U.S. Customs and Border Protection June 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice advises the public of the quarterly Internal Revenue Service interest rates used to calculate interest on overdue accounts (underpayments) and refunds (overpayments) of customs duties. For the calendar quarter beginning July 1, 2012, the interest rates for overpayments will be 2 percent for corporations and 3 percent for non- corporations, and the interest rate for underpayments will be 3 percent for both corporations and non-corporations. This notice is published for the convenience of the importing public and Customs and Border Protection personnel.

As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, CBP invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on an information collection requirement concerning the: Application and Approval to Manipulate, Examine, Sample, or Transfer Goods. This request for comment is being made pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13).

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of the Department of Homeland Security will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act: Cargo Container and Road Vehicle for Transport under Customs Seal. This is a proposed extension of an information collection that was previously approved. CBP is proposing that this information collection be extended with no change to the burden hours. This document is published to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies. This information collection was previously published in the Federal Register (77 FR 21577) on April 10, 2012, allowing for a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.10.

This document provides notice that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') has issued a final determination concerning the country of origin of certain Toshiba e-Studio Multi-function Peripherals (MFPs), which perform imaging, scanning, faxing, and printing functions. Based upon the facts presented, CBP has concluded that the country where the last substantial transformation takes place is Singapore. Therefore, the country of origin of the MFPs is Singapore for purposes of U.S. Government procurement.

This document provides notice that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') has issued a final determination concerning the country of origin of certain digital projectors. Based upon the facts presented, CBP has concluded in the final determination that the assembly and programming operations performed in the Taiwan substantially transform the non-TAA country components of the digital projectors. Therefore the country of origin of the digital projectors is Taiwan for purposes of U.S. Government procurement.

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to 19 CFR 151.12 and 19 CFR 151.13, Inspectorate America Corporation, 141 N. Pasadena Blvd., Pasadena, TX 77506, has been approved to gauge and accredited to test petroleum and petroleum products, organic chemicals and vegetable oils for customs purposes, in accordance with the provisions of 19 CFR 151.12 and 19 CFR 151.13. Anyone wishing to employ this entity to conduct laboratory analyses and gauger services should request and receive written assurances from the entity that it is accredited or approved by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to conduct the specific test or gauger service requested. Alternatively, inquires regarding the specific test or gauger service this entity is accredited or approved to perform may be directed to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection by calling (202) 344-1060. The inquiry may also be sent to cbp.labhq@dhs.gov. Please reference the Web site listed below for a complete listing of CBP approved gaugers and accredited laboratories: https://cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/trade/automated/labsscientifi csvcs/ commercialgaugers/gaulist.ctt/gaulist.pdf.

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to 19 CFR 151.12 and 19 CFR 151.13, Amspec Services LLC, 100 Wheeler Street, Unit G, New Haven, CT 06512, has been approved to gauge and accredited to test petroleum and petroleum products, organic chemicals and vegetable oils for customs purposes, in accordance with the provisions of 19 CFR 151.12 and 19 CFR 151.13. Anyone wishing to employ this entity to conduct laboratory analyses and gauger services should request and receive written assurances from the entity that it is accredited or approved by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to conduct the specific test or gauger service requested. Alternatively, inquiries regarding the specific test or gauger service this entity is accredited or approved to perform may be directed to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection by calling (202) 344-1060. The inquiry may also be sent to cbp.labhq@dhs.gov. Please reference the Web site listed below for a complete listing of CBP approved gaugers and accredited laboratories. https://cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/trade/automated/labsscientifi c svcs/commercialgaugers/gaulist.ctt/gaulist.pdf.

This document adopts as a final rule, with an additional technical correction, proposed amendments to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations regarding customs broker recordkeeping requirements as they pertain to the location and method of record retention. The amendments permit a licensed customs broker, under prescribed conditions, to store records relating to his or her customs transactions at any location within the customs territory of the United States. The amendments also remove the requirement, as it currently applies to brokers who maintain separate electronic records, that certain entry records must be retained in their original format for the 120-day period after the release or conditional release of imported merchandise. These changes maximize the use of available technologies and serve to conform CBP's recordkeeping requirements to reflect modern business practices without compromising the agency's ability to monitor and enforce recordkeeping compliance.

This final rule amends the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulations to reflect the extension of import restrictions on certain archaeological and ethnological material from Peru. The restrictions, which were originally imposed by Treasury Decision (T.D.) 97-50 and last extended by CBP Dec. 07-27, are due to expire on June 9, 2012, unless extended. The Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, United States Department of State, has determined that conditions continue to warrant the imposition of import restrictions. Accordingly, the restrictions will remain in effect for an additional five years, and the CBP regulations are being amended to indicate this third extension. These restrictions are being extended pursuant to determinations of the State Department under the terms of the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act in accordance with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. T.D. 97-50 contains the Designated List of archaeological and ethnological materials that describes the articles to which the restrictions apply.