The Environmental Protection Agency wants manufacturers, importers and exporters of 31 chemical substances that are subject to premanufacture notices or microbial commercial activity notices under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to notify the agency at least 90 days ahead of time, it said in a notice on the proposed significant new use rules (SNUR).
Secretary of State Antony Blinken declined to explicitly say this week whether the U.S. would consider sanctioning Israeli government officials who may be contributing to Israeli violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, saying only that the U.S. wants Israel to “prevent this kind of violence.”
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls last week released its notifications to Congress of recently proposed export licenses. The notifications cover licenses submitted from October to December and January through March, and include exports to Japan, the Netherlands, Australia, Israel, Canada, the U.K., Ukraine, Norway, Germany, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., urged the Biden administration Aug. 16 to impose more sanctions on Venezuelan ruler Nicolas Maduro and his regime for refusing to concede he lost the country’s recent presidential election to opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez.
The European Council on Aug. 14 removed two people from its Yemen sanctions regime. Ali Abdullah Saleh, former president of Yemen who has died, and his son, Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, former commander of Yemen's Republic Guard, were delisted. The U.N. and the U.K. also recently delisted them (see 2408020018).
The U.K. added 20 frequently asked questions on Aug. 15 pertaining to its Russia sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced. The questions cover a range of topics including securities restrictions, payment systems and financial services. The FAQs also cover the process for reviews and appeals for civil penalties and reporting requirements, which OFSI said requires individuals to report personal financial circumstances changes to OFSI "as soon as practicable." This requirement comes into play when the value of a party's economic resources changes by over 10,000 British pounds.
Sanctions compliance departments should consider updating their bookkeeping policies and practices to account for an upcoming expansion to U.S. sanctions-related record-keeping rules, which could lead to higher enforcement risks, Freshfields Bruckhaus said in a client alert last week.
Data recently published by S&P Global shows which countries are supplying Russia with computer numerically controlled machine tools and components, which the U.S. and its allies have identified as a “common high priority” good that Russia is seeking to buy to support its military in violation of Western export controls and sanctions.
A new rule issued by the State Department last week will finalize an exemption for defense trade between the U.S., Australia and the U.K., potentially removing export control barriers for a range of items that had previously faced strict license requirements under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Australia and the U.K. said the exemption and other AUKUS changes are expected to lift restrictions on billions of dollars worth of exports each year and eliminate hundreds of export licenses once the “license free” trade begins next month.
China soon will impose new export controls on a set of key critical minerals, including antimony, and technology used to process those minerals, the country’s commerce ministry said Aug. 15, according to an unofficial translation. Antimony can be used in the production of certain batteries, weapons and more. The minerals and technology “have a significant impact on national security,” China said, and exports will need a license before they can be shipped abroad. The controls take effect Sept. 15.