CBP posted the following documents ahead of the Dec. 7 Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) meeting:

The Census Bureau emailed tips Nov. 22 on how to address the most frequent messages generated this month in the Automated Export System. Response code 600 is a fatal error for when the vehicle identification qualifier wasn't reported. Census said the qualifier "identifies the type of used vehicle number reported on the shipment" and must be either "V for Vehicle Identification Number" or "P for Product Identification Number." The filer should verify the Vehicle ID Qualifier, correct the shipment and resubmit.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is listing mesocarb, a substance with stimulating properties marketed in Russia for treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder that has no approved medical use and no known therapeutic application in the U.S., under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a notice published Nov. 22. “This action imposes the regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to schedule I controlled substances on persons who handle (manufacture, distribute, reverse distribute, import, export, engage in research, conduct instructional activities or chemical analysis with, or possess), or propose to handle mesocarb," DEA said. The listing takes effect Dec. 22.

CBP is beginning a pilot to test use by vessel agents of a new electronic Vessel Entrance and Clearance System for vessel entry and clearance data and requests, it said in a notice released Nov. 18. The test will allow participants to submit data required on CBP forms 26, 226, 1300, 1302, 1304 and 3171 “electronically through VECS prior to arrival or departure from designated ports,” CBP said. The pilot will initially begin at the port of Gulfport, Mississippi, in December, though CBP will designate additional test ports as the pilot progresses over the following 24 months, the agency said.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to tighten endangered species permit requirements for imports and exports of African elephants. The agency’s proposed rule, released Nov. 16, would remove an exception from permit requirements for imports and exports of live African elephants and establish standards used to evaluate “enhancement” permits for imports of wild-sourced live African elephants. The proposal also would clarify the FWS’s existing enhancement requirement for applications to import sport-hunted trophies. FWS would also incorporate a country’s designation under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species National Legislation Project into the decision-making process for the import of live African elephants, African elephant sport-hunted trophies, and African elephant parts and products other than ivory and sport-hunted trophies, the agency said. Comments are due by Jan. 17.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is listing amineptine, a synthetic tricyclic antidepressant with central nervous system (CNS) stimulating properties, under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a notice released Nov. 16. “This action imposes the regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to schedule I controlled substances on persons who handle (manufacture, distribute, reverse distribute, import, export, engage in research, conduct instructional activities or chemical analysis with, or possess), or propose to handle, amineptine," DEA said. The listing takes effect Dec. 19.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is issuing a final rule reclassifying the palo de rosa (Ottoschulzia rhodoxylon), a small evergreen tree native to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The listing includes a 4(d) rule for this species that prohibits importation and exportation without a permit.

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new reporting requirements for 25 chemicals under significant new use rules. The proposed SNURs would require notification to EPA at least 90 days in advance of a new use by importers, manufacturers or processors, it said in a notice published in the Oct. 31 Federal Register. Importers of chemicals subject to these proposed SNURs would need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements should these proposed rules be finalized, EPA said. Exporters of these chemicals would become subject to export notification requirements. Comments on the proposed SNURs are due by Nov. 30. The SNURs would cover the following chemical substances:

After noticing a recent rise in foreign governments asking for copies of Electronic Export Information, the Census Bureau reminded U.S. exporters this week that information in EEI, and “related documentation,” is “confidential” and can’t be shared with other countries. EEI filings are “required to satisfy U.S. regulatory requirements, not the needs of foreign governments,” Census said in an Oct. 27 email to industry.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is issuing a final rule listing the emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri), a flightless bird species from Antarctica, as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The listing includes a 4(d) rule for this species that prohibits importation and exportation without a permit. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rule take effect Nov. 25.