Justice Department and Federal Maritime Commission Reaffirm and Strengthen Partnership to Promote Fair Competition in the Shipping Industry - Federal Maritime Commission
The Justice Department and the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) today (2/28/22) reaffirmed their continuing commitment to jointly enforcing competition laws and strengthening their cooperation to promote competition in the ocean freight transportation system.
The FMC is a bipartisan, independent Executive Branch agency whose mission is to ensure a competitive and reliable international ocean transportation supply system that supports the U.S. economy and protects the public from unfair and deceptive practices. The Justice Department is the Executive Branch Agency charged with promoting economic competition through enforcing and providing guidance on antitrust laws and principles.
The FMC and the Justice Department possess competition expertise unique to their respective agencies and have successfully worked together in the past. In July 2021, the working relationship between the FMC and the Department was formalized with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU established a framework for partnership between the FMC and the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division that enhances cooperation in the enforcement of antitrust and competition laws, including the Shipping Act, including by facilitating information exchange between and among attorneys, economists, and technical experts. The objectives of the President’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy will be supported by this continued partnership.
Building upon the July 2021 MOU, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Chairman Daniel B. Maffei today announced new steps the two agencies will take to strengthen this partnership. The Justice Department will provide the FMC with the support of attorneys and economists from the Antitrust Division for enforcement of violations of the Shipping Act and related laws. The FMC will provide the Antitrust Division with support and maritime industry expertise for Sherman Act and Clayton Act enforcement actions.
“The Justice Department will continue to aggressively enforce our antitrust laws – no matter the industry, no matter the company, and no matter the individual,” said Attorney General Garland. “Competition in the maritime industry is integral to lowering prices, improving quality of service, and strengthening supply chain resilience. Expanding joint enforcement partnerships like the partnership between the FMC and DOJ is one of our most powerful tools for promoting competition. Lawbreakers should know that the Justice Department will provide the Federal Maritime Commission all necessary litigation support as it pursues its mission of promoting competition in ocean shipping.”
“The Attorney General and I share both the priority of a competitive marketplace and a commitment to pursue enforcement actions when necessary,” said Chairman Maffei. “Our agencies have a history of cooperating to the benefit of the American consumer and this new support will help ensure that the working relationship will help both government entities in our shared goal of fair competition.”
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OTEXA: Announcements - Office of Textile & Apparel
[03/02/2022] – The European Commission is inviting public comments on how best to reduce the amount of unintentionally released microplastics into the environment. This public consultation supports the Commission’s initiative on reducing microplastics pollution, as part of its Circular Economy Action Plan and Zero Pollution Action Plan. The consultation focusses on sources known to release the largest quantity of microplastics, such as plastic pellets, synthetic textiles, and tires. See the European Commission’s Microplastic public consultation webpage for more details.
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Federal Register Notices:
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Hydrofluorocarbon Blends From the People's Republic of China: Continuation of Antidumping Duty Order
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Certain LTE-Compliant Cellular Communication Devices; Commission Determination Not To Review an Initial Determination Granting Complainant's Motion To Terminate the Investigation Based on Withdrawal of the Complaint Allegations; Termination of the Investigation
• Certain Gabapentin Immunoassay Kits and Test Strips, Components Thereof, and Methods Therefor; Commission Determination Not To Review an Initial Determination Terminating a Final Respondent Based on Settlement; Request for Written Submissions on Remedy, the Public Interest, and Bonding
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Certain Cut-to-Length Carbon-Quality Steel Plate Products From the Republic of Korea: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2020-2021
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or Suspended Investigation; Advance Notification of Sunset Review
• Certain Frozen Warmwater Shrimp From India: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2020-2021
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Pentafluoroethane (R-125) From China
• Phosphor Copper From Korea; Institution of a Five-Year Review
• Aluminum Extrusions From China; Institution of Five-Year Reviews
• Pure Magnesium From China; Institution of a Five-Year Review
• 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane (R-134a) From China; Institution of a Five-Year Review
• Stainless Steel Sheet and Strip From China; Institution of Five-Year Reviews
• Acrylonitrile-Butadiene Rubber (NBR) From France, Mexico, and South Korea; Scheduling of the Final Phase of Anti-Dumping Duty Investigations
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Certain Cut-to-Length Carbon-Quality Steel Plate From the Republic of Korea: Preliminary Results and Preliminary Intent To Rescind, in Part, the Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2020
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Certain Mobile Access Equipment and Subassemblies Thereof From China; Supplemental Schedule for the Final Phase of Antidumping Duty Investigation
• Certain Products Containing Pyraclostrobin and Components Thereof Notice of Institution
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Seamless Refined Copper Pipe and Tube From the People's Republic of China and Mexico: Final Results of the Expedited Sunset Reviews of the Antidumping Duty Orders
• Certain Steel Nails From India, the Sultanate of Oman, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the Republic of Turkey: Postponement of Preliminary Determinations in the Countervailing Duty Investigations
• Pentafluoroethane (R-125) From the People's Republic of China: Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders
• Certain Cold-Drawn Mechanical Tubing of Carbon and Alloy Steel From India: Preliminary Results of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2020
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or Suspended Investigation; Opportunity To Request Administrative Review and Join Annual Inquiry Service List
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Stainless Steel Bar From India: Preliminary Results and Partial Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2020-2021
• Common Alloy Aluminum Sheet From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2020
• Common Alloy Aluminum Sheet From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2020-2021
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Barium Chloride From India; Determinations
• Sodium Nitrite From India and Russia
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USTR Releases 2022 President’s Trade Policy Agenda and 2021 Annual Report - US Trade Representative
WASHINGTON – Ambassador Katherine Tai and the Office of the United States Trade Representative today delivered President Biden’s 2022 Trade Policy Agenda and 2021 Annual Report to Congress. This report details USTR’s work to implement the Biden Administration’s trade priorities and advance a worker-centered trade policy.
