The Foreign Trade Zones Board is requesting public comment by July 14, 2009, on a staff proposal to revise the format of annual reports that are submitted by zone grantees to the Foreign Trade Zones Board. The revisions are intended to clarify the information that is being requested and focus on the information that is most important for oversight of the FTZ program. (FR Pub 05/15/09, available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-11421.pdf)
Lacey Act
The Lacey Act and subsequent amendments make it unlawful to import, export, transport, sell, receive, or acquire any plant, fish or wildlife obtained in violation of U.S., tribal or foreign law, as well as any injurious wildlife. The law is administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and CBP. APHIS has been implementing Lacey Act declaration requirements since 2009. Lacey Act declarations may be filed by the importer of record or its licensed customs broker, and include information on imported item's species name, value, quantity, and country where it was harvested.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued its instructions and reconciliation form for the Lacey Act Blanket Declaration Pilot Program, which began on May 1, 2009.
The Lacey Act Declaration requirement is currently being enforced for nine Harmonized Tariff Schedule Chapter 44 headings (wood and articles of wood), except where such goods are cleared using Automated Line Release (ALR)/Border Release Advance Screening and Selectivity Program (BRASS)1.
The State Department has posted a transcript of comments made by Secretary of State Clinton, as well as the Presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan at the U.S.-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Consultations II recently held in Washington, DC. According to the remarks, Afghanistan and Pakistan were to sign a Memorandum of Understanding committing their countries to achieving a trade transit agreement by the end of 2009. (Remarks, dated 05/06/09, available at http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/05/122706.htm.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has revised its guidance on how it will enforce the Lacey Act Declaration requirement for covered plants and plant products. The revision delays enforcement of the declaration requirement for Automated Line Release (ALR)/Border Release Advance Screening and Selectivity (BRASS) program participants another 30 days, until June 1, 2009.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a release stating it will begin a pilot program on May 1, 2009, initially open to those entities currently participating in CBP's expedited border release program, Automated Line Release (ALR)/Border Release Advance Screening and Selectivity (BRASS), and whose products require a Lacey Act declaration during the current phase of enforcement. This pilot program will test the feasibility of collecting the information required using a periodic "blanket" declaration, with subsequent reconciliation reports. Entities currently participating in ALR or BRASS will be able to choose whether to remain active in the expedited program and participate in this pilot program or be removed from the expedited program. (See ITT's Online Archives or 05/01/09 news, 09050105, for BP summary.) (Release, available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/lacey_act/downloads/PilotProgramAnnoucement.pdf)
CBP recently posted guidance on how it will enforce the Lacey Act Plant Product Declaration requirement for covered products beginning May 1, 2009. Among other things, the guidance provided information on a new pilot program for current participants in the Automated Line Release (ALR)/Border Release Advance Screening and Selectivity (BRASS) program whose products require a Lacey Act declaration during the current phase of enforcement. CBP's instructions for the pilot covers ALR/BRASS shipments for June 2009; CBP did not provide (or did not clearly provide) instructions for ALR/BRASS participants entering covered products during the month of May.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted new guidance on how it will enforce the Lacey Act Plant Product Declaration1 requirement for covered products beginning May 1, 2009.
CBP has posted April 7, 2009 versions of the following previously posted ACE Customs Automated Manifest Interface Requirements (CAMIR)-Air documents: Appendix A - Codes and the Message Line Identifiers chapter. These documents are posted for informational purposes and final versions of all ACE CAMIR-Air documents are expected soon. (See ITT's Online Archives or 12/10/08 news, 08121005, for BP summary on the ACE CAMIR-Air documents.)(ACE CAMIR-Air documents, posted 04/07/09 available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/automated/modernization/ace_edi_messages/camir_air/)
CBP has issued a CSMS message stating that as part of the April 12th ESAR A2.2 (Initial Entry Summary Types) release, CBP will be upgrading various software products that will result in messages in the "Task List" being lost. Any existing request from the trade community which displays in the "Task List" such as Account change requests, Merge Account requests, Cross Account Access requests and Notifications waiting approval will not migrate successfully. To ensure outstanding requests are not lost, the trade should notify their Account Manager/Account Administrator or open a trouble ticket with the Technology Support Center prior to April 12, 2009. (CSMS 09-000160, dated 04/06/09, available at http://apps.cbp.gov/csms/viewmssg.asp?Recid=17548&page=&srch_argv=09-000160&srchtype=all&btype=&sortby=&sby)