The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has rejected a Section 301 petition filed by members of Congress on the issue of China's currency, noting that this petition is similar to two previously rejected petitions. The USTR states that it believes that China has undertaken the necessary and appropriate steps to prepare for a move to a more flexible, market-based exchange rate system; therefore, a Section 301 action would not be an appropriate or productive way to achieve that goal. (USTR statement, dated 05/27/05, available at http://www.ustr.gov/Document_Library/Spokesperson_Statements/May_27,_2005_Statement_from_USTR_Spokesperson_Richard_Mills_Regarding_a_Section_301_Petition_on_Chinas_Currency_Regime.html)
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a final rule, effective February 7, 2005, that corrects its December 9, 2004 final rule that requires the establishment and maintenance of records by certain persons (unless excepted) who manufacture, import, process, pack, transport, distribute, receive, or hold food in the U.S.
The Washington File has reported that the U.S. trade deficit surged 7.7% in November 2004 to another record as the volume of oil imports went up and exports of capital goods, autos and industrial supplies dropped, reflecting weak foreign demand, according to the Department of Commerce. (Washington File Pub 01/12/05, available at http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2005&m=January&x=20050112130234ebyessedo0.6893274&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html)
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a final rule that adds a new Subpart J to 21 CFR Part 1 and a new paragraph (f) to 21 CFR 11.1 to, among other things, require the establishment and maintenance of records by certain persons (unless excepted) who manufacture, import, process, pack, transport, distribute, receive, or hold foods in the U.S.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a final rule that adds a new Subpart J to 21 CFR Part 1 (Subpart J) and a new paragraph (f) to 21 CFR 11.1 to, among other things, require the establishment and maintenance of records by persons (unless excluded) who manufacture, import, process, pack, transport, distribute, receive, or hold food in the U.S.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice requesting comments by 5 p.m. on February 11, 2005 regarding whether any foreign countries should be identified under Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (Trade Act) (19 USC 2242), which is commonly referred to as the "Special 301" provision of the Trade Act.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a statement that although the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed that an older dairy cow from Alberta has tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the USDA remains confident that measures that Canada has in place, combined with existing U.S. safeguards and additional safeguards announced as part of the USDA's BSE minimal-risk regions final rule, provide the utmost protections. (USDA Release No. 0001.05, dated 01/03/05, available at http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2005/01/0001.xml)
The Journal of Commerce Online reports that the container congestion that has affected the Los Angeles - Long Beach harbor for the past three months will continue for at least four to eight weeks, or even longer, due to higher than projected cargo volumes, compounded by lack of capacity on railroads serving the docks and a severe shortage of longshore labor. (JoC Online, dated 09/29/04, www.joc.com)
The Journal of Commerce reports that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has asked for permission to keep the hours-of-service (HOS) final rule for truck drivers in effect for at least six more months while it tries to revise it after it was vacated by a court decision in July. (See ITT's Online Archives or 09/08/04 news, 04090810, for the FMCSA's filing to stay the court decision.) (JoC, dated 09/06/04, www.joc.com)
According to The Washington Post and a National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) press release, on September 9, 2004 a group of industry, farm, and labor groups, seeking to put pressure on the Bush Administration before the Presidential election, petitioned the government to accept a Section 301 petition against China's currency policies. The Washington Post reports that the groups are accusing China of manipulating its currency to gain trade advantages against U.S. firms. (WP dated 09/09/04, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8529-2004Sep9.html; NCTO press release, www.ncto.org/newsroom/pr200407.asp.)