The Treasury Department has issued its Preliminary Plan for Retrospective Analysis of Existing Rules, which is required under Executive Order 135361 and is part of the President’s plan to create a “21st-century regulatory system.” Treasury's plan includes the review of regulations related to CBP's courtesy notices of liquidation and acceptance of duties and fees, economic sanctions, certain alcohol labeling, etc.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued a final rule, effective June 1, 2011, which removes from the Code of Federal Regulations the Taliban (Afghanistan) Sanctions Regulations, as a result of the termination of the national emergency and revocation of the Executive Order (EO) on which the regulations were based. Sanctions against the Taliban pursuant to another EO and its corresponding Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations remain in place.
Various U.S. government agencies are seeking comments on the following information collections for which they have requested or intend to request Office of Management and Budget approval or extension of approval (see notices for specific details):
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is announcing a 60-day comment period for the proposed revision of its collection of information concerning OFAC's Cuban Remittance Affidavit, which it plans to submit to the Office of Management and Budget for approval. OFAC states that the Cuban Remittance Affidavit is currently being revised to implement policy changes designed to enhance the free flow of information in Cuba, among other things. Comments are due by July 26, 2011.
The State Department has imposed sanctions on seven companies under the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) of 1996, as amended by the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (CISADA) of 2010, for their refined petroleum-related activities in support of Iran's energy sector.
The Bureau of Industry and Security has issued a final rule, effective May 20, 2011, which revises the Export Administration Regulations to implement the changes made to the Wassenaar Arrangement's1 List of Dual Use Goods and Technologies maintained and agreed to by governments participating in the Wassenaar Arrangement’s December 2010 Plenary Meeting.
The Office of Foreign Assets Controls announces the designation pursuant to Executive Order 13382 of Bank of Industry and Mine (BIM), an Iranian state-owned bank used by the Government of Iran to evade U.S. and international sanctions against Iranian financial institutions involved in facilitating transactions in support of Iran’s proliferation activities. EO 13382 is aimed at freezing the assets of proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their supporters, thereby isolating them from the U.S. financial and commercial systems. OFAC has also updated its Specially Designated Nationals list to include this designation.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is publishing in the Federal Register the names of three entities identified on May 5, 2011 as persons whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to Section 2 of Executive Order 13566, “Blocking Property and Prohibiting Certain Transactions Related to Libya": Libyan Jamahiriya Broadcasting Corporation of Libya; Dalia Advisory Ltd. of the United Kingdom; and Lafico Algeria Holdings of Algeria.
During a May 13, 2011 speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Congressional and Administration officials discussed the Administration’s Africa trade and investment policy.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is publishing additional identifying information associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-QODS Force and the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate, as well as three individuals, which are listed in the Annex to Executive Order 13572, “Blocking Property of Certain Persons With Respect to Human Rights Abuses in Syria,” whose property and interests in property are therefore blocked.