Miscellaneous International Trade Notices
American Shipper reports that the Department of Homeland Security intends to require international containers entering the country to be secured with a standard bolt seal by October 15, 2008. (American Shipper, dated 12/18/07, www.americanshipper.com)
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1. DHS Expected to Require Standard Bolt Seals on Containers Entering U.S. by October 2008
2. Ports on Both Coasts Will Eventually Need to Run Extended Gates Hours
The Journal of Commerce reports that Los Angeles and Long Beach are the only ports that currently run the PierPass extended gate hours program, but busy ports on both coasts will eventually have to schedule additional work shifts to handle growing container volumes. (JoC, dated 11/19/07, www.joc.com)
3. EPA Denies California's Right to Mandate Tailpipe Emissions
eTrucker reports that the Environmental Protection Agency, citing the newly passed energy bill which includes fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks, denied a waiver from California that would have allowed the state to regulate tailpipe emissions from such vehicles. (eTrucker, available at http://www.etrucker.com/apps/news/article.asp?id=65512)
4. Counterfeiters Use Free Trade Zones for Fake Drugs Due to Lax Oversight
The New York Times reports that counterfeiters use free trade zones to hide counterfeit drugs or to make, market or re-label adulterated products, because there is minimal regulatory oversight in these zones. (NYT, dated 12/17/07, available at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/17/world/middleeast/17freezone.html?hp)
5. DOT Announces Final Decision for U.S.-China Flights
The Department of Transportation has issued a press release announcing its final decision to select US Airways to inaugurate its first U.S.-China service in 2009 as well as to award additional U.S.-China passenger flights to American Airlines, Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines also for 2009. The awards are the result of an agreement to open up new opportunities between the two countries that will double the number of daily flights allowed between the U.S. and China over the next five years. (DOT 131-07, dated 12/28/07, available at http://www.dot.gov/affairs/dot13107.htm)
6. TSA Updates its Quarterly TWIC Deployment Plan
The Transportation Security Administration has issued an updated version, as of December 27, 2007, of its quarterly deployment plan for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TSA's TWIC Quarterly Deployment Plan as of 12/27/07, available at (http://www.tsa.gov/assets/pdf/twicquarterlydeploymentschedule_12_27_07.pdf)
7. AMS Announces Seed Grader Program Recognition by Canada
The Agricultural Marketing Service has issued a press release announcing that on December 19, 2007, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) that allows training and testing of U.S. Seed Graders for accreditation by CFIA upon the recommendation of AMS. (AMS press release, dated 12/26/07, available at http://www.ams.usda.gov/news/269-07.htm)
8. CIT Rules Against Drawback for HMTs, MPFs, and ETs Paid on Imports
The Court of International Trade has ruled against drawback for Harbor Maintenance Taxes, Merchandise Processing Fees and Environmental Taxes that were paid on imported petroleum products that were later exported "substitute finished petroleum derivatives." (Aectra Refining and Marketing Inc. v. U.S., Slip Op. 07-189, dated 12/28/07, available at http://www.cit.uscourts.gov/slip_op/Slip_op07/07-189.pdf)
9. CIT Finds 1592 Fraud for Chinese Origin Goods Misrepresented as Being Korean Origin
This CIT decision concerns an importer's misrepresentation that silicon metal imports were from Korea when they were instead from China and subject to an antidumping duty of 139.49%. The CIT ruled that the importer is subject to the maximum 1592 penalty for fraud. (U.S. vs. Martha Matthews, et.al, Slip Op. 07-189, dated 12/28/07, available at http://www.cit.uscourts.gov/slip_op/Slip_op07/07-188.pdf)