CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The Commerce Department’s spring 2025 regulatory agenda for the Bureau of Industry and Security includes new mentions of three interim final rules that could lead to new import restrictions under the agency's Information and Communications Technology and Services regulations.
The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security seeks public comments by Sept. 9 in connection with its recently launched Section 232 investigation on the national security effects of imports of wind turbines and their parts and components, it said in a Federal Register notice. BIS is interested in such effects as the concentration of U.S. imports of wind turbines and their parts and components from a small number of suppliers or foreign nations and the associated risks; the potential for foreign control or exploitation of the wind turbine supply chain; and the ability of foreign persons to weaponize the capabilities or attributes of foreign-built wind turbines and their parts or components.
Some companies and associations in the solar industry endorsed additional tariffs on Chinese polysilicon, but others expressed concern that allied countries will be hit with overlapping Section 232 tariffs on both imports of polysilicon and solar cells, in public comments to the Bureau of Industry and Security.
Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum derivatives, currently set at 50%, will cover 407 additional Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheadings beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 18, the Commerce Department said in a notice released late on Aug. 15. The notice includes no exception for goods in transit as of the effective date.
Asking other countries to open their markets to more exports from the U.S. is causing significant changes to how countries have historically conducted trade, according to speakers on Gibson Dunn's Aug. 8 webinar "U.S. Trade Policy: Navigating Uncharted Waters."
The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comments on an information collection related to Section 232 national security adjustments for imports, it said in a Federal Register notice. The data collection relates to presidential proclamations 10895 and 10896, which require the Department of Commerce secretary to establish a process for including additional derivative aluminum and steel articles within the Section 232 tariffs for steel and aluminum. BIS said the agency is collecting data as part of broader efforts by the commerce secretary to conduct investigations on the effects on U.S. national security of importing an article. Comments are due by Sept. 30.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comments on two information collections related to the agency's delivery verification procedures for imports, it said in notices released July 25. Some foreign governments require U.S. importers of certain “strategic commodities” to provide the foreign supplier with a U.S. Delivery Verification Certificate, which validates that the items were received, BIS said in both notices. “This procedure increases the effectiveness of controls on the international trade of strategic commodities.” Comments for both collections are due Sept. 26.
The Senate Appropriations Committee passed a bill to increase funding for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative by $6 million, more than 10%, and to increase funding for the Bureau of Industry and Security, which handles Section 232 action, by $20 million -- almost 10%.
The Commerce Department is launching a pair of Section 232 investigations into imports of drones and polysilicon from China, according to notices released July 14. Comments are due on Aug. 6 for polysilicon and its derivatives and for drones and their parts.