The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has announced that the interagency Section 301 Committee is soliciting public comments on the possible modification of the list of European products subject to increased tariffs in connection with World Trade Organization dispute settlement rulings in the U.S.-European Communities beef hormones dispute.
FCC scrutiny of cable operators’ switched digital video rollouts “is not having a big impact” on Time Warner Cable’s strategy to use that technology to add more HD programming to its lineups, CEO Glenn Britt told investors Wednesday. (See separate report in this issue.) TWC will be nearly done with its SDV rollout by Dec. 31, he said; early next year only a few major TWC systems won’t have the technology.
The Bureau of Industry and Security has issued a final rule, effective October 14, 2008, which revises the Export Administration Regulations to implement changes to the Wassenaar Arrangement's List of Dual Use Goods and Technologies (Wassenaar List) as agreed upon in the December 2007 Wassenaar Arrangement Plenary Meeting.
The Food and Drug Administration is requesting assistance in identifying the types of FDA-regulated products (other than food contact materials) that contain Bisphenol A (BPA), whether as a component of the product or its packaging, and any information relating to the leaching of BPA from the packaging to the product and/or from the product following human administration.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a proposed rule which would revise and update certain procedures and requirements for the importation, interstate movement, and environmental release of certain genetically engineered (GE) organisms in order to bring the regulations under 7 CFR Part 340 into alignment with the Plant Protection Act. Comments are due by November 24, 2008.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a notice to inform the public of the new Lacey Act provisions enacted by the 2008 Farm Bill, including the declaration required to be submitted at time of importation for certain plants and plant products that takes effect on December 15, 2008, and APHIS' plan for phasing-in and enforcing this requirement.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a proposed rule as mandated by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA, Public Law 110-314), that would require cautionary statements on choking hazards in the advertising of certain toys and games in catalogues and other printed materials and the Internet.
The Food and Drug Administration has announced two public meetings regarding product tracing systems for fresh produce. The first meeting will be held in College Park, MD on October 16, 2008, and the second meeting will be held in Oakland, CA on November 13, 2008.
The Food and Drug Administration has issued a proposed rule that would require owners or consignees to label imported food (including food for animals) that is refused entry into the U.S. which would read "UNITED STATES: REFUSED ENTRY." Comments are due by December 2, 2008.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted to its Unified Business Resumption Messaging Web site messages providing a port status update in the wake of Hurricane Ike. According to CBP, the Port of Freeport is closed. On September 6, 2008, CBP Commissioner Basham approved an evacuation order for CBP employees and dependents from gulf coast areas impacted by Ike. (UBRM Web site available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_outreach/bus_resumption/maritime/; Order, dated 09/06/08, available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/newsroom/alerts/ike_evac.ctt/evac_order_ike.pdf)