The Census Bureau published a July 21 blog post about U.S.-Puerto Rico shipping regulations, detailing when exporters must file Electronic Export Information in the Automated Export System. The post covers filing requirements for shipping routes that include the mainland U.S., Puerto Rico and a foreign country. The Commerce Department is working on an advance notice of proposed rulemaking to remove certain EEI filing requirements for exporters shipping goods to Puerto Rico (see 2006030043).
The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee’s Secure Trade Lanes Subcommittee Export Working Group issued draft recommendations this week ahead of the COAC’s July 15 meeting. The group recommends that CBP review, compare and eliminate any “duplicative and unnecessary” data elements between the Electronic Export Information and Air, Ocean, and Rail manifest. The group also recommended that the duplicative data elements only be required from the owner of the data “since it is the most timely and accurate source,” and recommended that CBP “provide a data-flow and process-flow map” for government agencies. The map would define where data originates, “such as the EEI, the Manifest, and Departure messages,” the group said.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is extending for one more year the temporary listing of NM2201, 5F-AB-PINACA, 4-CN-CUMYL-BUTINACA, MMB-CHMICA and 5F-CUMYL-P7AICA in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said. The synthetic cannabinoids, first temporarily listed in 2018 (see 1807090017), will now remain listed in schedule I until July 10, 2021. DEA also issued a proposed rule to permanently list these synthetic cannabinoids in schedule I, with comments due Aug. 12. Substances may only be temporarily listed under the CSA for three years.
Because the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative was in such a hurry on implementation, some USMCA details needed by traders are either wrong or missing. For instance, there are tariff numbers that are invalid, because negotiators used the 2012 Harmonized Tariff Schedule numbers. On a call with trade professionals July 6, CBP staffers said importers or exporters can email CBP with a tariff number in question, and the agency can provide guidance on how to claim USMCA treatment for those goods.
In calls hosted by CBP on the last day of NAFTA, and the first day of USMCA, trade professionals were anxious to understand what they should change in paperwork.
The Census Bureau recently released its mid-year update to Schedule B, with changes taking effect July 1. New Schedule B numbers are created to break out boneless meat of bison (0201.30.6010) from other boneless bovine meat (0201.30.6090), with old Schedule B number 0201.30.6000 for all fresh or chilled, unprocessed, boneless bovine meat now obsolete. New Schedule B number 2711.12.0010 is also being created for liquefied propane with a minimum purity of 90 liquid volume percent, with other liquefied propane now classifiable under Schedule B number 2711.12.0020. Schedule B number 2711.12.0000 for all liquefied propane is also obsolete. The changes mirror those in the International Trade Commission’s upcoming mid-year update to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, though most of the upcoming HTS changes are not mirrored in Schedule B.
The Labor Department is seeking comments on its interim rules for how automakers can establish that enough of their vehicles were produced with $16/hour labor. Stakeholders have until Aug. 31 to comment.
CBP Executive Assistant Commissioner for Trade Brenda Smith told reporters June 30 that CBP staffers “are very well-prepared to implement the agreement” that takes over from NAFTA at midnight.
Although lawmakers thought eliminating the NAFTA certificate would be helpful, some importers are more comfortable with structure, so there will be a certificate template available on CBP's trade agreements web page “as soon as possible,” Adam Sulewski, USMCA Center project leader at CBP, said during a conference call June 29. He reminded importers, “We can accept those required nine data elements in any form.”
Concerns over imported and exported food during the COVID-19 pandemic are unfounded, and efforts to restrict food trade have no scientific basis, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a joint statement June 24. “The United States understands the concerns of consumers here domestically and around the world who want to know that producers, processors and regulators are taking every necessary precaution to prioritize food safety especially during these challenging times. However, efforts by some countries to restrict global food exports related to COVID-19 transmission are not consistent with the known science of transmission,” they said. “There is no evidence that people can contract COVID-19 from food or from food packaging. The U.S. food safety system, overseen by our agencies, is the global leader in ensuring the safety of our food products, including product for export.”