Brian Feito

On February 29, 2012 the following trade-related bills and resolutions were introduced:

The International Trade Administration has issued the final results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on steel wire garment hangers from China (A-570-918) which sets an AD cash deposit rate for one exporter and continues the China-wide cash deposit rate from the last review for others. These rates, which are effective March 1, 2012, are expected to be implemented by U.S. Customs and Border Protection soon.

The Foreign Trade Zones Board has issued a final rule, effective April 30, 2012¹, to comprehensively revise and update the Foreign Trade Zone regulations in 15 CFR Part 400. Key revisions in the final rule pertain to activities in and procedures for zones in which an imported component is combined with one or more other components to create a different finished product, and expedited access to FTZ benefits for U.S. manufacturers.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, together with more than 30 trade associations and business groups, sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on DOJ’s expected guidance on enforcement under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The letter calls for DOJ to address key definitions under the statute, corporate compliance programs in enforcement decisions, and parent-subsidiary and successor liability, and to establish an exception for de minimis gifts, among other considerations.

The International Trade Administration has initiated an administrative review for certain firms subject to the antidumping duty order on wooden bedroom furniture from China. The ITA intends to issue the final results of this review not later than January 31, 2013.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service reports that the Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Codex Task Force on Animal Feeding concluded its Sixth Session in Berne, Switzerland on February 24, 2012. The Task Force focused on drafting Proposed Guidelines on the Application of Risk Assessment for Feed and the proposed Prioritized List of Hazards in Feed.

The International Trade Administration has published its quarterly list of (i) completed antidumping and countervailing duty scope rulings and anticircumvention determinations; and (ii) pending scope inquiries and anticircumvention rulings.

The International Trade Administration has issued the final results of the antidumping duty administrative review of fresh garlic from China (A-570-831). The final results continue the China-wide AD cash deposit rate at the same amount, effective February 27, 2012. A message from U.S. Customs and Border Protection is expected soon.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued a final rule, effective February 27, 2012, amending the Iranian Financial Sanctions Regulations (IFSR) and reissuing them in their entirety, in order to, among other things, implement section 1245(d) of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2012 (NDAA), which provides for the imposition of sanctions with respect to the Central Bank of Iran and designated Iranian financial institutions.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a final rule, effective February 27, 2012, amending its export and import regulations (10 CFR Part 110) by removing Oman from the list of restricted destinations. This action was recommended by the Executive Branch in light of current foreign policy and nonproliferation-related actions taken and policies pursued by the Government of Oman. This means that exports of certain nuclear and byproduct materials to Oman may qualify for the NRC general license. At present, Oman has no nuclear research or power program; however, it does have the need for radioactive sources for legitimate industrial, medical, and research purposes in support of economic development projects. NRC states that exports of radioactive sources from the U.S. for such purposes would be facilitated by removal of Oman from the restricted destinations list.