Shippers' NewsWire reports that a federal appeals court has struck down current regulations on the number of hours truckers can work over a consecutive period in any week, stating that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration had not properly explained the reasons for the hours of service rules, which were issued in August 2005. The American Trucking Associations (ATA) has said that it would seek a stay of the ruling. (SNW, dated 07/25/07, www.americanshipper.com)
Shiptalk.com reports that on June 28, 2007, members of Congress signed and sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff urging attention to national defense and economic security in the offshore marine sector of the U.S. Among other things, the letter addresses the current rulemaking process by the Coast Guard to require foreign vessels operating on the Outer Continental Shelf to provide security-related information similar to the information they are required to report when they call on a U.S. port. (Shiptalk.com, 07/10/07, available at http://www.shiptalk.com/index.asp?ItemID=2268&rcid=195&pcid=178&cid=195'anch)
The Journal of Commerce Online reports that the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will take at least two more months to evaluate comments on a draft proposal to restructure the ports' drayage industry. The proposal is part of a program to reduce air pollution by, among other things, supporting the industry's replacement of old trucks. A decision to implement the Clean Air Action Plan, adopted by the ports last November, had been expected in July. (JoC, 06/28/07, www.joc.com)
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release announcing that on June 30, 2007, the U.S. and Korea signed the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS-FTA). According to the press release, the KORUS-FTA is the most commercially significant FTA the U.S. has concluded in nearly 20 years. (USTR press release, dated 06/30/07, available at http://www.ustr.gov/Document_Library/Press_Releases/2007/June/United_States_the_Republic_of_Korea_Sign_Lmark_Free_Trade_Agreement.html.)
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued a final rule, effective June 22, 2007, which amends the Burmese Sanctions Regulations at 31 CFR Part 537 to add a new section 537.527 which provides that specific licenses may be issued on a case-by-case basis authorizing the importation into the U.S. of animals and specimens of Burmese origin, in sample quantities only, for bona fide scientific research and analysis purposes.
Shippers' NewsWire reports that the third erroneous shipment of beef mistakenly sent to South Korea was intended for U.S. use and was sent by a South Korean company in California that exported the products to Korea. Korea's government stopped all U.S. beef imports for four days while it investigated the first two erroneous shipments, which sent 66.4 tons of U.S. beef to Korea in violation of the country's import rules. (SNW, dated 06/21/07, www.americanshipper.com)
On June 15, 2007, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2638, the fiscal year (FY) 2008 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, by a vote of 268 to 150. (Congressional Record dated 06/15/07, available at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/B?r110:@FIELD(FLD003d)@FIELD(DDATE20070615).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued a final rule, effective May 23, 2007, adding a new part to Chapter V of 31 CFR regarding targeted sanctions directed at officials, allies, supporters and family members of the former Liberian President, Charles Taylor, as well as the issuance of a general license authorizing imports of Liberian round logs and timber products.
A Journal of Commerce commentary stated that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can't catch all food-safety problems and that importers also have a responsibility to ensure that the products they are buying are safe, especially considering recent food-safety problems with Chinese exports. An official from the Chinese ministry responsible for inspecting imports and exports was quoted as saying that U.S. food companies "must . . . be very clear about the standards they need and don't just look for a cheap price." (JoC, 06/04/07, available at www.joc.com)
The Bureau of Industry and Security has issued a proposed rule to add license requirements for exports or reexports to entities acting contrary to national security or foreign policy interests in the U.S., among other things.