Broker Power is making available by email its lists of 2004 general (column 1) duty rates for knit and crocheted (knit) and woven apparel in Chapters 61 and 62 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS), and their associated categories.
In the February 25, 2004 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBP Bulletin) (Vol. 38, No. 9), CBP issued notices: (a) proposing to modify a classification ruling on ink jet printer cartridges, and (b) revoking a ruling regarding the port where a protest was filed. CBP states that it is also revoking, or proposing to revoke, any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in these notices.
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a notice announcing the opportunity to request administrative reviews of the following antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duty orders:
President Bush has issued Proclamation 7758 in order to delete ten countries from, and add one country to, the list of Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) beneficiary developing countries.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site the Winter 2003 issue of its "ACE Modernization Monitor" newsletter.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued its first version (dated February 12, 2004) of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on its final rule requiring the advance electronic presentation of information pertaining to cargo (sea, air, rail, or truck) prior to its being brought into, or sent from, the U.S.
The Journal of Commerce reports that the Panama Canal Authority is testing its Automated Data Collection System, which will let officials analyze and assess the risk that ships, crews, passengers, or cargo could pose to the canal. The article notes that like U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP's) Automated Manifest System (AMS), the Panamanian system will collect electronic data about ships and their cargo; however, the Panamanian system will emphasize information about the vessel. (JoC dated 02/16-22/04, www.joc.com.)
The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has issued a press release announcing that on February 24, 2004, the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedures for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (Rotterdam Convention) became international law and thus legally binding on its members.
In July 2003, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) in order to, among other things, solicit information and data that potentially could be used to establish new nutrient content claims about trans fatty acids (trans fat).
On February 26, 2004, the White House announced that in recognition of Libya's concrete steps toward repudiating weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and to build a foundation for Libya's economic growth and reintegration into the international community, the U.S. will take the following steps (partial list): (a) the restriction on the use of U.S. passports for travel to Libya has been rescinded; (b) the Treasury Department will issue a general license on February 26, 2004 for all travel-related expenditures in Libya; (c) U.S. companies with pre-sanctions holdings in Libya will be authorized as of February 26, 2004 to negotiate the terms of their re-entry into operations in Libya, subject to certain requirements; (d) etc. According to the White House announcement, as Libya continues to take steps that will lead to the dismantling of WMD and Missile Technology Control Regime- (MCTR)-class missiles programs and adheres to the renunciation of terrorism, the U.S. will continuously evaluate the range of bilateral sanctions that remain in place relating to Libya. (White House statement, dated 02/26/04, available at www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/02/print/20040226-1.html.)