Foreign-Trade Zones Board February 28, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Foreign-Trade Zones Board (the Board) hereby revises its regulations issued pursuant to the Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Act of 1934, as amended (the Act), concerning the authorization and regulation of foreign-trade zones and zone activity in the United States. The rule is comprehensive and constitutes a complete revision, replacing the present version of 15 CFR part 400. The changes simplify many of the Board's procedures, including those for users to obtain authority related to manufacturing and value-added activity, and include new rules designed to address compliance with the Act's requirement for a grantee to provide uniform treatment for the users of a zone. The new rules improve flexibility for U.S.-based operations, including export- oriented activity; enhance clarity; and strengthen compliance and enforcement. The revisions also reorganize the regulations in the interest of ease-of-use and transparency.