Bureau of Industry and Security – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is correcting the formatting of a final rule that appeared in the Federal Register of April 28, 2020 (here and after referred to as the April 28 rule), which becomes effective on June 29, 2020. The April 28 rule amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to expand license requirements on exports, reexports, and transfers (in-country) of items intended for military end use or military end users in the People's Republic of China (China), Russia, or Venezuela. Specifically, this rule expands the licensing requirements for China to include ``military end users,'' in addition to ``military end use.'' It broadens the list of items for which the licensing requirements and review policy apply and expands the definition of ``military end use.'' Next, it creates a new reason for control and the associated review policy for regional stability for certain items exported to China, Russia, or Venezuela, moving existing text related to this policy. Finally, it adds Electronic Export Information filing requirements in the Automated Export System for exports to China, Russia, and Venezuela. This rule supports the objectives discussed in the National Security Strategy of the United States. This correction publishes the full text of each revised Export Control Classification Number on the Commerce Control List.

On May 19, 2020, in response to a petition, the Secretary of Commerce (the ``Secretary'') initiated an investigation to determine the effects on the national security from imports of mobile cranes. This investigation has been initiated under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended. Interested parties are invited to submit written comments, data, analyses, or other information pertinent to the investigation to the Department of Commerce's (the ``Department'') Bureau of Industry and Security by July 10, 2020. Rebuttal comments will be due by August 10, 2020. While the Department is interested in any information related to this investigation that the public can provide, this notice identifies particular issues of significance.

On May 11, 2020, based on inquiries and requests from interested parties in the United States, including multiple Members of Congress, a Grain-Oriented Electrical Steel (GOES) manufacturer, and producers of Power and Distribution Transformers, the Secretary of Commerce (the ``Secretary'') initiated an investigation to determine the effect of imports of Laminations for Stacked Cores for Incorporation into Transformers, Stacked Cores for Incorporation into Transformers, Wound Cores for Incorporation into Transformers, Electrical Transformers, and Transformer Regulators on the national security. This investigation has been initiated under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended. Interested parties are invited to submit written comments, data, analyses, or other information pertinent to the investigation to the Department of Commerce's (the ``Department'') Bureau of Industry and Security by June 9, 2020. Rebuttal comments will be due by June 19, 2020. While the Department is interested in any information related to this investigation that the public can provide, this notice identifies particular issues of significance.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is amending the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to expand license requirements on exports, reexports, and transfers (in-country) of items intended for military end use or military end users in the People's Republic of China (China), Russia, or Venezuela. Specifically, this rule expands the licensing requirements for China to include ``military end users,'' in addition to ``military end use.'' It broadens the list of items for which the licensing requirements and review policy apply and expands the definition of ``military end use.'' Next, it creates a new reason for control and the associated review policy for regional stability for certain items exported to China, Russia, or Venezuela, moving existing text related to this policy. Finally, it adds Electronic Export Information filing requirements in the Automated Export System for exports to China, Russia, and Venezuela. This rule supports the objectives discussed in the National Security Strategy of the United States.

In this rule, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) proposes to amend the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by modifying License Exception Additional Permissive Reexports (APR). Specifically, BIS is proposing to remove provisions which authorize reexports of certain national security-controlled items on the Commerce Control List (CCL) to gain better visibility into transactions of national security or foreign policy interest to the United States.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a notification of inquiry requesting comments on future extensions of a temporary general license under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), published in the Federal Register on March 12, 2020 with the comment period starting on the date of display on the public inspection list on March 10, 2020 and closing on March 25, 2020. This notification reopens the comment period through April 22, 2020. Comments submitted anytime between March 10, 2020 and April 22, 2020 will be accepted and considered.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is requesting comments on future extensions of a temporary general license under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). BIS is requesting these comments to assist the U.S. Government in evaluating whether the temporary general license should continue to be extended, to evaluate whether any other changes may be warranted to the temporary general license, and to identify any alternative authorization or other regulatory provisions that may more effectively address what is being authorized under the temporary general license.

In this final rule, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to revise the Country Group designations for the Russian Federation (Russia) and Yemen based on national security and foreign policy concerns, including proliferation-related concerns. This action is intended to facilitate and support accountability in connection with exports and reexports of items to these destinations under the EAR, and is part of a larger effort to restructure and re-align the Country Groups based on the aforementioned interests.

The U.S. Government has decided to extend through April 1, 2020, the temporary general license to Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei) and one hundred and fourteen of its non-U.S. affiliates on the Entity List. In order to implement this decision, this final rule revises the temporary general license to remove the expiration date of February 16, 2020, and substitute the date of April 1, 2020.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

On May 24, 2018, the Department of Commerce published a proposed rule in conjunction with a Department of State proposed rule to revise Categories I (firearms, close assault weapons and combat shotguns), II (guns and armaments), and III (ammunition/ordnance) of the USML and transfer items that no longer warrant control on the USML to the Commerce Control List (CCL). This final rule responds to and adopts changes based on the comments received on the Commerce proposed rule and is being published simultaneously with a final rule by the Department of State that will revise Categories I, II, and III of the USML to describe more precisely the articles warranting continued control on that list. These revisions complete the initial review of the USML that the Department of State began in 2011 and the conforming changes made to the EAR to control these items not warranting control under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

In this interim final rule, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to make certain items subject to the EAR and to impose a license requirement for the export and reexport of those items to all destinations, except Canada. Specifically, this rule classifies software specially designed to automate the analysis of geospatial imagery, as specified, under the Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) 0Y521 series, specifically under ECCN 0D521. BIS adds this item to the 0Y521 series of ECCNs upon a determination by the Department of Commerce, with the concurrence of the Departments of Defense and State, and other agencies as appropriate, that the items warrant control for export because the items may provide a significant military or intelligence advantage to the United States or because foreign policy reasons justify control, pursuant to the ECCN 0Y521 series procedures.