U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a CSMS message announcing a new deployment date for ABI air in-bond deployment. According to CBP, the deployment is now scheduled for March 7, 2009.

CBP has posted its report to Congress on the Automated Commercial Environment for the third quarter of fiscal year 2008 (April 1, 2008 to June 30, 2008). The report provides an update on ACE accomplishments, challenges, fiscal status, and upcoming program milestones. Appendix G of the report was posted separately. (See future issues of ITT for details.)(Report, Appendix G, posted 01/13/08, available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/trade/automated/modernization/ace/quarterly_reports/ace_status_report_to_congress_june_2008/fy08_3rd_quarter.ctt/fy08_3rd_quarter.pdf and http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/trade/automated/modernization/ace/quarterly_reports/ace_status_report_to_congress_june_2008/app_integration.ctt/app_integration.pdf)

CBP has issued its weekly tariff rate quota (TRQ) and tariff preference level (TPL) commodity report as of January 12, 2009. This report includes TRQs on various products such as beef, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa products, tobacco, certain BFTA, DR-CAFTA, Israel FTA, JFTA, MFTA, SFTA, UAFTA (AFTA) and UCFTA (Chile FTA) non-textile TRQs, etc. Each report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, BFTA, DR-CAFTA, CBTPA, Haitian HOPE, MFTA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA TPLs and TRQs for qualifying apparel and/or other textile articles, the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics, etc. (Note that CBP also recently posted a January 8, 2009 version of this report.) (Weekly commodity report available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_programs/textiles_and_quotas/commodity/)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a CSMS announcing that has scheduled the deployment of enhanced ACE capabilities within the ESAR A2.1 (M1 Reference Data) release, for January 24, 2009.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a memorandum on the 2009 duty-free U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) tariff preference level for certain non-originating Nicaragua apparel of cotton or man-made fiber (MMF), or subject to cotton or MMF restraints, as provided for in HTS Chapter 99, Subchapter XV, U.S. Note 15. The 2009 Nicaragua TPL was scheduled to open on Friday, January 2, 2009, with a TPL limit of 100,000,000 square meter equivalents (SME).

The following are documents which CBP updates frequently (weekly, monthly, etc.):

CBP has issued its 2008 "year end" tariff rate quota (TRQ) and tariff preference level (TPL) commodity report (as of December 31, 2008). This report includes TRQs on various products such as beef, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa products, tobacco, certain BFTA, DR-CAFTA, Israel FTA, JFTA, MFTA, SFTA, UAFTA (AFTA) and UCFTA (Chile FTA) non-textile TRQs, etc. Each report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, BFTA, DR-CAFTA, CBTPA, Haitian HOPE, MFTA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA TPLs and TRQs for qualifying apparel and/or other textile articles, the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics, etc. (2008 commodity report, posted 01/05/09, available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/trade/trade_programs/textiles_and_quotas/commodity/yr_end_archived_com_status/cr081231.ctt/cr081231.pdf)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued an updated version of its Softwood Lumber Act of 2008 (SLA 2008) frequently asked questions document. The updated version removes three questions and answers; the removed questions are as follows:

The fiscal year 2008 report to Congress on the International Trade Data System has recently been posted to the ITDS Web site. The report addresses the status of ITDS implementation, the extent of participation in ITDS by federal agencies, recommendations for improvements, etc.

CBP has issued a notice on the 2009 Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) Supply Chain Security Seminar that will be held on April 1-3, 2009 in New Orleans, LA. The seminar is open to all C-TPAT certified partners. The seminar will be presented in two sessions to accommodate additional registrants. Registration will begin on Monday, January 5, 2009 at 12 noon EST through the C-TPAT Members page. (CBP notice, dated 12/22/08, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/cargo_security/ctpat/supply_chain_seminar.xml.)