Now that ACE M1 has been deployed, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it's targeting the week of May 28 to have the functionality in place to test the first filings of Simplified Entry for air cargo. The goals of the SE pilot are to reduce transportation costs, expedite cargo release, and enhance cargo security.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection posted an updated version of its spreadsheet of ACE ESAR A2.2 (Initial Entry Types) programming issues.

A number of questions remain for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on the next locations for the next five Centers for Excellence and Expertise (CEEs), said participants at the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations meeting May 22 in Savannah, Ga. CBP will be establishing industry working groups to be co-chaired by CBP and trade to take on CEE issues, said Brenda Smith, executive director for Trade Policy and Programs in the Office of International Trade at CBP.

The Website for the International Trade Data System has posted (1) an updated ACE Portal Access Application (this form may be used for PGAs applying for access to ACE as well as to make any changes or updates to an existing PGA user account in ACE) and (2) an updated PGA Roster.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is extending the comment period to June 20, 2012 for an existing information collection concerning the Application to use the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection with no change to the burden hours or to the information collected.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection released the following documents ahead of the May 22, 2012 Commercial Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) meeting scheduled for Savannah, Georgia:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is considering ways to leverage Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) and offer a simplified entry process to ACAS participants by integrating with the Simplified Entry initiative, said CBP Acting Commissioner David Aguilar during testimony before a House May 17 hearing on Customs issues .

Congress should fully support U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the American Association of Exports and Importers said in comments to Congress May 17 ahead of a subcommittee hearing on Customs Trade Modernization, Facilitation and Enforcement. AAEI said its main goal is full funding of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) and International Trade Data System. "ACE and ITDS will save the government tens of millions of dollars in the long run," said AAEI President Marianne Rowden. And she said they're "crucial" for long-term survival of the trade community. (See report on the hearing in the Top News section).

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said May 17, 2012, since the implementation of ACE as the system of record for the Foreign Trade Zone program, the edit described in the FT 40 record in FTZ Chapter of the CATAIR is being enforced. The FT40 record states house bills are to be sent for air shipments only. If the MOT is other than 40 or 41, space fill.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued its instructions for the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (CTPA), which takes effect for qualifying goods entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or after May 15, 2012. The notice gives an overview of the CTPA rules of origin, as well as instructions for handling "WCO tariff number" discrepancies. CBP also provides information on its process for verifying importer claims, the SPI "CO", post-importation claims and protests, etc.