Automated Commercial Environment (ACE)

The Consumer Product Safety Commission should hold a dialogue with the trade community before it finalizes new entry documentation requirements, said a group of trade associations a letter to the commission dated March 14. CPSC proposed in May 2013 to require product safety compliance certificates to be filed with CBP at time of entry (see 13051018). That is a “significant change to current supply chain operations and will have a major adverse impact on businesses’ operations,” said the letter. The changes merit that CPSC hold a public form “as soon as possible,” said the trade groups. “It is important for the CPSC to fully understand how the current entry process works and how this change would not only impact the industry, but Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the CPSC as well,” it said.

The Senate unanimously confirmed Gil Kerlikowske as CBP commissioner by voice vote on March 6, in a move that ensures a Senate-confirmed commissioner will lead CBP for the first time in nearly five years. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, along with some industry leaders, praised the confirmation.

CBP has hopes for modernization on several fronts, including for automation of import and export processing and revenue collection, for this year and the coming years, said agency officials during a panel at the East Coast Trade Symposium March 7. The Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) and related International Trade Data System continue to be a linchpin in CBP's modernization efforts, they said. The role of the CBP import specialist will be changing in coming years as work toward modernization moves forward, said Acting CBP Commissioner Thomas Winkowski.

CBP added 14 airports to the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Cargo Release pilot program, the agency said in a CSMS notice listing the new airports. CBP recently said it was expanding the pilot program to include other modes of transportation beside air (see 14013112). The additional airports are:

Members of the trade community unveiled a new set of “master principles” for government regulation of exports at the Feb. 20 meeting of the CBP Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC). The “Master Principles for a One U.S. Government at the Border Cooperation for Exports,” developed by the COAC export subcommittee, envisions increased cooperation between the government and the trade and between the government agencies themselves. It also urges streamlined processes for exporters like a single window and a single government point of contact to address concerns related to all government agency requirements.

CBP sees President Barack Obama's Feb. 19 executive order calling for the completion of the International Trade Data System (ITDS) by 2016 (see 14021928) as a "very important step forward," said Acting Commissioner Tom Winkowski while talking with reporters before the Feb. 20 Advisory Committee on the Commercial Operations of CBP (COAC) meeting. "It will eliminate the need for paperwork" and result in lowered transaction costs, he said. The order, which took about a year to get through the lengthy review process, "really sets the tone and puts a spotlight, if you will, on the importance of trade," said Winkowski. "We've got to get this up and running," he said.

President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order establishing a deadline for the completion of the long-awaited International Trade Data System (ITDS) “single window” for filing trade information required by numerous government agencies, the White House said Feb. 19. The order (here) is meant to propel necessary data sharing agreements among the agencies and align ITDS with the timeline set for the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), former CBP officials said.

The Food and Drug Administration has no pending plans to get into regulating admission of goods into foreign-trade zones through electronic filing of CBP Form 214, said John Verbeten, director of the program development and implementation branch of FDA’s Division of Import Operations. Getting involved in the FTZ import process would play havoc with shipments of inadmissible product into FTZs that are then offered for import after being transformed into FDA-approved merchandise, said Verbeten at the National Association Foreign-Trade Zones’ 2014 Regulatory and Legislative Seminar on Feb. 11 in Washington, D.C. Absent overwhelming pressure from industry, FDA would currently rather not get involved, he said.

CBP posted an updated set of Frequently Asked Questions focused on technical issues in the Automated Commercial Environment Cargo Release pilot program. Cargo Release, previously known as Simplified Entry, allows for filing of shipment information earlier in the import process and was recently expanded to include ocean and rail transportation modes in addition to air (see 14013112).

The Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC) for CBP will next meet Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. in Washington, CBP said in a notice.