USITC Issue Follow-Up Report on Economic Effects of Significant U.S. Import Restraints - U.S. International Trade Commission
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) today issued an update of its report The Economic Effects of Significant U.S. Import Restraints.
The USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, completed the report for the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The report is the ninth update in a series of reports to the USTR.
The report estimates changes in U.S. welfare, output, employment, and trade that would result from the unilateral elimination of significant import restraints, including U.S. tariffs and tariff-rate quotas on certain agricultural products, textiles and apparel, and other manufactured products. The Commission estimates that liberalization of all significant import restraints quantified in this update would increase annual U.S. welfare by $3.2 billion by 2020. For the first time in this series of reports, this update examines the effects of import restraints on households with different incomes.
The effect of tariffs and of customs and border procedures on global supply chains is the subject of a special topic chapter in the report.
The Economic Effects of Significant U.S. Import Restraints: Ninth Update (Inv. No. 332-325, USITC Publication 4726, September 2017) is available on the USITC web site at https://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/pub4726.pdf.
Electronic Licensing - U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Background: Anyone engaging in business as an importer or exporter of wildlife must obtain a USFWS import/export license. In the past, importers and exporters could only apply for an import/export license from the Service by completing a paper form and presenting it to a Service wildlife inspection office or an Office of Law Enforcement Permits Office.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has developed and tested a new voluntary electronic licensing system (eLicense). eLicense allows users to apply for a new import/export license or renew or amend a current or expired license from the Service via a secured Internet web site. The system facilitates clearance of wildlife imports and exports, allowing users to store data for future use and communicate by e-mail with Service license issuers.
Action: Effective October 2, 2017, the new eLicense system will be available for use by any individual or company that imports or exports wildlife for commercial purposes. Although the Service will continue to accept and process traditional “paper” applications for those who prefer that method of applying, we encourage importers and exporters to take advantage of the new electronic application system.
Importers and exporters may access eLicense via the Office of Law Enforcement eLicense home page (https://www.fws.gov/elicense).
To complete an application with eLicense, users need Internet connectivity, an e-mail address, the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser (version 5.0 or higher), and an ink jet or laser printer. No special software is required, and no additional fees are charged for using eLicense. Help files on the eLicense web site provide an on-line user manual, information on reconfiguring your Internet browser, filing instructions, and useful FAQs.
There is no reason for you to have a USFWS import/export license if you do not commercially import or export wildlife. Requests for license renewals will be reviewed for import/export activity.
This document does not convey any rights, benefits, or privileges beyond authorizing you to engage in business as an importer or exporter of wildlife. The import/export license is not recognized outside the United States.
CBP Finds 13 Live Khapra Beetles in JuJubes - U.S. Customs & Border Protection
Prohibited fruit host for harmful pest
DALLAS -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists at the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport found 13 live larvae in a package of jujubes.
A traveler, arriving from Sudan, declared agriculture items after landing at DFW. CBP agriculture specialists inspected the traveler’s luggage including over 2 pounds of jujubes (Ziziphus sp.) Jujubes are a small, date-like fruit commonly found in Asia and the Middle East. Jujube fruit is prohibited from entry into the United States from most countries due to the potential pest risk, as they are host material for a variety of pests.
Further examination of the jujubes resulted in the interception of 13 live larvae, possibly Khapra beetle. The larvae were forwarded to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for identification and confirmed as Khapra beetle, Trogoderma granarium Everts (Dermestidae).
“Travelers can be assured that CBP’s mission to protect our nation’s agriculture is a top priority,” said Dallas Area Port Director Cleatus P. Hunt, Jr. “CBP agriculture specialists work diligently to prevent pests and prohibited agriculture items from entering our country.”
Khapra beetles can wreak havoc on grain products and seeds. They also have a high tolerance against insecticides and fumigants, and are a significant threat to the U.S. agriculture. The seized items were destroyed by steam sterilization. The traveler properly declared the items and therefore was not assessed a penalty.
