ITA Final Rule Extends Steel Permit and Monitoring Program Four More Years

The ­International Trade Administration issued a final rule adopting its proposal to extend until 2017 its program to monitor and require permits from importers of steel products. Under the program, steel import licenses, issued through the online SIMA licensing system, are required by CBP for filing entry paperwork for imports of certain steel mill products into the U.S. Import data collected through the issuance of the licenses are aggregated weekly and posted on the publicly available Steel Mill Import Monitor.

The ITA Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis system was originally implemented in 2002 as part of a safeguard imposing temporary tariffs on steel products. The safeguard was lifted in 2005, but the monitoring and permitting was extended that year, and again in 2009. The program was set to expire March 21, 2013. The ITA’s final rule extends it for four more years until March 21, 2017.