“President Biden believes that America is at its best when we are leading on the world stage to deliver economic prosperity and growth to our citizens and communities,” Ambassador Tai said. “The 2022 Trade Policy Agenda and 2021 Annual Report provide a detailed look at some of the key accomplishments in the first year of the Biden Administration, and how we intend to build on this progress. I look forward to continuing to lead this office and working with my colleagues across the administration to deliver on President Biden’s vision for trade that is equitable, fair, and lasting.”
Over the last year, USTR has pursued a new approach to trade policy that empowers workers, defends their rights, and encourages a race to the top. By reaching new and historic agreements with our allies, Ambassador Tai and USTR have revitalized important global partnerships and built coalitions around shared priorities and values.
To advance a worker-centered trade policy, Ambassador Tai and USTR have consulted extensively with Congress and a wide range of key stakeholders to develop a comprehensive agenda that ensures the benefits of trade reaches everyone, rather than a select few.
The 2022 Trade Policy Agenda and 2021 Annual Report highlight several notable accomplishments over the last year, including USTR’s work to promote sustainable environmental practices in trade policy, enforce existing agreements, improve the resilience of global supply chains, and combat the COVID-19 pandemic. It also details how USTR and the Biden Administration have re-aligned the United States-China bilateral trade relationship in order to defend the rights of American workers, farmers, producers, and businesses and ensure they can fairly compete on a level playing field.
In 2022, USTR will continue to implement President Biden’s trade priorities as the United States recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and builds back better. Ambassador Tai and USTR look forward to releasing additional details in the near future on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, a key part of the Administration’s Indo-Pacific Strategy that will strengthen the United States’ ties to an important and dynamic region. Additionally, USTR will continue to support the Biden Administration’s work to coordinate with our allies on shared priorities, while exploring new partnerships around the world.
The full report can be viewed here.
A fact sheet outlining key aspects of the President’s 2022 Trade Policy Agenda and 2021 Annual Report is available here.
Background: The 2022 Trade Policy Agenda and 2021 Annual Report of the President of the United States on the Trade Agreements Program are submitted to the Congress pursuant to Section 163 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended..
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Baltimore CBP Officers Seize Shipment of 29,000 Counterfeit Water Purifier Filters from China - US Customs & Border Protection
BALTIMORE – To borrow from the 1960’s rock band The Standells, I want to tell you a story about what Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers found down by the Patapsco River, and if allowed to pass through to store shelves, could have led to consumers not loving the Dirty Water.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than 29,000 water purifier filters with counterfeit UPC certification markings in Baltimore on February 24, 2022.
CBP officers seized more than 29,000 counterfeit refrigerator water purifier filters in Baltimore on Thursday. The filters would have been valued at more than $439,000, if authentic.
CBP officers initially inspected the shipment on January 24 after it arrived by ship from China. The shipment, which was destined to Walnut, Calif., consisted of 936 cartons, or 29,056 GlacialPure brand water filters. Officers detained the shipment as a potential intellectual property rights (IPR) violation.
CBP officers then contacted import specialists at CBP’s Machinery Center of Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts, and attorneys representing the GlacialPure company.
On February 7, CBP import specialists confirmed that the filter packaging displays a counterfeit Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) certification mark, which falsely claims that the filters were certified by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) the accredited plumbing and mechanical product industry certification agency.
CBP officers seized the counterfeit water purifier filters on Thursday. CBP import specialists appraised the counterfeit shipment at $439,156 manufacturer’s suggested retail price, if the filters were authentic.
