The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking information on the chip sector and the semiconductor supply chain, including sales statistics, production and inventory information, and bottleneck issues, the agency said in a notice. The comments will help the Commerce Department gather information on issues in the semiconductor industry, which was mandated in a February executive order (see 2102240068 and 2107280051).
The Census Bureau Sept. 21 emailed tips on how to address the most frequent messages generated this month in the Automated Export System. Response code 643 is a fatal error for when the reported Schedule B/Harmonized Tariff Schedule Number requires a second quantity to be reported, and that quantity is missing or reported as zero, Census said. The filer should verify the reported quantity, correct the shipment and resubmit.
President Joe Biden will nominate a U.S. intelligence official to a key sanctions position at the Treasury Department, the White House said Sept. 21. Biden will nominate Shannon Corless, who serves as an intelligence and economic security official in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, to be assistant secretary in the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, which oversees the Office of Foreign Assets Control. In her role at the DNI, Corless leads interagency and “foreign partnership activities” related to export controls, investment security, sanctions, supply chains and other trade issues, the White House said. Corless previously served as the director of the DNI’s Investment Security Group, where she worked on investment reviews conducted by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.
The Federal Maritime Commission is proposing to modernize and clarify some requirements associated with the filing of marine terminal operator schedules, the FMC said Sept. 21. The proposed changes are “non-policy related” and are intended to update “outdated” requirements while making the “existing requirements and definitions consistent with other parts” of the FMC’s regulations. The changes include a clarification to the definition of “bulk cargo,” a revision to the definition of “marine terminal operator,” and a removal of other “unnecessary language relating to accessing electronically published MTO schedules.” Comments are due Nov. 22.
The State Department approved a potential military sale to Saudi Arabia to continue maintenance support services for certain defense equipment, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Sept. 16. The sale includes $500 million in maintenance and support for a fleet of helicopters. DSCA said the vendor is unknown “at this time.”
The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking comments from the public on information related to the supply chains for critical sectors of the information and communications technology industrial base, the agency said in a notice. The comments will help the Commerce Department prepare a report on issues in the ICT supply chain, which was mandated by a February executive order (see 2102240068).
The Federal Maritime Commission approved some recommendations made by Commissioner Rebecca Dye in July to address ocean freight delivery and port issues (see 2107290021), the commission said Sept. 25. Under one recommendation, the FMC will issue a “policy statement” to provide guidance to shippers seeking to obtain reparations for violations of the Shipping Act, including unfair detention and demurrage fees. The statement will provide guidance on the “scope of the prohibition against carrier retaliation,” when attorney fees may be imposed on the losing party, and who may file a complaint with the FMC.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls will perform scheduled maintenance on its Defense Export Control and Compliance System 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 16, the agency said in a notice this week. DECCS will be unavailable to industry during this time. The agency said users should ensure their “work in progress is saved prior to the scheduled downtime.”
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. approved Singapore investment firm GIC's minority investment purchase of a subsidiary of Duke Energy, a U.S. energy holding company, Duke Energy said Sept. 8. Under the deal, GIC will acquire a nearly 20% indirect minority interest in Duke Energy Indiana for $2.05 billion.
President Joe Biden will nominate Reta Jo Lewis, a former State Department official and corporate lawyer, for president and chair of the Export-Import Bank of the U.S., the White House announced this week. At the State Department, Lewis served as the first special representative for global intergovernmental affairs under the Obama administration, where she led efforts to build “strategic relationships” between the U.S. and foreign counterparts. Lewis is currently the congressional affairs director at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.