The Trade Support Network's Leadership Council and its Entry and Transition Committees ("TSN") have sent a letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection expressing its continuing concerns regarding CBP's plans to reduce the number of validations currently found in ACS when the ACE ESAR A2.2 drop is developed.
Automated Commercial Environment (ACE)
The Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) is the CBP's electronic system through which the international trade community reports imports and exports and the government determines admissibility.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued an ABI and Truck Manifest CSMS message stating that the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Certification Environment will be unavailablefrom 8:00 a.m. EDT on May 27, 2008 through 8:00 a.m. EDT on June 3, 2008. CBP asks that the trade plan their test activities accordingly. (CSMS 08-000066, dated 04/30/08, available at http://apps.cbp.gov/csms/viewmssg.asp?Recid=17074&page=&srch_argv=08-000066&srchtype=all&btype=&sortby=&sby)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted its report to Congress on the Automated Commercial Environment for the first quarter of fiscal year 2008 (October 1, 2007 - December 31, 2007). The report provides an update on ACE accomplishments, challenges, fiscal status, and upcoming program milestones.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted an updated version of its "ACE Workplan Schedule," which provides a list of the changes and/or fixes to the Automated Commercial Environment and other systems it interfaces with that were/are scheduled for deployment on April 12, 2008 and May 31, 2008.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a notice announcing that the next meeting of the Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland Security Functions (COAC)1 will be held on May 9, 2008 in Washington, DC.
On April 15, 2008, Federal Maritime Commissioner Anderson issued a statement regarding the FMC's fiscal year 2009 budget before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. Highlights of his comments include:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted an updated version of its Automated Commercial Environment application form.
The International Trade Data System has posted the 2008 quarter 1 issue of its ITDS e-Newsletter. The newsletter covers the Coast Guard joining ITDS, CPSC announcing the development of a new Import Surveillance Division, the completion of the first version of the ACE Portal Reports Dictionary, etc. (e-Newsletter available at http://www.itds.gov/linkhandler/itds/news/e_newsletters/1st_qrtr_nwsltr.ctt/1st_qtr_nwsltr.pdf)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted a summary of changes to the Automated Export System Trade Interface Requirements (AESTIR) to its Web site, indicating that Version 1.0 was changed on April 14, 2008 as follows:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued an ACE Portal Accounts CSMS message announcing that it will soon begin implementing a new policy regarding inactive Automated Commercial Environment Secure Data Portal accounts.