Department of Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano recently addressed the Border Trade Alliance's International Conference. Highlights of her written remarks and responses to questions include:
Automated Commercial Environment (ACE)
The Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) is the CBP's electronic system through which the international trade community reports imports and exports to and from the U.S. and the government determines admissibility.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a general notice seeking volunteers for the Broker Self-Assessment Outreach Pilot (BSA pilot program, also referred to as the Broker Compliance Management program).
The International Trade Data System1 Product Information Committee has issued a recommendation report to the Board of Directors entitled "Leveraging E-Commerce Product Data for Smarter Cargo Management."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted an updated notice on the Import Safety Priority Trade Issue (PTI). CBP first designated Import Safety as a PTI in 2008 and CBP sources have confirmed that it continues to be a PTI in 2009.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted a document providing instructions for fling entry summaries in the Automated Commercial Environment. CBP has also posted an ACE entry summary business rules and process document for the trade.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a CSMS message reminding the trade of the projected date of April 12, 2009 for the implementation for two rules in the Batch & Block Control Chapter of the ACE ABI CATAIR1 that will need to be adhered to for all messages for six ABI application identifiers, or fatal errors will result.
CBP has issued a CSMS message stating that as part of the April 12th ESAR A2.2 (Initial Entry Summary Types) release, CBP will be upgrading various software products that will result in messages in the "Task List" being lost. Any existing request from the trade community which displays in the "Task List" such as Account change requests, Merge Account requests, Cross Account Access requests and Notifications waiting approval will not migrate successfully. To ensure outstanding requests are not lost, the trade should notify their Account Manager/Account Administrator or open a trouble ticket with the Technology Support Center prior to April 12, 2009. (CSMS 09-000160, dated 04/06/09, available at http://apps.cbp.gov/csms/viewmssg.asp?Recid=17548&page=&srch_argv=09-000160&srchtype=all&btype=&sortby=&sby)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a notice stating that with the deployment of Automated Commercial Environment M1 (e-Manifest: Ocean and Rail) processing capabilities in spring 2009, a new custodial bond user verification feature will be available for ACE account holders.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a notice stating that entry summary filers using the Automated Commercial Environment will have certain Census Bureau warning1 capabilities with the deployment of ESAR A2.2 (Initial Entry Summary Types).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a CSMS message stating that as of June 1, 2009 electronic truck manifests submitted via the Automated Commercial Environment without approved Western Hemisphere Travel (WHTI) documents for drivers will be rejected.