CBP has developed a “trade facing” truck export manifest and is ready to deploy it “pending publication” of an interim final rule in the Federal Register, the agency said ahead of the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee’s September meeting. CBP also is hoping to soon publish a notice of proposed rulemaking to put in place an electronic export manifest for shipments traveling by vessel and is awaiting a final rule for its rail EEM proposal issued in January (see 2501080013).

The Commerce Department’s spring 2025 regulatory agenda for the Census Bureau includes a new mention of a proposed rule that could require exporters to report the country of origin for certain foreign-produced goods. Census said it will propose a new conditional data element for “country of origin” when the foreign indicator is selected in the Electronic Export Information filed in the Automated Export System. The rule also will propose “remedial changes” to the Foreign Trade Regulations to “improve clarity and to correct errors.” Census had hoped to issue the rule in July. The agency has been studying alternative ways to collect the country of origin information after receiving significant pushback from companies and trade groups that said a new reporting requirement would lead to costly compliance challenges (see 2203160026, 2301230008, 2309130002 and 2403270056).

The Census Bureau is seeking public comments by Nov. 10 on an information collection involving the Automated Export System, it said in a notice released this week. The agency also said it's working on a separate rule that would help it record the country of origin for exports of foreign-produced goods (see 2508130022, 2203160026, 2301230008, 2309130002 and 2403270056). In addition, it's working on a "future rule" to address "the duplicative nature of the State of Origin data element," an issue that has been raised by Census officials and trade groups for at least two years (see 2310310053 and 2310240069).

The Census Bureau is creating new License Code C78 in the Automated Export System for filers to use when shipping goods under License Exception Syria Peace and Prosperity, which the Bureau of Industry and Security announced last week (see 2508280029). The license exception authorizes exports and reexports to Syria of all items designated under the Export Administration Regulations as EAR99.

The Census Bureau issued corrections this week to its August rule that will expand the types of parties responsible for submitting export filings for in-transit shipments imported to the U.S. from foreign countries before being exported to another foreign destination (see 2508130022). The rule "referenced incorrect amendatory language in the List of Subjects in 15 CFR Part 30 section," Census said. The rule still takes effect Sept. 15.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is temporarily adding two synthetic benzimidazole-opioid substances -- N-pyrrolidino metonitazene and N -pyrrolidino protonitazene -- to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a notice. The listing takes effect Aug. 15, and will be in effect for up to three years.

The Census Bureau is updating certain field names in the Automated Export System related to the U.S. Principal Party in Interest address and state of origin, it said in an Aug. 15 email to industry. The agency is changing the name of the “Address of the USPPI” to “Address of Origin” to clarify that the USPPI address “represents the origin of movement, not the address associated with the USPPI [Employer ID Number] or headquarters address,” it said. The change was previewed in a final rule issued by the agency on Aug. 13 (see 2508130022).

The Census Bureau emailed tips on how to address the most frequent message generated this month in the Automated Export System.

The Automed Export System’s Response Message 15A, which alerts filers if the reported Foreign Trade Zone Indicator isn’t formatted correctly, is being upgraded from a “compliance” message to a fatal error beginning July 14, CBP said in a cargo systems message last week. The error message won't allow export filers to move forward if the FTZ Indicator “does not have the required format of 3 numeric characters which is a valid zone followed by 6 alphanumeric characters.”

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has been removed from the Automated Export System's Trade Interface Requirements for export filings, according to a June 25 CBP cargo systems message. The bureau has "inactivated its Partner Government Agency (PGA) Export Message Set" as part of a "deregulatory action," CBP said. "References for TTB have been removed from Appendices Q and X of the Automated Export System Trade Interface Requirement (AESTIR). Previously, the submission of TTB PGA export message set had been voluntary."