CBP will require ACE for reporting all in-bond exports, arrivals and diversions starting July 29, the agency said in a CSMS message. "CBP will no longer accept paper copies of the CBPF 7512 to perform arrival and export functionality," though air shipments will still be exempt from the requirements, it said. "An ACE edit will issue a rejection if these actions are not performed," CBP said. "At this time, no date is set for implementation of the provision requiring the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule number requirement for Immediate Transportation movements." The Automated In-Bond Processing Business Process document is the "official publication which provides both CBP and the trade community with guidance, requirements and responsibilities when processing in-bond cargo," the agency said.
Goods illegally exported through e-commerce is a subject of concern within CBP as there can be even less visibility with them than on the import side, said Daniel Randall, acting director within the Office of Field Operations at CBP, speaking June 27 at the American Association of Exporters and Importers Annual Conference in Washington. "CBP currently doesn't have the authority to collect export data," he said. "We collect export data under the [Commerce Department] authority" and the "requirements on the people who provide data are pretty loose," he said. The value of the goods has to be over $2,500 and "it's pretty much a self-declaration," he said. The main threat is with guns or gun parts, which can typically be detected through X-ray scanning, he said. Still, there's been an increase in sophistication in hiding such items for export in recent years, such as within auto parts shipments, he said. A combination of disguised goods and the self-declarations "makes things very difficult," he said.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is creating a new exemption for green sea urchins of the species Strongylocentrotus droebachiensi from export licensing requirements, it said in a final rule. The new exemption applies to green sea urchins harvested in U.S. waters or imported for processing under a valid import license, FWS said. It is not available to violators of federal wildlife laws within the last five years, nor will it apply in states that have not submitted information related to conservation and management or that fail to prove they’re engaged in conservation and management, FWS said. The final rule takes effect June 25.
CBP is pushing back by another 30 days the change of Automated Export System codes 227 and 007 from “informational” to “fatal,” it said in a CSMS message. Code 227, Forwarding Agent Party Missing, and Code 007, Header Filer ID Type Must be E or D, had been set to transition to fatal errors on June 22. They will now become AES fatal errors on July 20.
CBP is requesting comments by July 15 on an existing information collection for exports of self-propelled vehicles, it said in a notice. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection without a change to the burden hours or information collected.
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new reporting requirements for eight chemicals under significant new use rules. The proposed SNURs would require notification to EPA at least 90 days in advance of a new use by importers, manufacturers or processors. Importers of chemicals subject to these proposed SNURs would need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements should these proposed rules be finalized, EPA said. Exporters of these chemicals would become subject to export notification requirements. Comments on the proposed SNURs are due July 11.
CBP hopes to kick off implementation of pre-departure electronic export manifest filing by mid-July with the publication of a new business process document, said Jim Swanson, CBP director of cargo and security controls, at the May 30 meeting of the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee in Laredo, Texas. Once it’s published, CBP will be able to begin reaching out to the 30-40 “tested stakeholders” that have been fully tested but are waiting on operational guidance, to “get them operational,” he said. Swanson has said pre-departure manifest is a key pre-condition to bringing back post-departure filing of Electronic Export Information (EEI) (see 1903080037).
The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee Export Modernization Working Group will work closely with CBP "in the development of regulatory change to mandate the use of electronic export manifest for all modes and review existing CBP export regulations," said Jim Swanson, director of CBP Cargo Security and Controls Division, in a government paper on the working group issue. CBP released the document ahead of the May 30 COAC meeting in Laredo, Texas. The group will also "review and assist in the development of the operational requirements for electronic export manifest and assist in the expansion of the current pilots to full operational status," Swanson said. Another goal is to help with implementing Post Departure filing enhancements. The work group will also "continue to review export materials that have been previously generated and formulate recommendations regarding their relevance and subsequent disposition in the context of a more modern supply chain," according to an executive summary from the Secure Trade Lanes Subcommittee. "After engaging in full deliberation and discussion, the Work Group shall advise the COAC of any advice or recommendations."
CBP issued a CSMS message on the validation of Automated Export System filing response messages 007 (Header Filer ID Type Must Be E or D) and 227 (Forwarding Agent Party Missing) on May 23. The severity of both will change from "Informational" to "Fatal" in around 30 days.
The Census Bureau emailed some tips "on how to address the most frequent messages that were generated in [the Automated Export System] for this month." Response code 341, which is a warning that involves ultimate consignee information, occurs when "the Party Type is C for Ultimate Consignee and the ‘To Be Sold en Route’ indicator is reported as Yes," Census said. "Incomplete ultimate consignee information may be declared on an EEI when a ‘To Be Sold en Route’ declaration has been made," it said. "However, the actual ultimate consignee must be declared within 4 days of the Estimated Date of Export. Verify the ‘To Be Sold en Route’ indicator, correct the shipment and resubmit." Response code 505 is a fatal error that involves reporting values with non-numerics, Census said. "The Value of Goods must be declared on an EEI as numeric. Round to whole dollars, right justify and zero fill unused positions," the agency said. "Verify the Value of Goods, correct the shipment and resubmit."