Automated Commercial Environment

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For years, exporters and importers have been frustrated by the former U.S. Customs and Border Protection process to withhold their names and addresses in manifest data from the public.

The test in Customs and Border Protection’s Automated Commercial Environment will be the third between the Fish and Wildlife Service and relevant importers since May 2016.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to roll out a handful of new trade processing functions in the Automated Commercial Environment throughout the year.

The proposed budget includes $2 billion to construct another 82 miles of border wall along the U.S.-Mexican border and more than $160 million to hire and train 750 Border Patrol agents.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the 73% collected-duty increase over last year was mostly the result of ongoing punitive import duties on steel, aluminum and Chinese goods.

“We are seeing drawback for commodities/products where we did not see it before,” said Michael Cerny, chief legal officer for duty drawback specialist Charter Brokerage.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the enhancements, to be rolled out over three phases through the rest of this year and 2020, pave the way to retiring legacy truck manifest application.

Customs brokers say a permanent extension of the 2017 Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act would incentivize Customs and Border Protection to automate the tax refund process.

“This new module will make it easier for Commerce and CBP to monitor and uphold our trade laws,” Executive Assistant Commissioner Brenda Smith of CBP’s Office of Trade said.

The association, which represents the country’s customs brokers and freight forwarders, seeks better engagement between Customs and Border Protection and industry software vendors.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture agency looks forward to receiving import documentation through Customs and Border Protection’s International Trade Data System.

Through the continued development of automated processes, U.S. Customs and Border Protection foresees the day when paper export manifests will no longer be necessary.