CEE authority extensions

   Three U.S. Customs Centers of Excellence and Expertise will transition beyond the test phase and assume trade processing for all transactions associated with their respective industries, starting Jan. 28.
   The industry integration centers consolidate internal expertise, eliminate significant duplication of work for compliant importers and enable inspectors at ports of entry to focus on checking high-risk shipments.
   The CEEs for Electronics; Petroleum, Natural Gas and Minerals; and Pharmaceuticals, Health and Chemicals will be the first to achieve full operational status, Customs said.
   CBP began setting up CEEs in 2011 to build best practices and regulatory consistency, as well as reduce transaction costs for businesses by moving post-release compliance reviews away from ports of entry to virtual centers organized by industry experts.
   CBP’s legal branch has issued a delegation order allowing the centers to incrementally assume trade functions, including revenue collection, from port directors and build up their staffs during the next six months.

This column was published in the March 2015 issue of American Shipper.