Monday Morning eBriefing

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:

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.”

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Lacey and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have finally resolved the missing Lacey Act flags for four musical instrument HTS subheadings.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

NCBFAA on Oct. 26 submitted detailed comments to the Sept. 10 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding continuing education for licensed customs brokers.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) announced today 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.

Effective Nov. 1, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have implemented a new “Container Excess Dwell Fee,” payable by ocean common carriers (vessel-operating common carriers or VOCCs). The Container Excess Dwell Fee, introduced to facilitate the easing of unprecedented port congestion, will be assessed for each discharged container transported under a VOCC’s bill of lading that “dwells” on marine terminals beyond a prescribed period depending on the modality of the container, explained NCBFAA Transportation Counsel Ashley Craig. This initiative was developed in coordination with the Biden-Harris Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force, U.S. Department of Transportation, and multiple supply chain stakeholders.

The U.S. announced Oct. 31 that it will terminate Section 232 tariffs on a set volume of steel and aluminum products imported from the European Union, while the EU will not proceed with retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. goods which were scheduled to take effect Dec. 1.