Monday Morning eBriefing

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that, as the agency transitions to a return to the workplace and workplace flexibilities, they will continue to allow paper Notices of Arrival (NOA) of Pesticides and Devices (EPA Form 3540-1) to be submitted by email or uploaded in DIS.

Here is a summary of the latest customs and cross-border trade regulatory updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Customs Counsel firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg:

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) requesting public comment on whether ocean carrier tariffs should be available free of charge and if the definition of co-loading should be changed to apply only to less than container loads.

Here is a summary of the latest legislative and regulatory transport, logistics and trade sector updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Transportation Counsel firm Venable:

NCBFAA during its 49th Annual Conference in Tucson, Arizona, on May 1-4 elected a new slate officers and board members to govern our association for 2022-2024.

Every customs broker knows that interacting with Partner Government Agencies (PGAs) can be the most challenging part of their job. The PGA data requirements are often demanding. And, on top of that, there are just so many agencies!

The NCBFAA Transportation Committee’s Logistics Subcommittee is regularly collecting data on the nation’s rail delays and port congestion that are impacting the supply chain and your business operations.

NCBFAA’s 49th Annual Conference in Tucson, Arizona on May 1-4 was a resounding success! More than 500 attendees, including exhibitors and spouse/guests, attended which far exceeded expectations.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome the following member who has recently joined our association.

View these upcoming events from the week of May 9, 2022.

The new NCBFAA website has gone live on Monday, May 9.

NCBFAA knows that you as our members are doing their best to keep up with their day-to-day businesses under dire supply chain circumstances, and now add on top of all that the recent flurry of U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

The Federal Maritime Commission will now require the three global ocean carrier alliances (2M, OCEAN, and THE) and each of their member companies to provide enhanced pricing and capacity information which will provide the agency with uniform data to use in assessing ocean carrier behavior and marketplace competitiveness.

NCBFAA reaffirmed its commitment to the North American Customs Brokers Alliance (NACBFA) whose leadership includes customs broker associations in Mexico and Canada to address issues related to the North American trade block.

The United Nations is seeking to expand its pool of freight forwarders with solid experience in transportation services of military equipment, including dangerous goods, ammunition, explosives, armored vehicles, etc., to and from African countries such as Mali, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, etc.

The NCBFAA Regulatory Agencies Committee (RAC) continues to work with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to raise awareness and use of E-Phytos, a visionary global solution to the challenge of transferring phytosanitary certificates through the supply chain.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have continued to postpone their “Container Dwell Fee,” and said they will reconsider its possible imposition on May 20.

A Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) official outlined the agency’s plans to implement its ACE Message Set during a panel at NCBFAA’s Annual Conference on May 2, starting with a pilot program involving wide participation from importers and customs brokers.

Some of you may occasionally receive questionable electronic communications which are believed to be part of phishing schemes. Always ignore and delete these communications!