USITC to Assess Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the U.S. Steel and Aluminum Industries - U.S. International Trade Commission
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) is undertaking a new factfinding investigation that will assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity of steel and aluminum produced in the United States. As part of its investigation, the Commission will conduct a survey by issuing questionnaires to firms with facilities producing steel and aluminum in the United States, whether U.S. or foreign owned, to collect data on their production of these goods and associated GHG emissions.
The Commission is conducting this investigation, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Intensities of the U.S. Steel and Aluminum Industries at the Product Level, Inv. No. 332-598, at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) in a letter received on June 5, 2023.
As requested, the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, federal agency, will prepare a public report. The report will provide, to the extent practicable:
1. GHG emissions intensity estimates of steel and aluminum produced in the United States by product category and production stage in 2022, with data on Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions defined as:
2. Scope 1: Direct emissions from the facility’s owned or controlled sources.
3. Scope 2: Indirect emissions from the generation of the facility’s purchased energy, including electricity, steam, heat, or cooling.
4. Certain scope 3 emissions: Emissions associated with material and resource inputs for the production of steel and aluminum.
5. A description of the methodologies used to collect relevant information and to analyze product-specific GHG emissions intensities for the range of steel and aluminum products made in the United States.
The USITC expects to submit its report to the USTR by January 28, 2025.
The USITC will hold a public hearing in connection with the investigation at 9:30 a.m. on December 7, 2023. A link to the hearing will be posted on the Commission’s website at
https://www.usitc.gov/calendarpad/calendar.html.
Requests to appear at the hearing should be filed no later than 5:15 p.m. on November 17, 2023, with the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. See below for important information regarding filing a request to appear at a USITC hearing.
The USITC also welcomes written submissions for the record. Written submissions should be addressed to the Secretary to the Commission and should be submitted no later than 5:15 p.m. on June 28, 2024. All written submissions, except for confidential business information, will be available for public inspection. See below for important information regarding the filing of written submissions for USITC investigations.
IMPORTANT: All filings to appear at the hearing and written submissions must be made through the Commission’s Electronic Document Information System (EDIS, https://edis.usitc.gov). No in-person paper-based filings or paper copies of any electronic filings will be accepted until further notice. Persons with questions regarding electronic filing should contact the Office of the Secretary, Docket Services Division (EDIS3Help@USITC.gov), or consult the Commission’s Handbook on Filing Procedures.
Further information on the scope of the investigation is available in the USITC’s notice of investigation, dated July 5, 2023, which can be downloaded from the USITC Internet site (www.usitc.gov) or may be obtained by contacting the Office of the Secretary at commissionhearings@usitc.gov.
About factfinding investigations: USITC general factfinding investigations, such as this one, cover matters related to tariffs, trade, and competitiveness and are generally conducted under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means, or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the Commission’s objective findings and independent analyses on the subjects investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigation reports are subsequently released to the public unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.
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Federal Register Notices:
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Products From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Changed Circumstances Reviews, and Intent To Revoke the Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders, in Part
• Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules, From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Changed Circumstances Reviews, and Intent To Revoke the Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders, in Part
• Certain Cold-Drawn Mechanical Tubing of Carbon and Alloy Steel From India: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Reviews of Goodluck India Limited; 2017-2019 and 2019-2020; Correction
• 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: Drawn Stainless Steel Sinks From China; Institution of Five-Year Reviews
• Low Melt Polyester Staple Fiber From South Korea and Taiwan; Institution of Five-Year Reviews
• Ripe Olives From Spain; Institution of Five-Year Reviews
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Cast Iron Soil Pipe Fittings From China; Institution of Five-Year Reviews
• Certain Semiconductor Devices, and Methods of Manufacturing Same and Products Containing the Same; Institution of Investigation
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or Suspended Investigation; Advance Notification of Sunset Review
• Certain Frozen Warmwater Shrimp From Thailand: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2021-2022
• Certain Frozen Warmwater Shrimp From the People's Republic of China, India, Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Continuation of Antidumping Duty Orders
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Carton-Closing Staples from China; Termination of Five-Year Review
