In the latest move in the U.S.-Canada Beyond the Border initiative, the two countries released a Border Infrastructure Investment Plan May 30, billed as a mechanism for mutual understanding of all border infrastructure investments that the two countries will use to coordinate their border upgrade plans. The BIIP will be updated and released each year. U.S. and Canadian officials said the plan will reduce wait times, increase border traffic and help create jobs. “This first, joint U.S.-Canada binational plan shows that our collaborative approach to border planning, which includes feedback from our local partners, will serve both of our countries well and ensures that we are working together on our common interests,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a statement. Canada and the U.S. began work on the Beyond the Border initiative in 2011 (read more here). BIIP and other aspects of the initiative are designed to benefit the integrated economies of the U.S. and Canada, "which depend on the fluid movement of commercial and non-commercial traffic across our border," said a Department of Homeland Security statement.
Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated May 24. The corresponding downloadable rulings are now available.
CBP will not be releasing the pass rate for the April customs brokers exam, said an agency spokeswoman.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to CBP's website May 29, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at addcvd.cbp.gov. (CBP occasionally adds backdated messages without otherwise indicating which message was added. ITT will include a message date in parentheses in such cases.)
Applications to operate a Centralized Exam Station in the Port of Atlanta, Ga., will be accepted from the Atlanta Trade Community and other interested parties through July 29, said CBP in a CSMS message.
CBP and the General Services Administration completed the expansion of the Santa Teresa, N.M. land port on May 29, CBP said in a press release. After nearly two years, the $11.1 million expansion includes double the number of primary vehicle inspections lanes, an additional cargo lane, expanded passenger and commercial vehicle queuing, a pedestrian sidewalk, and improved security, said CBP in a press release. The project also included energy-saving measures like insulated glass in order to reduce energy and water consumption. David Higgerson, acting CBP director of Field Operations in El Paso, Texas, said these additions “will help CBP efficiently and thoroughly process the growing traffic at this important crossing.”
Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) software vendors provided some insight on the use of ACE products and best methods for communicating with CBP in a recent survey conducted and released by the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations Trade Modernization Subcommittee. Among challenges cited by vendors in making the change to ACE, 48 percent of respondents listed customer interest while 43 percent named budget as an issue.
CBP intends to distribute assessed antidumping or countervailing duties for fiscal year 2013 under Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act of 2000 (CDSOA), it said in a notice. Certifications to obtain a continued dumping and subsidy offset under a particular AD/CV order or finding must be received by July 30.
On May 21, CBP issued a final determination that set the U.S. as the country of origin for multifunctional digital imaging printers by Ricoh Electronics. The three different MFP models are manufactured from imported components and subassemblies from multiple countries including China and the Philippines. However, these subassemblies form incomplete and non-functional printer engines, and do not require sophisticated skills or expensive machinery. In comparison, Ricoh said development of the Controller unit, or electronic “brain”, is “extremely complex” and requires highly skilled labor to perform inspections and testing. After the Controller unit is assembled in the U.S., it is incorporated with the incomplete printer engines and the final product undergoes inspection at Ricoh’s Tustin, Calif., factory.