FTZ Board Extends Comment Deadline on December 2010 Proposed Rule

March 8, 2011

The Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ) Board has extended the comment period on its December 2010 proposed rule, which proposes a major overhaul in the substantive and procedural rules (15 CFR Part 400) for the authorization of Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs) and the regulation of activity that occurs inside those zones. Key revisions in the proposed rule pertain to activities in FTZs in which an imported component is combined with one or more other components to create a different finished product, as well as expedited access to FTZ benefits for U.S. manufacturers for export-oriented activity. The deadline for comments on the proposed rule is now May 26, 2011.

The FTZ board will also accept reply comments addressing comments submitted pertaining to the proposed rule if submitted by June 27, 2011. Please contact a Barnes/Richardson attorney with any questions or if you would like assistance in preparing comments for the FTZ Board.

For a full summary of the FTZ Board’s proposed revisions, click here.