The Office of the United States Trade Representative announces the results of 2009 Generalized System of Preferences Annual Product Review with respect to: (1) disposition of the product petitions accepted for review, including petitions to add and remove products; (2) waivers of the Competitive Need Limitations; (3) revocation of CNL waivers; and (4) de minimis waivers and redesignations. (See ITT's Online Archives or 07/02/10 news, 10070221, for previous BP summary of the 2009 Annual GSP Review results. See ITT's Online Archives or 07/06/10 news, 10070606, for BP summary of the Presidential Proclamation implementing the GSP changes.)
The State Department has designated the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army (aka CPP/NPA and other aliases) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization pursuant to Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended.
The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has issued a notice that lists those applying for ocean transportation intermediary licenses as a non-vessel-operating common carrier (NVOCC), ocean freight forwarder (FF) or NVOCC/FF OTI, as follows:
The Bureau of Industry and Security announces that the Sensors and Instrumentation Technical Advisory Committee will hold a partially open meeting on July 27, 2010. The agenda for the public session includes remarks from BIS Management and industry presentations.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued an updated version (July 7, 2010) of its list of Canadian firms eligible to export meat and poultry to the U.S.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls has posted the presentations from the July 7, 2010 Plenary Meeting of the Defense Trade Advisory Group.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced that Monsanto Company Inc., of St. Louis, Missouri, has agreed to pay a $2.5 million penalty to resolve misbranding violations related to the sale and distribution of cotton seed products containing genetically engineered pesticides. This is the largest civil administrative penalty settlement ever received under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).
The Treasury Department has issued a statement welcoming the European Parliament's consent on July 8, 2010, by a wide margin, to the revised U.S.-EU agreement on the processing and transfer of financial messaging data for the purposes of the Treasury Department's Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP).
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 Foreign Agricultural Service announced that 13 U.S. companies will meet with over 170 Georgian businesses in a Trade and Investment Mission to Tbilisi, Georgia, July 12-15. The primary aim of the mission is to facilitate trade and investment particularly in agricultural processing equipment, inputs, livestock genetics, ready-to-eat products, meat and poultry, and grain and feed sectors.