To cut costs and maximize profits, counterfeit products are often made of inferior materials, are manufactured under uncontrolled and unsanitary conditions, and are labeled with false product information. CBP encourages consumers to protect themselves and their families by always purchasing safe, authentic goods from reputable vendors.
“These water filters displayed a counterfeit safety certification, which means that they cannot be trusted to provide clean drinking water and that poses a potentially serious health threat to American consumers,” said Marc Calixte, CBP’s Acting Area Port Director in Baltimore. “CBP remains committed to protecting consumers by intercepting potentially harmful goods, and by shining a light on the dangers posed by counterfeit and pirated products.”
CBP protects businesses and consumers every day through an aggressive Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) enforcement program. During fiscal year 2020, CBP reported 26,503 counterfeit goods seizures worth an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of over $1.3 billion, in the goods were authentic. That comes out to about $3.6 million in counterfeit goods seizures every day. Read CBP’s Intellectual Property Seizure Report for more Fiscal Year 2020 IPR stats and analysis.
CBP's border security mission is led at ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations. CBP officers screen international travelers and cargo and search for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality. Learn what CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2021.
Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders. Learn more about CBP at www.CBP.gov.
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CBP Officers Seize Meth Disguised as Onions - US Customs & Border Protection
OTAY MESA, Calif. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa commercial facility discovered almost 1,200 small packages of methamphetamine hidden within a shipment of onions on Sunday.
At approximately 1 p.m. on February 20, CBP officers encountered a 46-year-old driver of a tractor trailer with a shipment manifested as onions. During the inspection, a CBP officer referred the driver along with the conveyance for a more intensive examination.
During the exam, a CBP canine team screened the truck and trailer and the detector dog alerted to the shipment. CBP officers searched the shipment and discovered 1,197 packages of methamphetamine mixed with the onions in sacks. The packages of methamphetamine were shaped into small globes with a white covering, designed to blend into the onions they were hidden with.
CBP officers extracted approximately 1,336 pounds of methamphetamine worth an estimated street value of about $2.9 million.
“This was not only a clever attempt to try and smuggle in narcotics, one I haven’t seen before, but also time consuming to wrap narcotics into these small packages, designed to look like onions,” said Sidney Aki, CBP Director of Field Operations in San Diego. “These efforts show how effective our officers are, and as a response, the lengths drug trafficking organizations are willing to go to as they try to smuggle narcotics into the U.S. While we have certainly seen narcotics in produce before, it’s unusual for us to see this level of detail in the concealment.”
The driver was arrested for the alleged narcotic smuggling attempt. CBP officers turned the driver, a Mexican citizen, over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) for further disposition.
CBP officers seized the tractor, trailer, and narcotics.
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DOT Announces New Funding for America’s Marine Highway Program to Strengthen Supply Chains - Department of Transportation
$25 Million available, the largest single appropriation of funding ever thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the availability of $25 million in funding for the America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP), which supports the development and expanded use of America’s navigable waterways and will help improve our nation’s supply chains and the movement of goods throughout the country.
These new resources represent the largest single appropriation of funding ever provided to the AMHP and were made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act, which will make a $1.2 trillion investment in our nation’s infrastructure and competitiveness.
“America’s waterways are a vital means for getting goods onto our shelves and into our homes,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Thanks to these investments, and others like them in the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we can help create jobs, reduce delays, and strengthen our critical supply chains for decades to come.”
These grants demonstrate continued action on commitments in the Biden-Harris Administration’s Port Action Plan, which meets the demand resulting from the rapid economic recovery and helps address inflationary pressures.
“This historic funding for the Marine Highways program will expand waterborne transportation options while helping project sponsors increase energy conservation, improve safety, reduce landside infrastructure costs, and reduce travel delays caused by congestion. This investment will also create well-paying maritime jobs,” said Acting Maritime Administrator Lucinda Lessley.
The America’s Marine Highway Program supports the increased use of the Nation’s navigable waterways to relieve landside congestion, provide new and efficient transportation options, and increase the productivity of the surface transportation system. By working closely with public and private organizations, the AMHP helps create and sustain American jobs in U.S. ports, on vessels, and at shipyards, while also improving our supply chains.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will rebuild America’s roads, bridges and rails; upgrade and expand public transit; modernize the Nation’s ports and airports; improve safety; help tackle the climate crisis; advance environmental justice; and invest in communities that have too often been left behind. It will drive the creation of good-paying jobs and grow the economy sustainably and equitably to help everyone get ahead for decades to come.
To be eligible for a grant award, a project must have previously been designated as a Marine Highway Project designated by the Secretary of Transportation. For more information on the eligible projects, please visit here.
Applications for the grants are due on April 29, 2022 by 5 p.m. EST. Additional information is available here, or by contacting Timothy Pickering, Office of Ports and Waterways Planning, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE, Washington, DC 20590, 202-366-0704 or MH@dot.gov