The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls and the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security will hold a webinar Dec. 8 to discuss information technology modernization updates. The webinar will include an overview of recent updates to DDTC’s Defense Export Control and Compliance System, BIS’s “IT Modernization roadmap” and the two agencies’ “collaboration efforts on data sharing and customer experience opportunities.”

The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comments on information collection related to foreign availability procedures. BIS collects foreign availability information to determine whether U.S.-controlled exports are available from a foreign country “in sufficient quantity and of comparable quality so as to render the control ineffective.” Comments are due Jan. 23.

The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comments on an information collection involving reports of requests for restrictive trade practices or boycotts. BIS said it uses the information to “monitor requests for participation in foreign boycotts against countries friendly to the U.S.” and analyzes the information to “note changing trends and to decide upon appropriate action to be taken to carry out” U.S. policy of discouraging boycotts of U.S. allies. Comments are due Jan. 23.

The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports again postponed by one month a new surcharge meant to incentivize the movement of dwelling containers (see 2110280031), the two ports announced Nov. 18. The ports had planned to begin imposing the fee a year ago, in November 2021, but postponed it each week until July 29, when the ports announced their first one-month postponement (see 2207290053). The latest one-month extension delays the effective date until Dec. 16.

USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service last week published an interactive data tool to help American exporters gain a clearer picture of certain export statistics. The tool shows the percentage of production exported by country and commodity for each year dating back to 1960.

The Census Bureau is seeking public comments on an information collection related to its Automated Export System, the agency said in a notice. The information collection notes that Census is “making remedial changes” to the Foreign Trade Regulations to “improve clarity of the reporting requirements and to correct errors.” Comments on the collection are due Jan. 20.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission last week published a final rule that made various corrections to its regulations, including the restoration of a general export license that it had “incorrectly” removed in 2010. The general license allows exports of uranium from the U.S. “enriched to less than 20 percent in U-235, in the form of UF6 heels in cylinders being returned to suppliers” in member countries of the European Atomic Energy Community or the U.K., DLA Piper said in a client alert. The law firm noted that other forms of uranium materials and related technology are controlled by the Commerce Department’s Export Administration Regulations or the State Department’s International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The NRC’s rule takes effect Dec 14.

Flexport denied allegations by Indiana-based Philip Reinisch Co. that it violated the Shipping Act and asked the Federal Maritime Commission to dismiss the September complaint, which said Flexport failed to include required information on more than $100,000 worth of detention and demurrage charge invoices (see 2210040021).

Zendesk, a U.S.-based software-as-a-service provider, said it received U.S. approval regarding its acquisition by an investor group led by investment firms Permira in the U.K. and Hellman & Friedman, headquartered in California. The company had submitted a voluntary notice to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. and received “written notice” from CFIUS Nov. 17 that it “had concluded its review and cleared the transaction,” Zendesk said in a Nov. 17 SEC filing. The company expects the acquisition to be completed Nov. 22.

Simon Lester, president of China Trade Monitor and WorldTradeLaw.net, said he doesn't expect any large changes in the Biden administration's trade policy following the midterm elections. In a blog post Nov. 15, Lester wrote that while the administration could look at the election results as not provoking too much of a backlash to its trade policy, it's more likely that the election cycle was favorable to Democrats, due to the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision and "terrible" GOP candidates.