Travelers are encouraged to visit the CBP website to find out what food products they can bring into the U.S. On a typical day in fiscal year 2016, CBP agriculture specialists discovered 404 pests at U.S. ports of entry and 4,638 materials for quarantine. These materials included plants, meat, soil and animal byproducts.
Port Trip to S. Korea, Japan Focuses on Trade Development - Port of Long Beach
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia and Harbor Commission President Lou Anne Bynum are leading a Port of Long Beach business development trip to South Korea and Japan this week, for vital meetings with shipping industry leaders.
The delegation, which includes Port Executive Director Mario Cordero and Chief Commercial Officer Noel Hacegaba, will discuss shipping trends and seek to gain insight on future business opportunities. The group will stop in Seoul, Tokyo and Yokkaichi, a sister city of Long Beach.
“With the recent changes in the shipping industry, this is a crucial time to meet face-to-face with our customers to expand business opportunities for the Port of Long Beach,” said Garcia. “These relationships are key to generating even more economic development in Long Beach.”
“Our business development outreach is one of the main reasons that the Port of Long Beach is known for its customer service,” Bynum said. “Our customers deeply value these meetings. It’s important for us to reaffirm our commitment to being adaptable, nimble and responsive to industry concerns.”
Earlier this year, the industry “realigned” the vessel-sharing alliances that allow groups of companies to join forces to compete against the rest of the industry. Ocean carriers routinely transport containers of allied companies. The changes in alliances also affect the ports that the carriers visit.
The Port of Long Beach this year has seen increasing cargo movement thanks to improving consumer demand and the Port’s ability to meet the challenges of the alliance restructuring. Just one year after the loss of a major ocean carrier customer to bankruptcy, the Port is seeing record volume. In addition, the Port of Long Beach is undergoing $4 billion in capital improvement projects this decade that are serving to improve the efficiency and environmental sustainability of cargo movement through the Port.
AnchorIt or RecycleIt - U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Watch Video: Anchor it and Protect a Child
August 2017 Airline On-Time Performance, Cancellations, Mishandled Baggage Data Similar to Previous Year, July 2017 - Department of Transportation
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today released its October 2017 Air Travel Consumer Report on air carrier data compiled for the month of August 2017. In August, the reporting carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 77.1 percent, down from the 77.6 percent on-time rate in August 2016, but up from the 76.9 percent mark in July 2017.
The reporting carriers canceled 2.2 percent of their scheduled domestic flights, up from both the 1.4 percent cancellation rate posted in August 2016 and the 1.1 percent rate in July 2017.
The U.S. carriers reporting mishandled baggage data posted a mishandled baggage rate of 2.45 reports per 1,000 passengers in August, an improvement over both August 2016’s rate of 3.15 and July 2017’s rate of 2.79.
The consumer report also includes data on tarmac delays, chronically delayed flights, and the causes of flight delays filed with the Department’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) by the reporting carriers. In addition, the consumer report contains a record of aviation service complaints filed with DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division by consumers regarding a range of issues including flight problems, baggage, reservation and ticketing, refunds, customer service, disability access, and discrimination. The report also includes data on oversales and information about the total number of animals that died, were injured, or were lost during air transport in August 2017, as filed by the air carriers with the Aviation Consumer Protection Division.
The Department has launched an airline passenger microsite to make it easy for travelers to understand their rights. The site can be viewed here: https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/flights-and-rights.
Tarmac Delays
In August, airlines reported nine tarmac delays of more than three hours on domestic flights, compared to 16 such tarmac delays reported in July 2017. In August, airlines also reported two tarmac delays of more than four hours on international flights, compared to six such tarmac delays reported in July 2017. All reported extended tarmac delays are investigated by the Department.
Chronically Delayed Flights
At the end of August, there were five regularly scheduled flights that were chronically delayed – more than 30 minutes late more than 50 percent of the time – for four consecutive months. There were an additional 42 regularly scheduled flights that were chronically delayed for three consecutive months and an additional 32 regularly scheduled flights that were chronically delayed for two consecutive months. A list of flights that were chronically delayed for one or more months is available from BTS.
