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Business Alert – US



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Content provided by : Hong Kong Trade Development Council
Latest update: 20 Nov 2009 - Issue 23

Feature Article

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usflag CPSC Continues to Target Unsafe Consumer Products, Provides Guidance on CPSIA Testing and Certification Requirements
As in previous years, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled a large and diverse number of consumer products during the first ten months of 2009......


Congressional/Executive Activities

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congress.gif Senate Consideration of Climate Change Legislation Moves Forward
The Senate moved forward with its consideration of climate change legislation on 5 November when the Environment and Public Works Committee, one of six committees with jurisdiction over this legislation, voted to approve the Kerry-Boxer Clear Energy Jobs and American Power Act (S. 1733)......

Customs Issues Overview of IPR Enforcement Practices
CBP recently issued a publication intended to provide guidance and information on its enforcement practices in the area of intellectual property rights......

New Legislation Seeks to Reinstate “Super 301” Trade Barrier Investigation Process
A group of senators led by Sens. Sherrod Brown (Democrat-Ohio) and Debbie Stabenow (Democrat-Michigan) introduced on 28 October legislation that would restore the Super 301 trade barriers investigation process in order to give the federal government more tools to fight unfair trade practices......

Customs Vows to Use “Common Sense” in Enforcing “10+2” Import Filing Requirements
According to press reports, Assistant Commissioner Thomas Winkowski told a 4 November meeting of the Commercial Operations Advisory Committee that CBP will “take a common sense approach” to imposing penalties for violating the 10+2 importer security filing rule once the current period of informed compliance ends on 26 January 2010......

Senators Want Action to Address Chinese Glass Subsidies
Eight Democratic senators sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke on 29 October urging action against mainland Chinese trade policies they believe have hurt U.S. glass manufacturers......

EPA Implements Ban on Use of Carbofuran in Food
The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final rule that effectively bans the sale of domestically-produced and imported food with residues of the pesticide carbofuran from 1 January 2010......

U.S. Requests Panel in WTO Case against China’s Export Restrictions on Raw Materials
Last June, the United States and the European Union requested World Trade Organisation dispute settlement consultations with China over that country’s export restraints on various raw materials, namely bauxite, coke, fluorspar, magnesium, manganese, silicon metal, silicon carbide, yellow phosphorus and zinc. These materials are key inputs for numerous downstream products in the steel, aluminium and chemical sectors across the globe......

DOE Moves Forward with Various Energy Conservation Rulemakings
The Department of Energy has been working diligently in recent months to fulfil a request by President Obama to fully implement the energy efficiency requirements and test procedures for a broad range of residential and commercial products that were established under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 and the Energy Policy Act of 2005......

FTC Proposes to Amend Labelling Requirements for Light Bulbs
The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comments by 28 December on a proposal to amend the current energy labelling requirements for light bulbs. In the next several years new energy standards mandated by Congress will eliminate low-efficiency light bulbs from store shelves in favour of more efficient products, including high-efficiency incandescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps and light-emitting diode products......

CPSC Recalls Various Products Made in China
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the following recalls of products made in mainland China......

Legislation Introduced or Passed in the 111th U.S. Congress
From 29 October to 10 November 2009, members of the U.S. Congress introduced and/or approved the following international trade-related bills that may have an impact on Hong Kong or mainland China......

U.S. Executive Calendar
U.S. Executive Calendar...


Others

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Venezuela Provides Duty-Free Treatment to Certain Manufacturing Inputs
The Government of Venezuela issued a decree on 23 October exempting a broad range of imported manufacturing inputs from the applicable import duty and value-added tax for a period of three years......

Argentina Continues to Use Criterion Values to Target Imports
Argentina’s Dirección General de Aduanas (Argentinean Customs) has in recent weeks continued its regular practice of reviewing and setting new or amended criterion values for a wide array of imported merchandise of particular interest......

Miscellaneous Latin American Safeguard and AD Actions on Chinese Products
Brazil Declines to Impose Safeguard Measures on Recordable Optical Media from All Sources......


AD/CV Notices

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AD/CV Notices
Following are summaries of current AD/CV actions targeting mainland Chinese manufacturers taken by the DOC......


USITC Notices

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USITC Notices
AD/CV Injury Investigations on Certain Steel Fasteners Terminated......