[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 175 (Friday, September 9, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62515-62516]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-21673]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

U.S. Customs and Border Protection


Conclusion of the National Customs Automation Program (NCAP) Test 
Concerning the Submission of Data Required by the Food Safety and 
Inspection Service (FSIS) in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE)

AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland 
Security.

ACTION: General notice.

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SUMMARY: This document announces the conclusion of the National Customs 
Automation Program (NCAP) test concerning the electronic transmission 
of certain import data required by the Food Safety and Inspection 
Service (FSIS) to the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) using the 
Partner Government Agency (PGA) Message Set. U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection (CBP) has determined that the NCAP test has been a success, 
as ACE has proven capable of receiving and processing the data required 
by FSIS, and sharing that data with FSIS. Accordingly, this NCAP test 
will be concluded on October 11, 2016. CBP has made ACE the sole CBP-
authorized electronic data interchange (EDI) system for most entry and 
entry summary filings, including entry and entry summary filings for 
meat, poultry and egg products regulated by FSIS. As a result, filers 
transmitting electronic import data required by FSIS with their 
electronic entry or entry summary must use ACE.

DATES: The NCAP test will conclude on October 11, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this notice and any aspect of this test 
may be submitted via email to Josephine Baiamonte, ACE Business Office 
(ABO), Office of Trade, at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For CBP-related questions, contact 
Jeffrey Nii, Director, Inter-Agency Collaboration Division, Office of 
Trade, at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The National Customs Automation Program (NCAP) was established by 
Subtitle B of Title VI--Customs Modernization, in the North American 
Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (Pub. L. 103-182, 107 Stat. 
2057, December 8, 1993) (Customs Modernization Act). See 19 U.S.C. 
1411. Through NCAP, the thrust of customs modernization was on trade 
compliance and the development of the Automated Commercial Environment 
(ACE), the planned successor to the legacy Automated Commercial System 
(ACS). ACE is an automated and electronic system for commercial trade 
processing. ACE will streamline business processes, facilitate growth 
in trade, ensure cargo security, and foster participation in global 
commerce, while ensuring compliance with U.S. laws and regulations and 
reducing costs for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and its 
communities of interest. The ability to meet these objectives depends 
upon successfully modernizing CBP's business functions and the 
information technology that supports those functions. CBP's 
modernization efforts are accomplished through phased releases of ACE 
component functionality, designed to introduce a new capability or to 
replace a specific legacy ACS function.
    On February 29, 2016, CBP published a notice in the Federal 
Register announcing its plan to begin a phased decommissioning of ACS 
for entry and entry summary filings, making ACE the sole CBP-authorized 
electronic data interchange (EDI) system for processing those 
electronic filings. See 81 FR 10264 (February 29, 2016). As part of 
this phased decommissioning, CBP announced that ACE would become the 
sole CBP-authorized EDI for processing certain electronic entries and 
entry summaries for merchandise subject to the import requirements of 
the Food and Drug Administration on June 15, 2016. See 81 FR 30320 (May 
16, 2016). On July 23, 2016, CBP completed this phased decommissioning, 
and ACE became the sole CBP-authorized EDI system for most entry and 
entry summary filings for all filers. See 81 FR 32339 (May 23, 2016). 
Entries and entry summaries for the entry types specified in the May 
23, 2016 notice, including entries and entry summaries accompanied by 
data required by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), must be 
filed in ACE. ACS is no longer available for these filings.

II. The Partner Government Agency Message Set Test for FSIS Data

    The Partner Government Agency (PGA) Message Set is the data 
required to satisfy a PGA's reporting requirements through ACE. It 
enables the trade community to submit trade-related data required by 
the PGA only once to CBP, thus improving communications between the 
agency and filers, and shortening entry processing time. Also, by 
virtue of being electronic, the PGA Message Set eliminates the 
necessity for the submission and subsequent manual processing of paper 
documents.
    Through the Customs Modernization Act and section 101.9 of title 19 
of the Code of Federal Regulations (19 CFR 101.9(b)), the Commissioner 
of CBP has authority to conduct limited test programs or procedures 
designed to evaluate planned components of the NCAP. See Treasury 
Decision (T.D.) 95-21.
    On December 13, 2013, CBP published a notice in the Federal 
Register announcing CBP's plan to conduct an NCAP test concerning the 
electronic transmission of the PGA Message Set data elements required 
by FSIS for the importation of certain meat, poultry, and egg products 
to CBP through ACE. See 78 FR 75931 (December 13, 2013). Under this 
test, the PGA Message Set satisfied the FSIS data requirements for 
electronic entries filed in ACE and enabled the trade community to use 
the CBP-managed

[[Page 62516]]

``single window'' for the submission of data required by FSIS.

IV. Conclusion of the Successful PGA Message Set Test for FSIS Data

    This notice announces that CBP has determined that ACE is fully 
capable of accepting electronic entries transmitted to ACE with the PGA 
Message Set data required for FSIS-regulated meat, poultry, and egg 
products. The electronic transmission of this data to ACE expedites 
delivery of this data to FSIS, thereby providing the data to FSIS 
before the products arrive for inspection. This allows FSIS to more 
effectively track and control shipments and improve compliance. Having 
found this test to be successful, CBP hereby concludes the test, 
effective October 11, 2016.

    Dated: September 1, 2016.
Brenda B. Smith,
Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Trade.
[FR Doc. 2016-21673 Filed 9-8-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-14-P