The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a final rule, effective January 15, 2004, which amends its regulations at 7 CFR 319 on the importation of logs, lumber, and other unmanufactured wood articles into the U.S. to allow wood chips derived from temperate species of Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus) from South America to be treated with a surface pesticide prior to importation as an alternative to the existing treatments.
On January 14, 2004, the International Trade Commission (ITC) issued a news release on its preliminary negative antidumping (AD) injury determination stating that there is no reasonable indication that a U.S. industry is materially injured or threatened with material injury by reason of imports of ready-to-cook kosher chicken and parts thereof from Canada.
Broker Power provides quota prices on a monthly basis for certain textile and apparel categories from the People's Republic of China (China) that are publicly traded. (These publicly traded quota prices have been provided by a Hong Kong quota broker.)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has published a final rule which amends the Customs Regulations effective January 5, 2004 regarding the advance electronic presentation of information pertaining to cargo (sea, air, rail, or truck) prior to its being brought into, or sent from, the U.S.
The Journal of Commerce (JoC) has reported that a group known as the West Coast Marine Terminal Operators has announced a plan to pay for and install radio frequency identification tags on each of the estimated 30,000 trucks that haul containers in and out of West Coast terminals, with the system possibly being ready for use in March 2004. According to JoC, these tags would transmit information specifically related to the truck itself. (JoC, dated 12/22/03-01/04/04, www.joc.com)
In the January 7, 2004 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBP Bulletin) (Vol. 38, No. 2), CBP issued a notice proposing to modify a classification ruling regarding certain knit camisoles. CBP states that it is also proposing to revoke any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in this notice.
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a press release on its remand determination in response to a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Panel's decision regarding the final determination in the countervailing (CV) duty investigation on softwood lumber from Canada (C-122-839).
The Journal of Commerce (JoC) has reported that the Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether Mexican trucks should be subject to environmental reviews before being allowed to travel on U.S. roads. According to JoC, such trucks have been unable to operate in the U.S. because of a ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that environmental reviews must be completed before the trucks are allowed into the U.S. (JoC 12/22/03 - 01/04/04, www.joc.com)
The International Trade Administration (ITA) frequently issues notices on antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duty orders which Broker Power considers to be "minor" in importance as they concern actions that occur after an order is issued and neither announce nor cause any changes to an order's duty rates, scope, affected firms, or effective period.
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has amended its final results of the antidumping (AD) duty administrative review of tapered roller bearings and parts thereof, finished and unfinished from China for the period of June 1, 1997 through May 31, 1998 as there is now a final and conclusive court decision with respect to Luoyang Bearing Factory (Luoyang) and Premier Bearing and Equipment, Ltd. (Premier).