment for the second quarter of fiscal year 2009 (January 1 through March 31, 2009).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a CSMS message announcing that it is making a security update to the ACE Secure Data Portal that will entail discontinuing the use of the SSL protocol while maintaining the use of the TLS protocol.
During the August 5, 2009 Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland Security Functions (COAC) meeting, CBP, other government officials, and COAC members provided an update on the Automated Commercial Environment.
On August 6, 2009, Senate Finance Committee leaders Baucus (D) and Grassley (R) introduced the "Customs Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Reauthorization Act of 2009" (S.1631).
CBP has issued a CSMS message stating that the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) system will be shut down for maintenance for one hour beginning at 11 p.m. EST on August 26, 2009. Processing of FAST/NCAP trips will be unavailable during the outage. ACE processing of FAST drivers carrying standard manifest loads will not be affected by this outage. (CSMS 09-000293, dated 08/25/09, available at http://apps.cbp.gov/csms/viewmssg.asp?Recid=17683&page=&srch_argv=09-000293&srchtype=all&btype=&sortby=&sby)
CBP has posted updated Excel workbooks containing historical information and fill dates for the following tariff rate quotas: