Tim Warren

CBP received no comments on proposed ruling revocations and modification in the Aug. 29 bulletin (Vol. 46, No. 36), said a CBP spokesman. Comments were due Sept. 28 on the three notices proposing to revoke or modify rulings and similar treatment regarding the tariff classification of chili powder blends, bearings and housings, tobacco wrappers.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Canada Border Services Agency began Phase I pilot of the Entry/Exit program, effective Sept. 30, as outlined in the Beyond the Border Action Plan, said CBP in a press release. Routine biographic information will be collected through Jan. 31, 2013. Beginning Oct. 15, both agencies will begin exchanging this information to record entry into one country so that it becomes a record of exit from the other country, said CBP. The pilot will not affect regular port operations in any way, the agency said.

CBP is extending the comment period by 30 days, to Nov. 1, on an existing information collection concerning applications for CBP security IDs. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection with no change to the burden hours or to the information collected. A notice of the comment period extension ran in the Federal Register Oct. 2. The original request for comments ran in the Federal Register July 20.

CBP announced the fiscal year 2013 tariff preference level quantities of certain knit and woven apparel articles that are eligible to receive duty-free treatment under the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership for Encouragement Act of 2008 (Haiti HOPE II), as amended by the Haiti Economic Lift Program Act of 2010 (Haiti HELP)¹.

CBP is extending the comment period to Nov. 1 for an existing information collection concerning the Crew Member's Declaration. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection with no change to the burden hours or to the information collected. The comment period extension ran in the Federal Register Oct. 2. The first request for comments ran in the Federal Register July 11.

CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:

CBP posted a revised version of its informed compliance publication entitled, "CBP Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights." The document was updated in August this year and was last previously updated in October of 2009. The ICP update largely reflects interim rules allowing CBP to disclose to an intellectual property right holder information appearing on merchandise or its retail packaging for the purpose of assisting CBP in determining whether the merchandise bears a counterfeit mark. CBP asked for comments on the interim rules in April.

CBP's ACEopedia for September provides an update to progress in ACE to date. The latest version added five new agencies planned for ACE interoperability, aimed at allowing a "single window" process that would ease cargo importation and release.

Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Sept. 27 with 366 rulings, bringing the total number of searchable rulings to 174,177. The most recent ruling is dated 9/27/2012.

The U.S. government is extending and amending import restrictions for five years on archaeological and ethnological material from Guatemala, which are set to expire Sept. 29, said CBP in a Federal Register notice. The notice, effective Sept. 29, said the State Department has determined that conditions continue to warrant the imposition of import restrictions and CBP's regulations will be amended to reflect the extension. The list of designated articles will also be amended to include ecclesiastical ethnological material dating to the Conquest and Colonial Periods of Guatemala (c. A.D. 1524 to 1821), said CBP.