There have been fewer outages in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) in January and February this year compared to the same months in 2012, said CBP in a notice on its Website. There were also fewer hours of unscheduled outages in 2012 compared to 2011, the agency said. CBP issued the notice in response to comments from the trade community "pointing to a perceived increase" in ACE outages, it said.
CBP will host a Webinar to discuss its pilot program using the Participating Government Agency (PGA) Message Set within the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), said CBP in a CSMS message. The Webinar is scheduled for March 20 from 2-4 p.m. ET, said CBP. "While this webinar is not intended to cover how the pilots will be deployed, the webinar will cover available information on how the pilots will operate," it said. The Environmental Protection Agency "will discuss the specifics of their pilot using the PGA Message Set data elements for ozone-depleting substances, and vehicles and engines," and the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) " will discuss the specifics of their pilot using the PGA Message Set for products covered by the Import Inspection Application, the FSIS Form 9540-1."
CBP and the Trade Support Network (TSN) discussed plans for developing new capabilities to the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) during a recent Webinar, according to a document posted by CBP. Much of CBP's focus was on the use of "agile" development, meant to allow CBP to implement small pieces of ACE rather than in larger chunks. The approach is said to allow more flexibility as needs change.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
The U.S. Council for International Business urged Congress to move forward with CBP reauthorization legislation last month, submitting comments to the House Ways and Means committee on the two CBP bills introduced in 2012. USCIB commended various parts of the bills, HR-6642 and HR-6656, including automated commercial environment funding, the appointment of a trade advocate and codification of the Centers for Excellence and Expertise. The group also recommended changes to the bills, such as altering the importer requirements so they're not prohibitive for small and medium enterprises. The group also recommended eliminating what it called the bill’s “overly onerous” provision requiring brokers to collect information on the identity of importers. The group’s complete comments are here. Jerry Cook, chair of USCIB's Customs and Trade Facilitation Committee, said in a press release the group was hopeful the minute differences between last year's bills can be worked out soon. “We cannot afford to let the opportunity to achieve a long awaited customs reauthorization bill pass by.”
A new CBP reauthorization bill is expected to materialize in the coming months, say industry stakeholders, who are pushing for some changes to the CBP bills introduced last year but say they support those bills overall. The House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees are accepting comments on the two bills introduced in December: HR-6642 and HR-6656, which, other than language on antidumping and countervailing, are nearly identical. Observers pointed to new non-resident importer requirements and the severity of penalties allowed for providing inaccurate importer security filing data as parts of the bills they would like changed.
CBP's New York Field Office will have its quarterly broker meeting March 6, it said in an informational pipeline. Agenda topics will include ACE issue and updates, review of current post entry amendment and protest procedures and trade fair entries, it said. The meeting will start at 10 a.m. at 1100 Raymond Boulevard, Newark N.J.
CBP posted three Great Idea Forms (GIF) on a request from the Trade Support Network meant to allow for interaction with the Participating Government Agency (PGA) Message Set through the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Feb. 25-March 1 in case they were missed.
CBP released several documents outlining the agency's plans and expectations for operations following the budget cuts that took effect March 1. The agency will allow for operations as usual for Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and the Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS), the agency said. CBP has said it will continue to keep security, including radiation portal monitors, as a top priority during the cuts, but that trade processing could see major delays as a result of CBP furlough and cuts to overtime expenses. A list of CBP's trade priorities following sequestration is (here).