CBP posted several documents ahead of the Sept. 14 Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) meeting:

The Census Bureau Aug. 16 emailed tips on how to address the most frequent messages generated this month in the Automated Export System. Response code 107 is a fatal error for when the country of ultimate destination is unknown or not valid in AES. The country code must be a valid ISO country code, Census said. Filers should verify the country of ultimate destination, correct the shipment and resubmit.

The Census Bureau soon will launch a fatal alert for filers in the Automated Export System if they are exporting a controlled item without a license, the agency said in a July 7 email to industry. Beginning July 13, the new feature won't allow export filings to proceed if they incorrectly list License Requirement NLR (No License Required) for shipments that require a license under the Export Administration Regulations.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is issuing a final rule reclassifying the smooth coneflower (Echinacea laevigata), a perennial herb native to Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, 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 Fish and Wildlife Service on July 5 released a final rule listing the Canoe Creek clubshell (Pleurobema athearni), a freshwater mussel species endemic to a single watershed in north-central Alabama, as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rule take effect Aug. 5.

The Census Bureau has seen a large “spike” in voluntary disclosures during the past few years, with some officials handling 10 at a time, a Commerce Department official said during the Bureau of Industry and Security's annual update conference June 29. The official said disclosures increased at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and have remained high since but are just starting to return to normal levels. “My staff was like, … 'Oh, my God. I have like 10 I’m processing.’ Everybody was processing 10,” the official said, speaking on background under a conference policy for certain career personnel.

The EPA published a final rule June 27 setting new significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for 21 chemical substances subject to Premanufacture Notices (PMNs). As a result of the SNURs, persons planning to manufacture, import or process any of the chemical substances for an activity designated as a significant new use by this rule are required to notify EPA at least 90 days in advance. Importers of chemicals subject to these SNURs will need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements, and exporters of these chemical substances will now become subject to export notification requirements. The final rule takes effect Aug. 26. The SNURs cover the following:

The Census Bureau June 21 emailed tips on how to address the most frequent messages generated this month in the Automated Export System. Response code 103 is a fatal error for when the estimated date of export reported was more than 120 days in the future, Census said. AES can't accept an estimated date of export more than 120 days before the expected departure date. The agency said the filer should verify the date, correct the shipment and resubmit.

CBP posted multiple documents ahead of the June 29 Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) meeting:

The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) for CBP will next meet remotely June 29, CBP said in a notice. Comments are due in writing by June 24.