The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comments on the impact of the Chemical Weapons Convention on commercial activities during 2021, BIS said in a notice. The agency is specifically looking for feedback on how activities involving Schedule 1 chemicals were affected to determine whether the “legitimate commercial activities and interests of chemical, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical firms” were “harmed” this year by CWC decisions. Comments are due Jan. 3, 2022.
Perth USAsia Centre, a think tank that focuses on relationships between Australia, the U.S. and Asian countries, and the Asia Society Policy Institute say that while the World Trade Organization is not well-equipped to combat trade coercion, there are international approaches that could make the tactic more costly for perpetrators and help injured companies that are hurt by the coercion.
The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach again postponed a new surcharge meant to incentivize the movement of dwelling containers, the two ports announced Nov. 29. The ports originally said they would begin imposing the fee Nov. 15 (see 2111030027) but have postponed it several times (see 2111150054). The fee will now "not be considered prior" to Dec. 6, the ports said.
Samsung this week announced plans to build a new $17 billion semiconductor manufacturing facility in Taylor, Texas, which is expected to produce chips for 5G, high-performance computing and artificial intelligence uses. The company said it expects the facility to be operational by the second half of 2024. The announcement comes as the U.S. seeks to boost incentives for the semiconductor sector, both to improve research and innovation and to encourage more plants to be built in America amid the global chip shortage (see 2110200030). “With greater manufacturing capacity, we will be able to better serve the needs of our customers and contribute to the stability of the global semiconductor supply chain,” senior Samsung official Kinam Kim said Nov. 24.
Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued a Nov. 18 notice about the “upward trend” of environmental crimes linked to corruption, money-laundering and illegal payments. The notice outlines how companies can report suspicious activities and includes examples of environmental crimes that violate U.S. laws, including wildlife trafficking, illegal logging, and waste and hazardous substances trade.
The Census Bureau recently released new data on U.S. exporting firms, the value of their exports, export destinations and detailed business owner demographics as part of its annual business survey program. The data, released Nov. 18, provides a “unique window into the U.S. exporting industry and company owners” and matches export transactions to business demographics, Census said.
The Federal Maritime Commission will convene six supply chain innovation teams to find improvements in the container return and delivery process at marine terminals, the FMC said Nov. 17. The announcement, made by Commissioner Rebecca Dye this week, is aimed at “improving conditions” at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in California and at the Port of New York and New Jersey. The teams will be composed of ocean carrier executives and marine terminal operators.
The Census Bureau Nov. 18 emailed tips on how to address the most frequent messages generated this month in the Automated Export System. Response code 123 is a fatal error for when the mode of transportation requires that the conveyance name or carrier name be reported but that name is missing, Census said. The filer should verify the mode of transportation and the conveyance name or carrier name, correct the shipment and resubmit. Response code 539 is an error for when the shipping weight must be zero for the listed mode of transportation but it isn’t reported as zeros, Census said. The agency said when the mode of transportation isn’t vessel, rail, truck or air and the Export Information Code is not HH for household goods, the shipping weight must be zero. Filers should verify the mode of transportation and shipping weight, correct the shipment and resubmit.
The Treasury Department changed its comment period for a proposed rule issued this week that could extend a deadline related to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.’s excepted state provision (see 2111120017). In a correction issued Nov. 17, Treasury shortened the comment period deadline from Dec. 15 to Dec. 10. The agency is seeking feedback on whether it should give Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom more time to cement their positions as excepted foreign states and excepted real estate foreign states, which would exclude them from certain CFIUS screening requirements. A Treasury spokesperson didn’t comment.
A new effort by the Federal Maritime Commission will examine how “data constraints” are impeding ocean cargo flow and slowing U.S. supply chains, the FMC announced Nov. 15. The effort, which Commissioner Carl Bentzel will lead, will eventually propose recommendations for “common data standards” used by the international shipping supply chains as well as new policies that could “streamline information sharing,” the FMC said.