Miscellaneous International Trade Notices

eTrucker reports that beginning January 1, 2008, California will triple its idling fine and prevent registration, including the renewal or transfer of registration, of trucks with outstanding citations for pollution. The state's previous minimum civil penalty for violating the state's five-minute idling law was $100, but beginning January 1st it will be $300. (eTrucker, dated 10/24/07, available at http://www.etrucker.com/apps/news/article.asp?id=64149)

3. CBP Chicago Pipeline on the Bond Centralization Program

U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Port of Chicago has issued a Pipeline regarding the Bond Centralization Program. Among other things, the Pipeline states that effective August 20, 2007, the Revenue Division assumed responsibility for all continuous bond processing in the Automated Commercial System (ACS) and the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). See Pipeline for the list of changes that took effect on that date. (Pipeline 07-38, dated 10/18/07, available via email by sending a request to documents@brokerpower.com)

4. USDA Approves Mushroom Program Assessment Increase

The Agricultural Marketing Service has issued a press release announcing that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved an assessment increase under the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Program. Effective January 1, 2008, the assessment rate will increase from $0.0043 cents per pound to $0.005 cents per pound of mushrooms marketed or imported for the fresh market in the U.S. Producers and importers who produce or import an average of more than 500,000 pounds of mushrooms annually for fresh use will be affected. (AMS No. 208-07, dated 10/19/07, available at http://www.ams.usda.gov/news/208-07.htm)

5. New WTO Online System for Searching Food Safety, Animal Plant Data

The World Trade Organization has issued a news release announcing the launch of a new comprehensive system for searching for information on WTO member governments' sanitary and phytosanitary measures - food safety and animal and plant health and safety. The SPS Information Management System (SPS IMS) is a comprehensive source allowing users to track and obtain information on measures that member governments have notified to the WTO (an obligation for WTO members), specific trade concerns that they have raised, documents of the WTO's Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Committee, member governments' national enquiry points and their authorities handling notification. (News release, dated 10/19/07, available at http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news07_e/sps_ims_oct07_e.htm)

6. OFAC Designates Three Individuals Under Terrorism EO

The Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued a notice publishing the names of three newly-designated individuals whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 13224, "Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions With Persons Who Commit, Threaten To Commit, or Support Terrorism." (FR Pub 10/25/07, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-21050.pdf)

7. DHS Announces Availability of IT Security Framework, Seeks Comments

The Department of Homeland Security has issued a notice informing the public that it is making available for public review and comment "Information Technology (IT) Security Essential Body of Knowledge (EBK): A Competency and Functional Framework for IT Security Workforce Development." Comments are due on or before December 7, 2007. (D/NDHS-2007-0068, FR Pub 10/03/07, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-19566.pdf)

8. FDA Revises Its Import Alert on Dentifrice Products Containing DEG

The Food and Drug Administration has posted to its Web site an updated version of its Import Alert on the detention without physical examination of dentifrice products containing diethylene glycol. FDA's revision updates the product codes. (IA 66-74, revised 10/17/07, available at http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia6674.html)

9. FMC Lists OTI Applications

The Federal Maritime Commission has issued a notice that lists those applying for ocean transportation intermediary (OTI) licenses as a non-vessel-operating common carrier (NVOCC) or NVOCC/ ocean freight forwarder (FF) or NVOCC/FF OTI, as follows:

FMC notice (FR Pub 10/24/07) available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-20946.pdf