The Foreign Agricultural Service announces a fee of $150 to be charged for the 2011 tariff-rate quota (TRQ) year for each license issued to a person or firm by the U.S. Department of Agriculture authorizing the importation of certain dairy articles, which are subject to tariff-rate quotas set forth in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS).
The National Marine Fisheries Service has granted a request for an affirmative finding, effective from April 1, 2010 through March 31, 2015, to the Government of Spain under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), which will allow yellowfin tuna harvested in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean in compliance with the International Dolphin Conservation Program by Spanish flag purse seine vessels or purse seine vessels operating under Spanish jurisdiction to be imported into the U.S.
In its statement on adjusting the estimated Gross Domestic Product to 1.6 percent for the second quarter of 2010, the Commerce Department noted that the downward revision reflected a wider trade deficit and lower inventories, as well as surprisingly large swings in net exports late in the quarter. Commerce also stated that American consumers disposable net income increased at more than a 4 percent annual rate, while business investments in equipment and software grew at more than a 20 percent annual rate for the second straight quarter.
Various U.S. government agencies are seeking comments on the following information collections for which they have requested or intend to request Office of Management and Budget approval or extension of approval (see notices for specific details):
The International Trade Administration announces that the President’s Export Council will hold a meeting on September 16, 2010 to discuss topics related to the National Export Initiative, and advice from the President’s Export Council as to how to promote U.S. exports, jobs, and growth.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is revising its notice concerning the fiscal year 2011 tariff-rate quota allocations of raw cane sugar, refined and special sugar, and sugar-containing products. USTR is revising the effective date of that notice to September 1, 2010 (from October 1, 2010). According to USTR sources, the effective date has been revised in order to make the FY 2011 raw sugar cane TRQ allocations available early. (USDA recently announced that the FY 2011 raw cane sugar TRQ would open one month early.) (See ITT's Online Archives or 08/20/10 news, 10082023, for BP summary of USDA' s announcement of the September 1 raw cane sugar TRQ opening.)
The Environmental Protection Agency on August 27, 2010, denied a petition calling for a ban on the production and distribution of lead hunting ammunition. EPA states it reached this decision because the agency does not have the legal authority to regulate this type of product under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) -- nor is the agency seeking such authority. The petition was filed under TSCA, which requires the agency to review and respond within 90 days.
On the final day of the National Minority Enterprise Development Week Conference, Commerce Secretary Locke stated that minority businesses already export twice as much as the average business, as they often have existing cultural, family or business ties to foreign countries. The National Export Initiative (NEI) seeks to build on that, with a goal of increasing the number of small-, medium- and minority-owned businesses exporting to more than one market by 50 percent over the next five years. Full remarks here.
The State Department, World Health Organization, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recently issued the following travel warnings, travel alerts, country specific information sheets, and disease outbreak-related information:
The National Institute of Standards and Technology posts drafts and changes to foreign technical regulations for manufactured products which may be considered technical barriers to trade and are therefore required to be reported to the World Trade Organization, which distributes the information to WTO Member countries.