A new list published last week by the Bureau of Industry and Security names more than 150 entities that have asked companies to boycott goods from certain countries. BIS hopes the list helps “raise awareness” among companies, financial institutions, freight forwarders and others about where boycott requests may come from, allowing them to better comply with the agency’s anti-boycott regulations, said Matthew Axelrod, the BIS assistant secretary for export enforcement.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is expecting to soon finalize its proposed rule on License Exception Strategic Trade Authorization and is close to publishing new U.S. persons controls to restrict activities that support foreign military, security or intelligence agencies, said Thea Kendler, the agency’s assistant secretary for export administration.
The Census Bureau is hoping to publish a notice seeking public comments on its long-awaited routed export control rule before the upcoming presidential election, a Commerce Department official said this week.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is looking to expand its validated end-user program, which it hopes will allow more U.S. exporters to sell products to credible foreign customers without having to first apply for a license, said Thea Kendler, the agency’s assistant secretary for export administration.
The Bureau of Industry and Security last week published an updated freight forwarder guidance, outlining forwarders’ compliance responsibilities, the red flags they should be monitoring and a set of best practices they should follow when they’re involved in an export. The agency also issued a new version of its “Don’t Let This Happen to You” document, which includes new summaries and case examples of recent export control investigations.
Alex Lopes, director of the Bureau of Industry and Security's Office of Nonproliferation and Treaty Compliance, will be leaving BIS soon, said Thea Kendler, the agency’s top export administration official. Kendler, speaking during the BIS annual Update Conference, didn’t say when Lopes will officially leave, but she said he “has a well deserved retirement coming after a tremendous public service career.” Lopes has worked at Commerce for more than 21 years and as director since at least 2008, according to his LinkedIn profile.
U.S. companies interested in divesting Russian assets that are subject to the Export Administration Regulations may need to obtain multiple licenses from the U.S. government, a Commerce Department official said March 28.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is gearing up to issue a set of corrections and clarifications to rules it released in October for advanced computing chips and chipmaking tools (see 2310170055), a Commerce Department official said March 28.
The Bureau of Industry and Security has no immediate plans to try to require companies to monitor their sensitive chip-related exports through location tracking or other hardware, BIS officials said this week, suggesting that the technology needs to be studied more.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is working on a new license exception to authorize certain exports of medical devices to Russia, a Commerce Department official said.