ITDS e-newsletter for Second Quarter of 2008
The International Trade Data System has posted its ITDS e-newsletter for the second quarter of 2008. Highlights of the topics discussed in the newsletter include:
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ITDS Program Team Completes First Round of "Deep Dives" for 15 PGAs
The ITDS Program Team has recently completed the first round of Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) requirement gathering "deep dives" for 15 participating government agencies (PGAs). As a result of the "deep dives," the ITDS Program Team has been working to update PGAs' Concept of Operations to reflect the decisions made during the "deep dives."
(Note that the term "deep dive" is a business term used by many to mean a total immersion into the problem at hand.)
CBP and EPA Collaboration
Collaboration between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is continuing to gain momentum. Earlier in 2008, EPA and CBP representatives visited three California ports (Calexico, Otay Mesa, and Long Beach) to get a first-hand understanding of CBP operations, identify EPA-related import issues, identify near-term opportunities to improve import safety, and establish relationships with CBP officers in the field.
As a result of this trip, EPA plans to develop a set of customized business processes that will better fit the CBP port environment and effectively streamline business operations between CBP and EPA.
In addition to the port visits, EPA continues its successful partnership with the ITDS program through the "Deep Dive" requirements gathering session held with CBP on April 21 and 22. The meeting produced an initial set of detailed requirements for two of EPA's programs to be integrated into future ACE releases. EPA also identified work it will be taking on with regards to product codes and regulatory and policy items that need to be addressed as part of the integration effort. Finally, EPA has successfully implemented its cutting-edge proof of concept that presented a new internet-based approach for interoperability with the ACE system using web services. As a next step, EPA will pilot a data flow exchanging toxic chemical data reference files with CBP using EPA's network node technology.
ITDS Addressed in Recent Senate Finance Committee Hearing
In June 24, 2008, Treasury Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tax, Trade, and Tariff Policy and ITDS Chairman Skud discussed ITDS, among other things, at a Senate Finance Committee hearing.
In his written statement for the hearing, Deputy Assistant Secretary Skud noted that in 2008, there had been a significant improvement in agency participation in ITDS. Skud also provided an overview of ITDS accomplishments and challenges.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 07/02/08 news, 08070220, for BP summary of Skud's testimony.)
ITDS e-newsletter (2008 quarter 2) available at http://www.itds.gov/linkhandler/itds/news/e_newsletters/q2_newsletter_2008.ctt/q2_newsletter_2008.pdf