The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is reducing registration fees for certain DDTC registrants to help industry mitigate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said in a May 1 notice. DDTC will temporarily reduce registration fees for “DDTC registrants in Tier I and Tier II” to $500 “for registrations whose original expiration date is between May 31, 2020 and April 30, 2021,” the agency said. DDTC will also reduce registration fees to $500 for new applicants who submit their registration application between May 1 and April 30, 2021. DDTC said this reduction in fees “will save regulated industry over $20 million over the course of the coming year.” The temporary fee reduction will apply only though April 30, 2021. The agency added that the fee structure for “Tier III entities remains unchanged at this time.”

The Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule setting new significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for three chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMNs). As a result of the SNURs, persons planning to manufacture, import or process any of the chemicals for an activity that is designated as a significant new use by this rule are required to notify EPA at least 90 days in advance. Importers of chemicals subject to these SNURs will need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements, and exporters of these chemicals will now become subject to export notification requirements. The final rule takes effect July 6.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is issuing a final rule listing the island marble butterfly (Euchloe ausonides insulanus), an insect species from Washington state, as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rule take effect June 4.

The Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule setting new significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for 20 chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMNs). As a result of the SNURs, persons planning to manufacture, import or process any of the chemicals for an activity that is designated as a significant new use by this rule are required to notify EPA at least 90 days in advance. Importers of chemicals subject to these SNURs will need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements, and exporters of these chemicals will now become subject to export notification requirements. The final rule takes effect June 3.

At the southern border, not every document can be processed electronically yet, but they're working on it, the CBP Laredo Field Office told traders on a conference call May 1. Documents including meat certificates, phytosanitary certificates, bovine paperwork, and CITES certificates are still needed in paper form. Assistant Director of Field Operations Armando Taboada asked those listening to make sure the drivers and runners coming to the Texas port wear masks. “I know Gov. [Greg] Abbott relaxed a little bit of the requirements,” he said, but added, “It’s for our own health and safety, for all of us.” He said most drivers are wearing masks, but there are a few stragglers.

The Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule setting new significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for eight chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMNs). As a result of the SNURs, persons planning to manufacture, import or process any of the chemicals for an activity that is designated as a significant new use by this rule are required to notify EPA at least 90 days in advance. Importers of chemicals subject to these SNURs will need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements, and exporters of these chemicals will now become subject to export notification requirements. The final rule takes effect June 22.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is issuing a final rule reclassifying the golden conure (Gauruba guarouba), a psittacine bird (parrots, parakeets, macaws, cockatoos, and others) endemic to the south Amazon Basin in Brazil, as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The species had been listed as endangered. Though the agency recently ended blanket import-export restrictions for threatened species, FWS is including a 4(d) rule that prohibits imports and exports without a permit, unless the export is authorized under Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and the import is authorized under CITES and the Wild Bird Conservation Act. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rule take effect May 26.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is designating norfentanyl as a fentanyl precursor chemical and setting controls for it as a schedule II substance under the Controlled Substances Act, the DEA said in a final rule. “The scheduling of norfentanyl as an immediate precursor of the schedule II controlled substance, fentanyl, subjects norfentanyl to all of the regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to the manufacture, distribution, dispensing, importing, and exporting of a schedule II controlled substance,” DEA said. The final rule takes effect May 18.

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new reporting requirements for three 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 May 18

The scope of the export ban on personal protective equipment is the source of some confusion after CBP issued a memo that laid out multiple exclusions and other information not included in the official notices, said Brian McGrath, a lawyer with Crowell & Moring who spoke on an April 15 webinar. “We hope to see a formal process coming in the next week or so,” he said. According to McGrath, CBP said the release of the memo was “accidental and stated that it cannot be relied on at this time.” The April 9 CBP memo (see 2004090069) said that the ban would only apply to shipments of 10,000 units or more and $25,000 or more, and would exclude exports by U.S. charities, government agencies and 3M. It also said exports to Canada and Mexico aren't banned, and that in-transit shipments couldn't be stopped. CBP didn't comment.