U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Trade and the Commerce Department’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance have redesigned the antidumping and countervailing duty case management module in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).
The module was deployed in CBP’s umbrella computer system on Oct. 5.
CBP said it worked with Commerce for about a year to “streamline” the antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) case messages and case reference data functions for the new ACE module.
“This deployment of the enhanced AD/CVD module provides a more secure and transparent system and will contribute to the efforts by Commerce and CBP to level the playing field for domestic industries injured by unfair trade practices,” the agencies said, adding that the trade should find the new module’s navigation functions to be “user friendly.”
“We are fortifying American businesses by promoting fair trade and penalizing those importers who try to evade U.S. Trade Law,” Executive Assistant Commissioner Brenda Smith of CBP’s Office of Trade said in an Oct. 8 press release. “This new module will make it easier for Commerce and CBP to monitor and uphold our trade laws.”
The Trump administration has made wide use of these investigations, which cover a range of imported products and raw materials. Since early 2017, Commerce has initiated 182 new AD/CVD investigations, a 281% increase compared to the Obama administration.
Dumping occurs when a foreign company sells its product on the U.S. market at less than fair value, while countervailable subsidies are given to companies by foreign governments based on their export performance or use of domestic materials over imports in its product manufacturing.
Commerce funded the development of the new AD/CVD “single window” module in ACE. Both agencies are tasked with enforcing the nation’s AD/CVD regulations.
CBP said the key benefits of the module include:
- Improved “user-centric” design with “few clicks” during use;
- Enhanced organization of key data points for transparency;
- Automated processes to increase collaboration between stakeholders;
- Exportable data;
- Advanced search capability and filters.
The agency said the new AD/CVD module uses a highly secured CBP Amazon Web Service Cloud Environment (CACE).
A training guide for the new AD/CVD case management program for ACE is available on CBP’s website.