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Certain High-Performance Gravity-Fed Water Filters and Products Containing the Same; Commission Determination To Review in Part a Final Initial Determination Finding a Violation of Section 337; Request for Written Submissions on Issues Under Review and on Remedy, the Public Interest, and Bonding; Extension of the Target Date
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Chlorinated Isocyanurates From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2021-2022
• Glycine From Japan: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2021-2022
• Hydrofluorocarbon Blends From the People's Republic of China: Initiation of Circumvention Inquiries on the Antidumping Duty Order
• Glycine From India: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2021-2022
• Common Alloy Aluminum Sheet From Croatia: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2020-2022
• Certain Cold-Drawn Mechanical Tubing of Carbon and Alloy Steel From Italy: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2021-2022
• Notice of Scope Ruling Applications Filed in Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings
• Prestressed Concrete Steel Wire Strand From Malaysia: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 2020-2022
• Certain Collated Steel Staples From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results and Partial Rescission of the Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2021
• Tapered Roller Bearings and Parts Thereof, Finished and Unfinished, From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2021-2022
• Certain Quartz Surface Products From India: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, Preliminary Determination of No Shipments and Partial Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2021-2022
• Certain Non-Refillable Steel Cylinders From India: Postponement of Preliminary Determination in the Countervailing Duty Investigation
• Certain Cold-Drawn Mechanical Tubing of Carbon and Alloy Steel From India: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2021-2022
• Common Alloy Aluminum Sheet From Slovenia: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2020-2022
• Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules, From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and Final Determination of No Shipments; 2020-2021
• Chlorinated Isocyanurates From Spain: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2021-2022
• Finished Carbon Steel Flanges From Spain: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2021-2022
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Certain Freight Rail Couplers and Parts Thereof From China
• Tool Chests and Cabinets From China and Vietnam
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Philadelphia CBP Officers Intercept Gallon of Codeine Syrup - U.S. Customs & Border Protection
PHILADELPHIA – There’s less sizzurp on the streets of Philadelphia after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers recently seized a gallon of codeine syrup shipped from the United Kingdom.
The shipment, which was destined to an address in Philadelphia, arrived on June 13 manifested as “vegetable glycerin.” CBP officers opened the parcel and observed six 17-ounce bottles labeled as vegetable glycerin. The bottles contained a thick, syrupy liquid that field-tested positive for the properties of codeine, an opioid and schedule III controlled substance that requires a physician’s prescription in the United States.
Codeine has a high rate of abuse as a recreation drug, but one that poses potential health concerns. Abusers mix codeine syrup with alcohol or non-alcoholic beverages into a concoction known on the street as purple drank, cough syrup, lean, or sizzurp.
The bottles and contents weighed four kilograms, or about one gallon. It was destined to an address in Philadelphia.
CBP officers seized the codeine syrup on June 15 and turned it over to special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for further criminal investigation by the Border Enforcement Security Task Force that operates at the Philadelphia International Airport.
“Intercepting this illicit shipment of codeine syrup is further proof of Customs and Border Protection officers continued commitment to keeping our communities safe by diligently searching for illicit and dangerous products imported in international parcels,” said Rene Ortega, Acting Area Port Director for CBP’s Area Port of Philadelphia.
CBP officers and agents seized an average of 2,895 pounds of dangerous drugs every day at our nation’s air, land and sea ports of entry. See what else CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2022.
CBP's border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.
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FTC Files Amended Complaint Charging that Walmart Facilitated Scams Through Its Money Transfer Services That Fleeced Customers Out of Hundreds of Millions - Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission filed an amended complaint bolstering the agency’s case that Walmart allowed its money transfer services to be used by scammers, who fleeced consumers out of hundreds of millions of dollars.
The FTC filed the amended complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, following the court’s March 27, 2023 ruling on the FTC’s initial complaint. The amended complaint adds further details on Walmart’s alleged violations of the Telemarketing Sales Rule, including the Rule’s ban on the use of cash-to-cash money transfers in any telemarketing transaction.
According to the amended complaint, Walmart for years turned a blind eye while scammers took advantage of its failure to properly secure the money transfer services offered at Walmart stores. Walmart did not properly train its employees, failed to warn customers, and used procedures that allowed scammers to cash out at its stores, according to the FTC’s complaint.
