GAO Recommends Minor Fixes for ISF

(American Shipper)

Industry and government implementation of the Importer Security Filing this year has gone quite smoothly, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection should tighten some of the justifications for the original rule and speed up integrating the data into its antiterrorist screening system, a congressional watchdog agency said Tuesday.[...]

The GAO noted that CBP has not finalized how it will identify risk factors in ISF data and assign a weighted score for use in its automated targeting system (ATS). That means that so far the data isn’t being systematically analyzed for national security threats, although it is being used to double-check parties involved in a transaction against federal crime databases. But the submission of vessel stowage plans by carriers has led to the identification of more than 1,000 containers placed on board without required manifests, closing a potential security loophole. Read more here.

U.S. Likely to Miss Air Cargo Scanning Deadline

(Journal of Commerce Online – R.G.Edmonson)

GAO cites some progress but doubts TSA can make Aug. 3 goal for 100% screening

The Transportation Security Administration has made progress toward its goal of scanning all air cargo on domestic passenger flights by August 3, but the Government Accountability Office says it doubts the agency can make the deadline.

In testimony Wednesday before the House Homeland Security Committee, Steve Lord, GAO director of homeland security and justice issues, said that TSA lacked a contingency plan to initiate if it does not reach the deadline set by Congress three years ago. Read more here.

Tools to Track Imports Are Limited

(Aaron Kessler — Herald Tribune.com)

Consumer safety agency can do little about items such as tainted drywall

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is unable to access key shipping information to target suspicious products entering the United States, has no long-term plan for ensuring the safety of those imports and has yet to implement critical provisions of a law passed last year to strengthen its regulatory authority.

Those were the findings of a new report issued by the Government Accountability Office, which acts as the investigative arm of Congress. The report found that the CPSC — the lead agency in the investigation of tainted Chinese drywall — lacks vital tools as well as manpower to effectively stop faulty imports.

The CSPC has limited presence at U.S. ports and has to rely on U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials who are, in turn, under pressure to move shipments quickly, the report says. Read more here.

GAO Urges Consumer Agency to Speedily Implement Laws on Imports

(NASDAQ – Darrell A. Hughes, Dow Jones Newswires)

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission should work “expeditiously” to implement key provisions of federal law to ensure that imported consumer products are better regulated, a government report released Friday said.

The report by the Government Accountability Office also recommends that the commission resolve issues it has with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, saying that it “does not have access to key [customs] import data it could use to target incoming shipments for inspection.”

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has agreed with the GAO’s recommendations, according to the report.

Consumer advocates have criticized the commission for not implementing portions of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act that address U.S. consumer protection. Read more here.