The EPA should exempt certain export activities from new proposed reporting requirements under a significant new use rule for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), U.S. trade groups told the agency in recent comments. If EPA doesn’t exempt those activities, the proposed rule could disrupt chemical supply chains and other sectors that use PFAS, including the energy, instrument and machinery manufacturing industries, the groups said.
The U.S. this week announced new Russia-related trade restrictions, adding 28 entities to the Commerce Department’s Entity List and more than 100 entries to the Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals List. The measures target people and companies either operating in Russia, aiding the country’s war against Ukraine or helping Moscow evade sanctions.
The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking public comments on several information collections related to its Chips Act incentive program. They include collections on an “Ask CHIPS web form,” program application, program pre-application, environmental questionnaire and “statement of interest.” Comments are due June 12.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching for the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The upcoming expiration of the Bureau of Industry and Security's temporary general license outlined in the China-related chip controls from October presents “good opportunities to see” how the agency will “interpret and enforce the new restrictions,” Lee, Tsai & Partners said in a recent client alert. The TGL expires April 7, when BIS has said it will begin reviewing license applications for activities that were covered by the TGL on a case-by-case basis (see 2301270026).
The Commerce Department’s proposed guardrails for recipients of Chips Act funding could lead to compliance risks for semiconductor companies, especially as the agency bolsters its enforcement arm, law firms said. They also said companies should carefully review how the proposals intersect with chip export restrictions.
Chinese officials recently have slowed merger reviews of a “number” of proposed acquisitions by U.S. companies, asking the firms to first make available in China products that may be subject to U.S. export controls, The Wall Street Journal reported. China has so far slow-walked merger reviews of Intel’s $5.2 billion purchase of Israel-based Tower Semiconductor and chipmaker MaxLinear’s $3.8 billion purchase of Taiwan-based Silicon Motion Technology, the report said.
China has asked the World Trade Organization to review semiconductor export controls recently announced by Japan, saying the “harmful” measures violate WTO rules. Beijing also lodged a broader complaint against the reported chip control deal agreed to by the U.S., the Netherlands and Japan, saying it should be made public and scrutinized by WTO members.
The U.S. should be preparing a strategy to make sure it leads in the next generation of advanced semiconductor technologies, said Romesh Wadhwani, founder of investment firm Symphony Technology Group. Wadhwani also said the funding included in the Chips Act is a good start, but likely won’t be enough to remain ahead of China and shield U.S. supply chains from geopolitical risks.
Japan last week said it plans to impose new export controls on certain semiconductor manufacturing equipment, a move that could align its restrictions with some of the sweeping China controls released by the U.S. in October. The Japanese restrictions will apply to 23 types of chip items and covering six categories of equipment used in chip manufacturing, including cleaning, deposition, lithography and etching, Reuters reported March 31.