Money transfers are frequently used by fraudsters across a wide variety of scams because they are nearly impossible to retrieve after the money has been picked up. The amended complaint cites numerous instances in which scammers relied on Walmart money transfers as a primary way to receive payments, including in telemarketing schemes such as sweepstakes scams, advance-fee loan scams, IRS impersonation schemes, relative-in-need “grandparent” scams, and others.
The FTC’s investigation of Walmart’s money transfer practices showed, according to the complaint, that Walmart knew about the role money transfer services play in frauds and telemarketing schemes. Despite that, the company’s money transfer services harmed consumers in numerous ways, including:
• Allowing the payout of transfers with characteristics of fraud;
• Having no anti-fraud policy or an ineffective, poorly enforced policy;
• Allowing cash pickups for large payments;
• Not providing warnings to prevent consumers from sending payments related to scams;
• Failing to effectively train or retrain staff;
• Allowing money transfers to be used for telemarketing purchases that violate the Telemarketing Sales Rule.
The Commission vote to authorize staff to file the amended complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois was 3-0.
The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and protect and educate consumers. Learn more about consumer topics at consumer.ftc.gov, or report fraud, scams, and bad business practices at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer alerts and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts.
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USITC Releases First Report on the Economic Impact and Operations of the USMCA Automotive Rules on Origin - U.S. International Trade Commission
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) today released its first report on the economic impact on the United States of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) automotive rules of origin (ROOs), their operation and effects on the U.S. economy and U.S. competitiveness, and whether the rules remain relevant in light of technological changes in the United States.
The report, USMCA Automotive Rules of Origin: Economic Impact and Operation, 2023 Report, is required by section 202A(g)(2) of the USMCA Implementation Act (the Act) (19 U.S.C. § 4532(g)(2). The Act requires the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, to submit five biennial reports to the President, the House Committee on Ways and Means, and the Senate Committee on Finance. The next four reports are due in 2025, 2027, 2029, and 2031.
Detailed highlights of the Commission's findings can be found in the report's Executive Summary.
Select findings are detailed below.
• As the USMCA has only been in force since July 1, 2020, and many of the ROOs have not been fully implemented due to staging, or phasing in, of requirements over a period of years, the full impact will likely not be apparent until the agreement is fully implemented, in 2027, or later.
• For the period July 2020 through December 2022, the Commission’s economic modeling analysis indicated that the ROOs reduced U.S. imports of vehicle parts and increased U.S. revenues, employment, wage payments, and capital expenditures related to light vehicle and automotive parts production. The model also indicated that the ROOs increased the cost of producing light vehicles in the United States. The higher costs of U.S. vehicle production increased U.S. sales of imported light vehicle models from the rest of the world. Lower tariff preference utilization reduced U.S. imports of light vehicles from Canada and Mexico. These economic effects were concentrated in the automotive industry and had a negligible economy-wide impact.
• Production, trade, employment, and investment data trends from 2018 to 2022 showed few signs of changes in the overall competitiveness of the U.S. automotive industry after USMCA’s entry into force in 2020. Production shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic and semiconductor chip shortages were likely the main factors in the aggregate declines in U.S. vehicle and parts production in 2020 and 2021 that occurred despite the positive estimated impact of the ROOs on U.S. production described above.
This report also identified two technological changes in the United States that have created a divergence related to the tariff classification or tariff treatment of similar goods in the USMCA automotive ROOs. These technological changes involved a new production process related to aluminum vehicle bodies and the increased production of electric and hybrid pickup trucks.
USMCA Automotive Rules of Origin: Economic Impact and Operation, 2023 Report (Investigation No. 332-592, USITC Publication 5443, June 2023) is available on the USITC website at:
https://usitc.gov/publications/332/pub5443.pdf.
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CPSC Warns Consumers to Immediately Stop Using Gorsetle US Infant Loungers Due to Suffocation Risk and Fall Hazard; Failure to Meet Infant Sleep Product Safety Requirements; Sold Exclusively on Amazon.com - Consumer Product Safety Commission
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers to immediately stop using Gorsetle baby loungers because they do not comply with the federal safety standard for infant sleep products, posing a risk of suffocation and fall hazard to infants.
