Foreign-Trade Zones in the United States

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Commerce Foreign-Trade Zones Board 15 CFR Part 400 [Docket No. 090210156-1664-02; Order No. 1815] RIN 0625-AA81 AGENCY: Foreign-Trade Zones Board, International Trade Administration, Commerce. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: 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. DATES: Effective Date: April 30, 2012, except for §§ 400.21-400.23, 400.25 and 400.43(f) which contain information collection requirements that have not yet been submitted for OMB review. The Board will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing the effective date. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew Mc…