Monday Morning eBriefing

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began a series of webinars for stakeholders to explain the requirements under the new Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) rule, which takes effect on Jan. 1 with new requirements for the production and import of bulk HFCs. At this time, imports of products containing HFCs (aerosols, air conditioners, refrigeration equipment) are not covered by the rule.

The USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) has noticed an increase in misclassification of Christmas trees. To clear up any misunderstanding on the HTS codes for Christmas trees, the Christmas Tree Promotion Board provides the following information to improve accuracy and knowledge of the importation of Christmas trees:

Prospects for the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) duty suspensions and Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) renewal improved last week when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer agreed to go to conference on the larger U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) — a bipartisan Senate-passed bill that aims to boost U.S. competition with China. The USICA package includes both GSP renewal and MTB duty suspensions.

The recent sentencing of a CEO of children's apparel company by a New York district court for engaging in a years-long scheme to defraud Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of import duties should also serve as reminder to the nation's customs brokers that it is important to know your customers and their business patterns.

Starting Jan. 25, all Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)-flagged products must have a Message Set or a valid disclaimer filed in ACE.

The NCBFAA Transportation Committee’s Logistics Subcommittee is regularly collecting data on the nation’s rail delays and port congestion that are impacting the supply chain and your business operations.

The USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) alerted the trade to the fact that tomato entries filed in ACE for AMS Marketing Order message sets are receiving a reject message for HTS subheadings that are not subject to program requirements.

In less than 60 days, a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) quota system for bulk HFC production and imports will take effect. The final rule implements the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act passed last December, which mandates the phasedown of HFCs by 85 percent by 2036. HFCs are greenhouse gases commonly used in refrigerators, air conditioners, aerosols, and other products. For now, the rule only applies to bulk shipments, not products containing HFCs.

Here is a summary of the latest legislative and regulatory transport, logistics and trade sector updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Transportation Counsel firm Venable:

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the Trade Export data universe will be retired in its original format (.unv) Dec. 3 and replaced by the Trade Export data universe in its newer format (.unx).

It is no secret to NCBFAA forwarder members that they spend a good deal of energy explaining export compliance responsibilities to the less educated exporters, only to hear occasionally that “you are the only forwarder who is asking me for this information.”

Here is a summary of the latest customs and cross-border trade regulatory updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Customs Counsel firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg:

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) announced Nov. 3 that he is drafting legislation to ensure faster cargo releases and increased predictability for industry, improve protection for American innovation and intellectual property, and reduce administrative burden and costs.

Congestion Excess Dwell Fee assessments at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will begin Nov. 15 for all containers that have been on dock at least nine days, port authority officials said.

FDA Assistant Commissioner for Import Operations Dan Solis and Deputy Director for Import Operations John Verbeten provided updates of recent agency activity to the NCBFAA Regulatory Agencies Committee (RAC) during a November meeting. The focus for FDA import operations in the coming months will be opioids and nonapproved prescription drugs, seafood safety (especially shrimp), and Covid-19 medical products, the agency officials said.

Logixboard is a white-labeled shipment visibility software that helps freight forwarders and customs brokers increase sales and retain customers. It connects directly to your internal software and can be launched in less than three weeks with little to no effort from your tech team. For more details about the company, contact Business Development Manager Ryan Calabrese by email at ryan@logixboard.com.

While our country honors its nation’s veterans on Nov. 11, NCBFAA wants to thank and recognize all the active and retired military service members in our industry.

It is no secret to NCBFAA forwarder members that they spend a good deal of energy explaining export compliance responsibilities to the less educated exporters, only to hear occasionally that “you are the only forwarder who is asking me for this information.”

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) provided notice on Nov. 3 of country-by-country reallocations of fiscal year 2021 in-quota quantity of the World Trade Organization tariff rate quota (TRQ) for imported raw cane sugar.

The NCBFAA Transportation Committee’s Logistics Subcommittee is regularly collecting data on the nation’s rail delays and port congestion that are impacting the supply chain and your business operations.