Submitting Imports of Second Group of Products Excluded from Section 301 Duties

On March 25, 2019, the U.S. Trade Representative published a Federal Register Notice announcing the decision to grant the second group of certain exclusion requests from the 25 percent duty assessed under the Section 301 investigation related to goods from China (Tranche 1). The product exclusions announced in this notice will be retroactive as of the July 6, 2018 effective date (see 83 FR 28710). The exclusions will extend for one year after the March 25, 2019 Federal Register notice.

The exclusions are available for any product that meets the description in the Annex to the Federal Register notice, regardless of whether the importer filed an exclusion request. Further, the scope of each exclusion is governed by the scope of the 10-digit headings and product descriptions in the Annex, and not by the product descriptions set out in any particular request for exclusion. The functionality for the acceptance of the second group of products excluded from Section 301 duties will be available in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) on March 22, 2019.

NOTE, this announcement relates to a Second Groups of Products Excluded from LIST 1 of the 301 tariffs. It does not related to requests for exclusion from List 2. No determinations have been issued regarding List 2.

A Look Inside the American Woolen Company Mill

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NCTO Elects North Carolina Manufacturing CEO as 2019 Chairman

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) held its 16th Annual Meeting March 19-21 in Washington, DC. Elected as NCTO officers for 2019 are:

Chairman – Leib Oehmig, CEO of Glen Raven, Inc. Mr. Oehmig is CEO of Glen Raven, Inc., based in Glen Raven, North Carolina. Glen Raven is an innovative leader in textile research and development, dying, spinning, weaving and finishing, and distribution and logistics.

Vice Chairman – David Roberts, CEO of CAP Yarns, Inc. Mr. Roberts is CEO of CAP Yarns, Inc., based in Clover, South Carolina. CAP Yarns is a specialty yarn manufacturer and a leader in developing unique yarns for the knitting and weaving industry.

NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers.

• U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 594,147 in 2018.
• The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $76.8 billion in 2018.
• U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $30.1 billion in 2018.
• Capital expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2.0 billion in 2017, the last year for which data is available.

Patrick Gruber to Receive AATCC Millson Award

The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists has named Patrick R. Gruber as the recipient of the Henry E. Millson Award for Invention for developing a green chemistry-based continuous process for producing polylactic acid fibers known as PLA. The Millson Award recognizes inventions that are outstanding contributions to textile technology.

Gruber is CEO and board member at Gevo Inc., specializing in converting carbohydrates into low carbon chemicals and fuels, lessening reliance on petrochemical sources.

Gruber began his career at Cargill Inc. in 1988 as technology manager in search of new business opportunities involving renewable resource-based products as raw materials. He served as Technical Director of Cargill's BioScience division from 1998 to 1999. In 1997, Gruber co-founded NatureWorks, LLC (formerly Cargill Dow, LLC), and served as Vice President of Technology and Operations and Chief Technology Officer until 2005.

Chemical giants had spent decades trying to find a renewable and environmentally safe raw material to make into plastic. Until Gruber’s discovery in 1989, no one had discovered out how to make PLA from plant starches with the right properties and inexpensively enough for large scale production.

A new fermentation and distillation process enabled cheaper purification, better optical composition control, and significant yield increases over existing practice. The patented process enabled a single plant, using a flexible manufacturing system, to produce different PLA grades for multiple markets at low cost while adhering to environmentally sound practices.

Gruber has received numerous awards including: The George Washington Carver Award from BIO, The Presidential Green Chemistry Award, The Discover Award for Environmental Innovation from Discover Magazine, The Lee W. Rivers Innovation Award from CDMA, an Outstanding Achievement Award from the University of Minnesota in 2011, and numerous others. Gruber is the editor the two volume book “Biorefineries—Industrial Processes and Products,” eight papers and book chapters, and holds more than 60 US patents, with a number of others pending.

Gruber received a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Minnesota. He also earned an M.S. in business administration from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

The Millson Award

AATCC named the Millson Award for Invention for Henry E. Millson, a noted inventor who was head of dyes research for American Cyanamid. Millson, the 1958 recipient of AATCC's Olney Medal for outstanding achievement in textile chemistry, endowed the award in 1979 with the stipulation that he never be considered a candidate. After agreeing to that condition, the Association promptly named the award in his honor.

Award Presentation

The Millson Award will be presented at AATCC's International Conference in Fort Worth, TX, USA, at the Sheraton Fort Worth Downtown Hotel, during the Award Luncheon on April 11, 2019 at noon.

For a complete list of previous award recipients, visit www.aatcc.org/abt/awards/millson/millson-award-recipients

About AATCC: AATCC is the world’s leading not-for-profit association serving textile professionals since 1921. AATCC, headquartered in Research Triangle Park, N.C., USA, provides test method development, quality control materials, and professional networking for members in about 50 countries throughout the world.

Army and Navy Uniform Contract Awarded

M&M Manufacturing LLC, Lajas, Puerto Rico, has been awarded a maximum $13,781,250 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Navy Working Uniform blouses and Army Combat Uniform coats. This was a competitive acquisition with six responses received. This is an 18-month base contract with three one-year option periods. Location of performance is Puerto Rico, with a March 19, 2021, estimated performance completion date. Using military services are Navy and Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-19-D-1145).

CPSC to Hold Hearing on Agenda and Priorities for FY 2020 and 2021

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (Commission) will conduct a public hearing to receive views from all interested parties about the Commission's agenda and priorities for fiscal year 2020, which begins on October 1, 2019, and for fiscal year 2021, which begins on October 1, 2020. We invite members of the public to participate. Written comments and oral presentations concerning the Commission's agenda and priorities for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 will become part of the public record.

The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. on May 1, 2019, and will conclude the same day. Requests to make oral presentations and the written text of any oral presentations must be received by the Division of the Secretariat not later than 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on April 17, 2019. The Commission will accept written comments as well. These also must be received by the Division of the Secretariat not later than 5 p.m. EDT on April 17, 2019.

Army Combat Uniform Contract Awarded

Golden Manufacturing Inc., Golden, Mississippi, has been awarded a maximum $18,234,851 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Army Combat Uniform coats and the Improved Hot Weather Combat Uniform. This was a competitive acquisition with nine responses received. This is a two-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Mississippi, with a Sept. 14, 2021, performance completion date. Using military services are Army and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-19-D-1138).