The loungers fail to meet the safety requirements of CPSC’s Infant Sleep Products Rule because they do not have a stand. In addition, the loungers fail to meet the markings, labeling, and instructional literature requirements. These failures create an unsafe sleeping environment for infants. The lounger and its packaging also lack a tracking label containing required information, including the date of manufacture.
The seller, Gorsetle US, is not cooperating with CPSC on a recall of this product and is not offering a remedy to consumers.
The infant loungers were advertised as GORSETLE Baby Loungers, Portable Infant Floor Seat Ultra Soft & Breathable Newborn Lounger Baby Registry Essential Gift Great for Travel and Tummy Time (Crown). The loungers include a head pillow and fold into a portable handbag with a handle. The loungers were sold in three different printed fabrics including Crown, Jungle Animal, and Little Elephant. The loungers were sold online at www.amazon.com for about $60. There is no labeling on the infant loungers.
Although the Infant Sleep Products Rule applies specifically to products manufactured after June 23, 2022, these loungers do not have a required date of manufacture labeled on the product or packaging and therefore, the CPSC urges consumers to immediately stop using the loungers, cut the fabric, and dispose of the fabric and the pillow immediately. CPSC urges all firms to stop sale of non-compliant infant sleep products regardless of the date of manufacture. Report any incidents involving product injuries or defects to CPSC at www.SaferProducts.gov.
Parents and caregivers are reminded:
• The best place for an infant to sleep is on a firm, flat surface in a crib, bassinet or play yard.
• Use a fitted sheet only and never add blankets, pillows, padded crib bumpers, or other items to an infant’s sleeping environment.
• Infants should always be placed to sleep on their back. Infants who fall asleep in an inclined or upright position should be moved to a safe sleep environment with a firm, flat surface such as a crib, bassinet or play yard.
Individual Commissioners may have statements related to this topic. Please visit
ww.cpsc.gov/commissioners to search for statements related to this or other topics.
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FTC and State of Florida Send More Than $540,000 to Consumers Who Lost Money to Robocall Scammers Selling Bogus Interest Rate Reduction Services - Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission and the Florida Attorney General are sending refunds totaling more than $540,000 to consumers nationwide who were defrauded by Life Management Services of Orange County, LLC, and related companies who tricked them into paying for worthless credit card interest rate reduction and debt elimination programs. The average check amount is $117.
The FTC is sending checks to more than 4,600 consumers. Recipients should cash their checks within 90 days, as indicated on the check. Consumers who have questions about their refunds should contact the refund administrator, JND Legal Administration, at 1-877-381-0342, or visit the FTC website to view frequently asked questions about the refund process. The Commission never requires people to pay money or provide account information to get a refund.
According to the FTC’s June 2016 complaint, brought jointly with the Florida Attorney General, the Life Management defendants bombarded consumers with illegal robocalls trying to sell them bogus credit card interest rate reduction services. The defendants made phony guarantees about lowering consumers’ credit card interest rates and saving them thousands of dollars in interest payments. Customers made up-front payments but rarely, if ever, got the promised services. The defendants also pitched a bogus credit card debt elimination service, falsely claiming that they could access funds from the government or from a lawsuit against the credit card industry to pay off consumers’ credit card debt.
A court order announced in June 2019 as part of a law enforcement effort to halt illegal robocalls partially settled the Commission’s complaint by permanently barring 17 Life Management defendants from engaging in telemarketing and debt relief services and requiring them to pay money to provide refunds to defrauded consumers. The district court awarded the FTC and Florida summary judgment against the scheme’s ringleader, Kevin Guice, in December 2018, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court’s judgment in March 2022.
The Commission’s interactive dashboards for refund data provide a state-by-state breakdown of refunds in FTC cases. In 2022, Commission actions led to more than $392 million in refunds to consumers across the country.
The refunds being sent today are the result of a settlement resolved before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that the Commission lacks authority under Section 13(b) to seek monetary relief in federal court. Because of that ruling, the Commission no longer has its strongest tool to return money to consumers, and it will become harder to provide refunds to consumers harmed by deceptive and unfair conduct. The Commission has urged Congress to restore the Commission’s ability to get money back for consumers.
The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and protect and educate consumers. Learn more about consumer topics at consumer.ftc.gov, or report fraud, scams, and bad business practices at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Follow the FTC on social media, read consumer alerts and the business blog, and sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts.