U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a general notice announcing that effective August 20, 2007, it has expanded the processes that are supported in the Automated Commercial Environment e-Manifest: Truck system.
e-Cargonews Asia reports that the container lines in transpacific trade have raised concerns that Asia's port congestion and U.S. transportation costs and road-rail capacity threaten to disrupt the current peak season. With carriers reporting ship utilization rates of 95% or higher from Asia on all route segments, the Asia-U.S. supply chain infrastructure is almost operating at capacity and shipping executives are getting nervous. (e-Cargonews Asia, dated 08/09/07, available at http://www.cargonewsasia.com/secured/article.aspx?id=3&article=13743)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an ABI administrative message regarding Presidential Proclamation 8157 which was recently published in the Federal Register and modifies duty-free under the Generalized System of Preferences, designates Mauritania as an African Growth and Opportunity beneficiary country, and makes technical changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
The International Trade Commission (ITC) has posted to its Web site an updated version of the 2007 Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the U.S. (HTS) dated July 2, 2007 (Revision 2).
The Journal of Commerce reports that while growing in use, environmentally friendly packaging such as minimal, shrink-wrapped or recycled packaging may cause certain warehousing difficulties including increased damage and insurance claims, slow handling, problems withstanding humidity, etc. (JoC, dated 06/18/07, www.joc.com)
On June 28, 2007, President Bush issued Proclamation 8157 to modify duty-free treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences, designate Mauritania as an African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) beneficiary country1, and make technical changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
On June 28, 2007, President Bush issued Proclamation 8157 to modify duty-free treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences, designate Mauritania as an African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) beneficiary country1, and make technical changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
CNN reports that the House passed a $37.4 billion appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security on June 15, 2007, but minority Republicans rallied enough votes to uphold a promised veto by President Bush. The bill exceeds Bush's request for the department by $2.1 billion, or 6%, thus drawing a veto threat from the White House. (CNN, dated 06/19/07, available at http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/18/congress.spending.ap/index.html?eref=rss_latest)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted to its Web site an updated PowerPoint presentation entitled "Preferential Trade Agreements and Trade Programs Synopsis (Non-Textile)," which outlines the criteria that imported articles must meet to qualify for preferential treatment under various trade agreements and programs; the statements and documents that an importer must be prepared to submit to substantiate their claim; etc.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has announced the opportunity to submit petitions for the 2007 Generalized System of Preferences Product and Country Eligibility Practices Review (2007 Annual GSP Review). Any changes resulting from the 2007 Annual GSP Review are expected to take effect on July 1, 2008.