Miscellaneous International Trade Notices
American Shipper reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials plan to meet with their Chinese counterparts in Beijing in December to work out the details on allowing U.S. inspectors in China to verify security compliance of manufacturers and logistics providers whose customers participate in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program. (AS, dated 11/15/07, www.americanshipper.com)
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1. China to Host C-TPAT Meeting in December
2. USDA Announces Philippines Will Allow Full Market Access for U.S. Beef, Beef Products
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a news release announcing that the Philippines has decided to allow complete market access for U.S. beef and beef products of all ages. (Release No. 0341.07, dated 11/16/07, available at http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2007/11/0341.xml)
3. House-Senate Conference Cuts Funds for Border Fencing
PortSecurityNews.com reports that House-Senate conferees on the Defense Department Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 2008 reached agreement on the bill; however, the conferees cut funding for border security by $3 billion, which would cover completion of 700 miles of border fencing and 300 miles of vehicle barriers. (PortSecurityNews.com, dated 11/12/07, available at http://portsecuritynews.com/news/templates/registered.asp?articleid=1818&zoneid=29)
4. Canada Wants Review of U.S. Security Measures at Border
Truck News reports that Canadian Ambassador Michael Wilson recently called for a review of U.S. Customs and Border Protection security measures at the border that have caused a "parking lot" situation. (Truck News, dated 11/15/07, available at http://www.trucknews.com/issues/ISarticle.asp?id=76439)
5. Appeals Court Rules Against New Government Fuel Economy Standards
MSNBC reports that a U.S. appeals court has ruled that the government's new fuel economy standards for many sport-utility vehicles, minivans and pickup trucks, which were to go into effect next year, did not properly assess the risk to the environment and failed to include heavier SUVs and trucks, among several other deficiencies. (MSNBC, dated 11/15/07, available at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21820644/)
6. TWIC Enrollment Scheduled to Begin at Houston Port on Nov. 14, 2007
The Transportation Security Administration has issued a press release announcing that on November 14, 2007, port workers, longshore workers, truckers and others at the Port of Houston, were scheduled to begin enrolling in the Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program. Houston is the eighth port to begin enrollment since the program began October 16th. (TSA press release, dated 11/13/07, available at http://www.tsa.gov/press/releases/2007/press_release_11132007.shtm)
7. ASEAN Nations Sign Charter, Plan for Free Trade Area by 2015
According to various press sources, on November 20, 2007, the 10 Southeast Asian nations of ASEAN signed a charter giving its member states a legal identity and setting out a common set of rules for negotiations in trade, investment, environment and other fields. ASEAN aims to become a free trade area by 2015. (Associated Press, dated 11/20/07, available at http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jjy58DTSqKVlJRyRU1nFmNp8TTJAD8T1GEMG0 and Yahoo! News, dated 11/15/07, available at http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2007-11-15T124044Z_01_SP295565_RTRUKOC_0_US-ASEAN-CHARTER.xml)
8. FDA Requests Seizure of $2 Million of Potentially Harmful Eye Product
The Food and Drug Administration has issued a press release announcing that at its request, U.S. Marshals seized 12,682 applicator tubes of Age Intervention Eyelash (worth approximately $2 million), a product to promote eyelash growth that may, in some users, lead to decreased vision. Age Intervention Eyelash is sold and distributed by Jan Marini Skin Research, Inc. of San Jose, CA. (Press release, dated 11/16/07, available at http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01746.html)
9. CBP Chicago Amends Its PEA & SIL Pipeline
U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Port of Chicago has issued a Pipeline which amends an earlier Pipeline on the modification of the Post-Entry Amendment Processing test and the termination of the Supplementary Information Letter program. The amendment appears to include information on the quarterly tracking report and an updated PEA coversheet. (See ITT's Online Archives or 10/25/07 news, 07102599 8, for BP summary of the original PEA and SIL Pipeline.) (Pipeline 07-37A, dated 11/14/07, available via email by sending a request to documents@brokerpower.com)
10. OFAC Designates Two Entities Under EO 13405 Regarding Belarus
The Treasury's Department Office of Foreign Assets Control has published the names of two newly-designated entities whose property and interests in property are blocked, effective November 13, 2007, pursuant to Executive Order 13405 of June 16, 2006 entitled, "Blocking Property of Certain Persons Undermining Democratic Processes or Institutions in Belarus." (OFAC notice, FR Pub 11/19/07, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-22559.pdf)
11. FMCSA Announces Public Listening Session on Safety Analysis Initiative
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued a notice announcing a public listening session on December 4, 2007 to obtain feedback from interested parties on the its Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 initiative, a comprehensive review, analysis, and restructuring of FMCSA's current commercial motor carrier safety and enforcement programs. FMCSA also requests comments by January 31, 2008 on the CSA 2010 operational model described in its notice. (D/N FMCSA-2004-18898, FR Pub 11/02/07, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-21671.pdf)