The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announces a telephonic meeting of the Unified Carrier Registration Plan Board of Directors on November 4, 2010, which is open to the public. The Board will continue its work in developing and implementing the Unified Carrier Registration Plan and Agreement.
The Government Accountability Office has issued a report entitled “Southwest Border: More Timely Border Patrol Access and Training Could Improve Security Operations and Natural Resource Protection on Federal Lands." In its report, GAO recommends that steps be taken to help the Border Patrol expedite access to portions of federal lands by more quickly initiating required assessments.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced that the fourth meeting of the U.S.-Uruguay Trade and Investment Council was held in Montevideo on October 19, 2010. Among other things, the delegations agreed to work together to promote the export capacity of small- and medium-sized enterprises in both countries.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has announced its intention to request a three-year extension of approval of the information collection required by the Lacey Act for the importation of certain plants and plant products.
The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has issued two notices that either reissue or revoke an ocean transportation intermediary (OTI) license, as follows:
Federal Maritime Commissioner Rebecca Dye spoke to the 2010 American Scrap and Scrap Substitutes Conference on October 19, 2010 on the U.S. liner trade, including an overview of her interim report on Fact Finding Investigation No. 26, and an update on related FMC actions. The contents of this speech mirror an earlier October speech at the 2010 Midwest Specialty Grain Conference. (See ITT's Online Archives or 10/20/10 news, 10102006, for detailed BP summary of earlier remarks.)
The Department of Commerce announced that more than 150 Chicago area manufacturers participated in the second regional conference of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Manufacture America Initiative. Top officials from Commerce, the Treasury Department, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and business, finance, and trade experts discussed strategies and resources for growth opportunities, exporting, workforce development, and access to capital.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a final rule, effective October 22, 2010, to amend 7 CFR Part 319 to allow all varieties of Malus domestica apples from Japan to be imported into the U.S. under the same conditions as those for Fuji variety apples.
The Foreign Agriculture Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued a Statement of Licensing Policy, which establishes a favorable licensing regime through which U.S. persons can request from OFAC specific authorization for the commercial exportation or reexportation of U.S.-origin agricultural equipment and services to an area of Sudan other than the Specified Areas of Sudan.