Monday Morning eBriefing

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 Feb.18.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced improvements in is its timing algorithm for automated May Proceed messaging. In CSMS #51003279, the Commission explains that the five-minute “after arrival review time” was not firing as often as planned. This modification should result in improved times for May Proceed messaging for some brokers and for 5-10% of CPSC reviews.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is launching the National Drug Entry Review Pilot, starting March 13, to conduct entry reviews of drug shipments on a national basis, rather than the current port-by-port entry review approach. Entry review staff for drug entries will operate on a 24/7 basis, covering all 336 ports of entry. The pilot will continue for 90 days.

The NCBFAA Export Compliance Subcommittee has previously reported that all the HTS and Schedule B codes in 15 CFR 746 Supplement #4 now require licenses. We have since received further clarification from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) which advises that only the products covered by the product descriptions on the chart need licenses. The agency’s intention was not to include all products that could fall into the HTS or Schedule B categories. BIS advises that this clarification will be included in forthcoming FAQs.

The Ex Works Watchdog keeps clients informed about the issues facing airport and seaport truckers.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the selection of 15 stakeholders to participate in its Reimbursable Services Program (RSP), as provided for under Section 481 of the 2002 Homeland Security Act.

For imported merchandise where Internal Revenue Tax (IRT) was paid to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), any related IRT drawback claim calculations must reflect IRT refunds paid by the Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), CBP said.

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 Feb.11.

When the Fish & Wildlife Service’s (FWS) filing in ACE becomes mandatory later this year, customs brokers will be required to have a single corporate eDecs filer account. Many customs brokers have over time created multiple eDecs filer accounts. It is important for a customs broker to track down these “rogue” accounts now and work with FWS to cancel them, rather than waiting until the last minute.

Due to the NCBFAA Legislative Committee’s continued lobbying on Capitol Hill, the Customs Business Fairness Act (CBFA) (H.R. 4186) has recently gained its 21st congressional co-sponsor.

NCBFAA, in conjunction with other trade associations, recently commented on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) ITS amendment which directly affects our members.

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:

The rules for fumigating imported wood can be confusing. For example, wood packaging (such as pallets, crates, containers) must be heat treated to 56 degrees Celsius for 35 minutes. By contrast, imported lumber must be heat treated to 71 degrees Celsius for 75 minutes.

It has come to NCBFAA’s attention that some of our members (particularly our smaller members) are encountering attempts by ocean carriers to amend, alter or otherwise deviate from agreed-to terms and conditions in valid service contracts. We understand in some cases, carriers are seeking to cancel existing contracts, as well.

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:

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.

If you haven’t already registered to attend the 49th Annual Conference at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa in beautiful Tucson in Tucson, Arizona, on May 1-4, then what are you waiting for?

The Federal Maritime Commission on Feb. 4 approved an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) asking the industry if a new rule governing demurrage and detention billing practices would be beneficial and should apply to marine terminal operators and NVOCCs in addition to vessel-operating common carriers.

On Jan. 14, NCBFAA President Jan Fields formally requested that Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Administrator Kevin Shea allow the trade to continue using the Document Image System (DIS) to upload phytosanitary certificates as an alternative to providing a paper document.