CBP Opens ACE PGA Message Set Pilot for EPA TSCA Import Certifications

CBP will begin accepting applications on Feb. 10 from customs brokers and self-filing importers that want to participate in a pilot to test electronic filing of Toxic Substances Control Act certifications required by the Environmental Protection Agency, it said (here). Participants in the pilot, which will be in operation for all commodities at all ports, will file TSCA certifications via EPA’s partner government agency (PGA) message set in the Automated Commercial Environment, said CBP.

EPA requires TSCA certifications for chemical substances imported in bulk or as part of a mixture, or articles containing a chemical substance or mixture. Importers of chemical substances, or their agents, are required to certify either that all chemicals in a shipment are subject to TSCA and comply with all applicable rules and orders or that the chemical shipment is not subject to TSCA. Currently, the TSCA certification must be filed on paper at the port. CBP will post technical requirements detailing how to send them electronically (here).

Participation in the pilot is unlimited, said CBP. Brokers and importers seeking to participate should send an email message to Loraine Passe, at Passe.Loraine@epa.gov, and they should also send a copy of that message to their assigned CBP client representative, it said. Interested parties without an assigned CBP client representative should submit an email to Steven Zaccaro at steven.j.zaccaro@cbp.dhs.gov with the subject heading “PGA Message Set EPA Test FRN Request to Participate”.

(Federal Register 02/10/16)