Miscellaneous International Trade Notices
At the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, PortCheck is preparing to introduce a simplified cargo claiming system to reduce the administrative and economic burdens of the Clean Trucks Program (CTP). The system will be developed, tested and operational by November 15, not November 1 as previously announced. Under the new system, cargo owners using exempt clean trucks to move local or intermodal rail cargo will no longer be required to claim cargo or pay the Clean Trucks Fee (CTF) in advance; only cargo owners using older, non-compliant trucks will be required to do so. Currently, all cargo, including intermodal cargo, must be claimed through PortCheck. (PierPass press release, dated 10/29/09, available by emailing documents@brokerpower.com.)
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1. LA/LB Simplified Cargo Claiming System Delayed Until November 15th
2. Independent Report on CBP's Stimulus Land Port of Entry Projects
The Department of Homeland Security has issued a press release announcing that an independent 30-day review conducted by senior career officials from across the federal government found that U.S. Customs and Border Protection selected American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) land port of entry projects based on a transparent, merit-based process and used reasonable and well-justified cost estimates. (DHS press release, dated 10/30/09, available at http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1256919434203.shtm.)
3. August 2009 Surface Trade with Canada and Mexico Fell 24.9 Percent
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that trade using surface transportation between the United States and its NAFTA partners Canada and Mexico was 24.9 percent lower in August 2009 than in August 2008, dropping to $54.3 billion. (Press release, dated 10/29/09, available at http://www.bts.gov/press_releases/2009/bts051_09/html/bts051_09.html)
4. EU Still Has Trade Surplus in Goods with U.S. but was Less in 2009
The European Commission has issued statistics on U.S.-European Union trade which show that in the first half of 2009, the EU27 continued to have a trade surplus in goods with the U.S. but that the surplus was only 16 billion euros, compared with 33 billion in the same period of 2008. (Press release, dated 10/30/09, available at http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=STAT/09/155&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en)
5. DOJ Medical Marijuana Guidelines Have No Impact on DOT
The Department of Transportation has issued notice that the Department of Justice's recent guidelines on State laws that allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes will have no bearing on the Department of Transportation's regulated drug testing program. (Notice, dated 10/22/09, available at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/Medical-Marijuana-Notice.pdf)
6. CPSC Issues Initial Chinese Drywall Studies, Results Inconclusive
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a press release, status report, and test results on the preliminary findings of the multi-agency investigation it is leading into complaints over Chinese drywall. Early results show that Chinese drywall emits volatile sulfur compounds at a higher rate than U.S.-made drywall. However, other tests have been less conclusive. CPSC expects to issue more test results in November. (Press release, posted 10/29/09, available at http://www.cpsc.gov/info/drywall/index.html)
7. CPSC Lists Voluntary Recall
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has published notice of the following voluntary recall:
| Product: Reason | Company | Release |
|---|---|---|
| Arctic Cat Snowmobiles: Fire Hazard | Arctic Cat Inc. (MN) | 10-705 |
(CPSC recalls available at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prereloct09.html
8. FAS Global Agriculture Information Network Report
The Foreign Agriculture Service issued the following GAIN report:
Thailand Weekly Rice Price Update: Grain and Feed
9. Revised FDA Import Alerts
The Food and Drug Administration has posted revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:
Processed Foods for Pesticides
Raw Agricultural Products for Pesticides