Causes of Flight Delays
In August 2017, the carriers filing on-time performance data reported that 22.92 percent of their flights were delayed – 6.25 percent of their flights were delayed by aviation system delays, compared to 6.41 percent in July; 8.07 percent by late-arriving aircraft, compared to 8.46 percent in July; 5.54 percent by factors within the airline’s control, such as maintenance or crew problems, compared to 5.89 percent in July; 0.61 percent by extreme weather, compared to 0.82 percent in July; and 0.04 percent for security reasons, compared to 0.03 percent in July. In addition, 2.16 percent of flights were canceled and 0.25 percent were diverted.
Weather is a factor in both the extreme-weather category and the aviation-system category. This includes delays due to the re-routing of flights by DOT’s Federal Aviation Administration in consultation with the carriers involved. Weather is also a factor in delays attributed to late-arriving aircraft, although airlines do not report specific causes in that category.
BTS uses the data collected from airlines to determine the percentage of late flights delayed by weather, which includes those reported in the categories of extreme weather, late-arriving aircraft, and National Aviation System delays. In August, 36.08 percent of late flights were delayed by weather, up from 33.80 percent in August 2016, but down from 36.79 percent in July 2017.
Detailed information on flight delays and their causes is available from BTS.
Bumping
Oversales data, unlike other air carrier data, are reported quarterly rather than monthly. For the first six months of this year, the 12 U.S. carriers who report involuntary denied boarding, or bumping, data posted a bumping rate of 0.52 per 10,000 passengers, the lowest January through June rate based on historical data dating back to 1995 and down from the rate of 0.62 posted during the first six months of 2016. For the second quarter of 2017, the carriers posted a bumping rate of 0.44 per 10,000 passengers, the lowest quarterly rate based on historical data dating back to 1995 and down from the rate of 0.62 posted in both the second quarter of 2016 and the first quarter of 2017. Six-month and second-quarter bumping numbers were previously released in the August Air Travel Consumer Report, which includes denied boarding numbers by airline.
Incidents Involving Animals
In August, carriers reported four incidents involving the death, injury, or loss of an animal while traveling by air, equal to the four reports filed in August 2016 and down from the five reports filed in July 2017. August’s incidents involved the deaths of three animals and injury to one other animal.
Complaints About Airline Service
In August, DOT received 1,907 complaints about airline service from consumers, down 15.3 percent from the total of 2,251 filed in August 2016 and down 0.4 percent from the 1,914 received in July 2017.
Complaints About Treatment of Disabled Passengers
The report also contains a tabulation of complaints filed with DOT in August against airlines regarding the treatment of passengers with disabilities. The Department received a total of 98 disability-related complaints in August, up from both the 97 complaints received in August 2016 and the 92 received in July 2017. All complaints alleging discrimination on the basis of disability are investigated.
Complaints About Discrimination
In August, the Department received 11 complaints alleging discrimination – eight complaints regarding race, one complaint regarding ancestry/ethnicity, one complaint regarding national origin, and one complaint categorized as “other.” This is a decrease from the total of 15 discrimination complaints recorded in August 2016, but up from the seven recorded in July 2017. All complaints alleging discrimination are investigated to determine if there has been a violation(s) of the passenger’s civil rights.
Consumers may file air travel consumer or civil rights complaints on the web at http://airconsumer.dot.gov/escomplaint/ConsumerForm.cfm or by voice mail at (202) 366-2220 or by TTY at (202) 366-0511. They may also mail a complaint to the Aviation Consumer Protection Division, U.S. Department of Transportation, C-75, W96-432, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590.
Consumers who want on-time performance data for specific flights should call their airline’s reservation number or their travel agent. This information is available on the computerized reservation systems used by these agents. The information is also available on the appropriate carrier’s website.
The Air Travel Consumer Report can be found on DOT’s website at http://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/air-travel-consumer-reports.
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