Washington Notebook: Change you can believe in

   This week’s “Washington Notebook” by Associate Editor Eric Kulisch discusses the tangible accomplishments of U.S. Customs and Border Protection during the past 12 to 18 months with regard to commercial trade processing and cargo security.
   But members of the trade community are feeling mixed emotions about this development. On the one hand there is palpable excitement, especially among those who sit on the federal Commercial Operations Advisory Committee, about the serious level of activity underway to modernize CBP functions and reduce unneccessary burdens that cause a drag on trade. COAC is working harder and faster than it ever has to keep up with recommendations supporting multiple restructuring efforts, from broker oversight to the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism. Nobody is complaining. COAC members are happy they’ve got an engaged partner on the government side.
   On the other hand, there is trepidation that all this good work could stall if CBP Commissioner Alan Bersin is forced by politics and the terms of his appointment to leave office this month.
   The full commentary is available on the American Shipper Web site.