The Senate should quickly schedule a vote to approve Gil Kerlikowske as CBP Commissioner in order to enable CBP to address a number of challenges, said 28 industry and delivery associations in a Feb. 28 letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. A confirmed commissioner would allow for progress on developing regulation on the air cargo advance screening program, implementing the Automated Commercial Environment and the International Trade Data System and continuing broader efforts to facilitate trade, the letter said.

CBP added 14 airports to the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Cargo Release pilot program, the agency said in a CSMS notice listing the new airports. CBP recently said it was expanding the pilot program to include other modes of transportation beside air (see 14013112). The additional airports are:

Send event information for inclusion in the International Trade Today Calendar toITTNews@warren-news.com.

Members of the trade community unveiled a new set of “master principles” for government regulation of exports at the Feb. 20 meeting of the CBP Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC). The “Master Principles for a One U.S. Government at the Border Cooperation for Exports,” developed by the COAC export subcommittee, envisions increased cooperation between the government and the trade and between the government agencies themselves. It also urges streamlined processes for exporters like a single window and a single government point of contact to address concerns related to all government agency requirements.

CBP sees President Barack Obama's Feb. 19 executive order calling for the completion of the International Trade Data System (ITDS) by 2016 (see 14021928) as a "very important step forward," said Acting Commissioner Tom Winkowski while talking with reporters before the Feb. 20 Advisory Committee on the Commercial Operations of CBP (COAC) meeting. "It will eliminate the need for paperwork" and result in lowered transaction costs, he said. The order, which took about a year to get through the lengthy review process, "really sets the tone and puts a spotlight, if you will, on the importance of trade," said Winkowski. "We've got to get this up and running," he said.

President Barack Obama's Feb. 19 executive order calling for the completion of the International Trade Data System (ITDS) by 2016 (see 14021928) continued to garner support. “This Executive Order will be beneficial to improving our supply chain efficiency and moving goods and services that cross our borders,” said Scott Davis, CEO of UPS, in a press release (here). “This change will be particularly meaningful to our small and medium-sized customers that depend on global trade to grow their businesses and reach the 95 percent of consumers that live outside U.S. borders.”

President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order establishing a deadline for the completion of the long-awaited International Trade Data System (ITDS) “single window” for filing trade information required by numerous government agencies, the White House said Feb. 19. The order (here) is meant to propel necessary data sharing agreements among the agencies and align ITDS with the timeline set for the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), former CBP officials said.

CBP posted its draft agenda and other documents for the upcoming Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) meeting on Feb. 20, which include the "foundational principles required to position the U.S. government to efficiently manage strategic cross border issues in a manner that reduces the cost of doing business" related to exports. Other documents include draft recommendations, and other documents on trade modernization, the global supply chain, trade enforcement and other topics. The draft agenda is (here). The principles for a "One U.S. Government at the Border Cooperation for Exports" is (here).

CBP's official notice beginning a pilot program that would test a combined Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and Importer Self Assessment (ISA) was delayed in order to include information on participation by other government agencies, said CBP in a document released ahead of the Feb. 20 Advisory Committee on the Commercial Operations of CBP (COAC) meeting. CBP said in November it planned to officially request pilot participants for the program, known as "Trusted Trader," by the end of 2013 (see 13111920). Another COAC working group said it is working to develop recommendations for customs broker permitting updates by May.

Send event information for inclusion in the International Trade Today Calendar toITTNews@warren-news.com.