The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) and eleven other trade organizations1 (the organizations) sent a letter to the Secretary of Commerce criticizing the Bureau of Industry and Security's Deemed Export Advisory Committee (DEAC) report, which reviewed and recommended changes to the current deemed export policy.
The Journal of Commerce reports that according to a Government Accountability Office report, the Coast Guard found security deficiencies at one third of the port facilities that its inspectors checked in 2006. The GAO also criticized the Coast Guard for having an apparently incomplete list of facilities and not enough personnel to perform inspections. (JoC, dated 03/07/08, www.joc.com)
American Shipper reports that according to homeland security analyst Stephen Flynn, the U.S. will need to enlist the foreign-owned companies that dominate the maritime sector by creating incentives for shipping lines, terminal operators, logistics providers and shippers to do a better job securing the global supply networks they control and understand, if the U.S. is ever to achieve a high level of security. (American Shipper, dated February 2008, www.americanshipper.com)
The Journal of Commerce reports that even though enrollment for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential has been initiated across the U.S. and at least ten companies are building or adapting existing equipment to read a TWIC using contactless radio-frequency identification technology, the Transportation Security Administration is not ready to say when TWIC readers will be deployed. However, industry should begin to see the first units in testing this year. (JoC, dated 02/18/08, www.joc.com)
American Shipper reports that California State Senator Alan Lowenthal (Long Beach) plans to amend his proposed statewide container fee bill to specify more than 140 projects (primarily involving rail-traffic grade separations). The bill, which is expected to move soon, will be Lowenthal's third attempt to pass a $30-per-TEU container fee. (AS, dated 02/29/08, www.americanshipper.com)
According to a Journal of Commerce commentary underlying COAC's positions urging Customs to take a go-slow approach in phasing in 102, and drop its first sale proposal, is a deeper unhappiness with the state of day-to-day import issues such as inspections, land border wait times, and commercial operations. (JoC, dated 02/25/08, www.joc.com )
The Bureau of Industry and Security has issued a final rule, effective February 28, 2008, which amends 15 CFR 740.9 to increase the number of end-uses for which certain "tools of trade" may be exported temporarily to Sudan under a license exception, make more types of commodities eligible under the category "tools of trade" for purposes of this license exception, and authorize reexports under this provision to the same extent as exports are authorized.
According to a Commerce Department information collection notice on the Shipper's Export Declaration (SED)/Automated Export System (AES) Program, implementation of the requirement for the mandatory filing of export information via AES1 is expected to take place in the second quarter of 2008.
On February 15, 2008 Senator Pryor issued a press release announcing that a bipartisan agreement was reached with Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Inouye and Committee Vice Chairman Stevens which they believe will lead to bipartisan passage of compromise product safety legislation within the next few weeks. (Senator Pryor's press release, with link to a staff working draft of the bipartisan legislation (dated 02/15/08) available at http://pryor.senate.gov/newsroom/details.cfm?id=293087&)
On February 13, 2008, President Bush signed Executive Order 13460 blocking the property and interests in property of additional persons subject to EO 13338 regarding the national emergency with respect to Syria.