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Table 3.7 Products subject to import licensing
Category: Fish and wildlife
Products: Fish and wildlife including endangered species
Agency: Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife service
Purpose: To: identify commercial importers and exporters of wildlife; require records that fully and correctly disclose each importation or exportation of wildlife and the subsequent disposition of the wildlife by the importer or exporter
Legal reference: 50 CFR Part 14
Other info: All persons, firms, and institutions may apply for a licence
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Table 3.7 Products subject to import licensing
Category: Plant and plant products
Products: Certain plant and plant products
Agency: Department of Agriculture
Purpose: To protect against the entry of plant pests and diseases, and to protect endangered plant species
Legal reference: Section 412 of the Plant Protection Act, 7 U.S.C. 7712 and the Endangered Species Act,
Other info: Persons, firms, and institutions resident in the United States may apply for a licence
(…)

Table 3.7 Products subject to import licensing
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Category: Nuclear facilities and materials
Products: Production and utilization facilities, special nuclear materials, source materials, and by-product materials, including when such materials are contained in radioactive waste.
Agency: Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Purpose: To protect public health and safety and the environment, and maintain the common defence and security of the United States, by exercising prudent controls over the possession, use, distribution, and transport of such items
Legal reference: Atomic Energy Act, 10 CFR Part 110
Other info: All persons, firms and institutions must have a permanent (physical) address within the United States

Table 3.9 Items subject to export restrictions, controls, or licensing
Product category: Fish and wildlife, including endangered species
Responsible agency: Department of the Interior
Legal reference: 50 CFR Part 14

(…) In June 2014, the President issued a Presidential Memorandum on Combating Illegal Fishing and Seafood Fraud. The memorandum established a Presidential Task Force and directed it to develop a comprehensive framework to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and seafood fraud.

In June 2014, the President established a task force to enhance coordination of U.S. Government efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and seafood fraud and directed the task force to develop and implement a comprehensive framework to combat IUU fishing and seafood fraud. Further, the President noted the national interest to promote sustainable fishing practices and the plan to implement the UNFAO Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. The framework acknowledges that the United States will continue to promote its policy of legally and sustainably caught, and accurately labelled seafood, and will assist foreign nations in building capacity to combat IUU fishing and seafood fraud.

The United States continues to rely on its trade advisory committee system as an integral part of its efforts to ensure that U.S. trade policy and trade negotiating objectives adequately reflect U.S. public and private sector interests. The trade advisory committee system consists of 28 advisory committees, with a total membership of over 500 advisors. It includes committees representing sectors of industry, small business, and agriculture; labor, environment, consumer, and health organizations; as well as state and local interests. The system is arranged in three tiers: the President's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN); five policy advisory committees dealing with environment, labor, agriculture, Africa, and state and local issues; and 22 technical advisory committees in the areas of industry and agriculture.

The United States has a long history of involving the private sector in trade policy advice. In 1974, a USTR-led trade advisory committee system was created, to enable public- and private sector input in the formulation and implementation of U.S. trade policies. There are currently 28 trade advisory committees covering, inter alia, agricultural, intergovernmental, labour, environmental, and U.S.-Africa issues. There is also a system of committees on industry trade, which includes 16 industry trade advisory committees (ITACs)--thirteen industrial sectors, three functional on intellectual property, customs matters, and standards and technical barriers; and an ITAC Committee of Chairs (Table 2.1).

Table 2.1 Overview of the Trade Advisory Committee System
Policy advisory committees
Type and Name: Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee (TEPAC)
Maximum or approximate number of membersa: 35
Appointments by: USTR
Subject: Trade and environmental policy issues

Pursuant to a number of laws or regulations, CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) collects a number of agricultural fees on behalf of the Department of Agriculture (Table 3.4). The main agriculture fees, the Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection (AQI) fees vary according to the type of carrier, and are instituted to protect U.S. agriculture and the environment against the risks of invasive diseases and pests. The other fees concern services and lab fees for veterinary imports, and assessments on a number of products for research and promotion activities. These fees remain unchanged since the last review.