CBP will begin accepting applications on Feb. 10 from customs brokers and self-filing importers that want to participate in a pilot to test electronic filing of Toxic Substances Control Act certifications required by the Environmental Protection Agency, it said (here). Participants in the pilot, which will be in operation for all commodities at all ports, will file TSCA certifications via EPA’s partner government agency (PGA) message set in the Automated Commercial Environment, said CBP.

International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Feb. 1-5 in case they were missed.

Filing electronic data for Participating Government Agencies will likely become mandatory within the Automated Commercial Environment following the completion of individual pilots, said Maria Luisa Boyce, CBP’s senior advisor for trade engagement while speaking at a National Association of Foreign Trade Zones conference on Feb. 9. The use of the term "pilot" has been the source of some confusion and a lack of participation within ACE is among issues that lead to another delay to CBP's timelines for ACE (see 1602080042). CBP also posted a new version of its ACE Entry Summary Business Process document that reflects the new timeline (here).

The National Marine Fisheries Service will hold a webinar Feb. 17 on its proposal to create the International Fisheries Trade Permit and require filing of in the Automated Commercial Environment, it said (here). The agency’s Dec. 29 proposed rule consolidates several existing permits under the new scheme (see 1512300015), and lays the groundwork for new permitting, filing and recordkeeping requirements proposed on Feb. 5 (see 1602040020).

CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:

CBP again adjusted its transition timeline for the Automated Commercial Environment following new concerns over the government's readiness to move from the Automated Commercial System, said CBP Feb. 8 (here). "While significant progress has been made, continued concerns about stakeholder readiness have necessitated an updated timeline for the mandatory transition to ACE for electronic entry and entry summary filing," said CBP. The shift marks the second major change to its schedule due to readiness uncertainty (see 1509010017).

CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:

CBP should adopt a “soft mandated” approach to its Feb. 28 Automated Commercial Environment deadline for cargo release entry types 01, 03 and 11, keeping the Automated Commercial System online as a fallback, and delay the deadline for both cargo release and entry summary for all other entry types until 90 days after programming has been finalized, said the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America in a letter to agency officials dated Feb. 2 (here).

CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:

More changes are on the way for the Food and Drug Administration’s supplemental guide for filing in the Automated Commercial Environment, but the changes are meant to ease, not add to the burden on industry, said Sandra Abbott, director of FDA’s Division of Compliance Systems, during a webinar hosted by the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America on Feb. 3. The basic data elements that will become mandatory Feb. 28 are set, but FDA still needs to fix bugs that are causing hiccups for filers, she said.