CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
A listing of recent Commerce Department antidumping and countervailing duty messages posted on CBP's website April 1, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at CBP's ADCVD Search page.
The country of origin for omega-3-acid ethyl ester capsules is Norway for the purposes of government procurement, as they don't undergo a substantial transformation when the Norwegian active pharmaceutical ingredient is combined with inactive ingredients in China, CBP said. The product's name, character or use doesn't change as a result of the processing in China, CBP said.
The U.S. government hasn't yet identified a timeline for cleanup of the wreckage at the Port of Baltimore after the Francis Scott Key Bridge was hit by a container ship on March 26 (see 2403260047), Baltimore Port Director Adam Rottman said on an April 2 CBP call. Rotman said CBP also is requiring that cars that were already cleared for export must be transported under bond to a new port. CBP will issue further CSMS messages as it gets "more concrete information," another CBP official on the call said.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
PHILADELPHIA -- CBP has not issued any withhold release orders for goods unrelated to Uyghur forced labor since the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act passed in late 2021. Eric Choy, the CBP official whose office oversees the ban on goods made with forced labor, said that targeting forced labor abuses outside of China "is something that we're definitely reprioritizing resources [for], to focus in on those efforts." Choy, who is executive director of Trade Remedy Law Enforcement Directorate, said in an interview during the CBP Trade Facilitation and Cargo Security Summit last week that he expects there will be a WRO announced before October.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing car manufacturers, recently wrote the White House to say that if Cleveland-Cliffs purchases U.S. Steel, more than two-thirds of steel used in vehicles would be produced by the resulting company. Cleveland-Cliffs has been agitating against Nippon Steel, which made a higher bid for U.S. Steel.
The FTC is allowing more time for comments on proposed changes to its EnergyGuide labeling regulations, including new requirements for EnergyGuide labels on air cleaners, clothes dryers, “miscellaneous refrigeration products” and portable electric spas. The proposed rule, released Feb. 1 (see 2402010028), also would modify existing labels for clothes washers, televisions and “several heating products,” including instantaneous gas water heaters and pool heaters. Comments are now due April 19.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is amending import and export requirements for the African elephant (Loxodonta Africana) included in a Section 4(d) rule issued under the Endangered Species Act, it said in a final rule April 1.
The International Trade Commission published notices in the April 1 Federal Register on the following AD/CVD injury, Section 337 patent or other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):