[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 185 (Tuesday, September 26, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66023-66024]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-20846]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

U.S. Customs and Border Protection


Accreditation and Approval of Bureau Veritas Commodities and 
Trade, Inc. (Houston, TX) as a Commercial Gauger and Laboratory

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

ACTION: Notice of accreditation and approval of Bureau Veritas 
Commodities and Trade, Inc. (Houston, TX), as a commercial gauger and 
laboratory.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given, pursuant to CBP regulations, that 
Bureau Veritas Commodities and Trade, Inc. (Houston, TX) has been 
approved to gauge petroleum and certain petroleum products and 
accredited to test petroleum and certain petroleum products for customs 
purposes for the next four years as of July 28, 2021.

DATES: Bureau Veritas Commodities and Trade, Inc. (Houston, TX) was 
approved and accredited as a commercial gauger and laboratory as of 
July 28, 2021. The next inspection date will be scheduled for July 
2025.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mrs. Allison Blair, Laboratories and 
Scientific Services, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 4150 Interwood 
South Parkway, Houston, TX 77032, tel. 281-560-2900.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is hereby given pursuant to 19 CFR 
151.12 and 19 CFR 151.13, that Bureau Veritas Commodities and Trade, 
Inc., 16025-C Jacintoport Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77015, has been 
approved to gauge petroleum and certain petroleum products and 
accredited to test petroleum and certain petroleum products for customs 
purposes, in accordance with the provisions of 19 CFR 151.12 and 19 CFR 
151.13 as of July 28, 2021.\1\
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    \1\ As a result of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, 
Laboratories and Scientific Services implemented a one-time 
quadrennial timeframe for reoccurring audits originally scheduled to 
take place in 2020, 2021, and 2022. This postponed the scheduled 
deadline for audits and the payment of reaccreditation or reapproval 
fees by one year, after which audits will return to a triennial 
schedule. See 19 U.S.C. 1499; Presidential Proclamation 9994, 85 FR 
15337 (March 13, 2020); Executive Order 13924, 85 FR 31353 (May 19, 
2020); and U.S. Customs & Border Protection, COVID-19 Laboratory and 
Gauger Postponement Letter (May 26, 2021), https://www.cbp.gov/document/guidance/covid-19-gauger-postponement-letter.

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[[Page 66024]]

    Bureau Veritas Commodities and Trade, Inc. (Houston, TX) is 
approved for the following gauging procedures for petroleum and certain 
petroleum products from the American Petroleum Institute (API):

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               API  chapters                            Title
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3.........................................  Tank Gauging.
7.........................................  Temperature Determination.
8.........................................  Sampling.
12........................................  Calculations.
17........................................  Marine Measurement.
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    Bureau Veritas Commodities and Trade, Inc. (Houston, TX) is 
accredited for the following laboratory analysis procedures and methods 
for petroleum and certain petroleum products set forth by the U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection Laboratory Methods (CBPL) and American 
Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM):

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        CBPL No.              ASTM                    Title
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27-01..................  D287           Standard Test Method for API
                                         Gravity of Crude Petroleum and
                                         Petroleum Products (Hydrometer
                                         Method).
27-03..................  D4006          Standard Test Method for Water
                                         in Crude Oil by Distillation.
27-04..................  D95            Standard Test Method for Water
                                         in Petroleum Products and
                                         Bituminous Materials by
                                         Distillation.
27-06..................  D473           Standard Test Method for
                                         Sediment in Crude Oils and Fuel
                                         Oils by the Extraction Method.
27-11..................  D445           Standard Test Method for
                                         Kinematic Viscosity of
                                         Transparent and Opaque Liquids
                                         (and Calculation of Dynamic
                                         Viscosity).
27-13..................  D4294          Standard Test Method for Sulfur
                                         in Petroleum and Petroleum
                                         Products by Energy Dispersive X-
                                         ray Fluorescence Spectrometry.
27-48..................  D4052          Standard Test Method for Density
                                         and Relative Density of Liquids
                                         by Digital Density Meter.
27-50..................  D93            Standard Test Methods for Flash-
                                         Point by Pensky-Martens Closed
                                         Cup Tester.
27-54..................  D1796          Standard Test Method for Water
                                         and Sediment in Fuel Oils by
                                         the Centrifuge Method
                                         (Laboratory Procedure).
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    Anyone wishing to employ this entity to conduct laboratory analyses 
and gauger services should request and receive written assurances from 
the entity that it is accredited or approved by the U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection to conduct the specific test or gauger service 
requested. Alternatively, inquiries regarding the specific test or 
gauger service this entity is accredited or approved to perform may be 
directed to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection by calling (281) 
560-2900. The inquiry may also be sent to [email protected]. 
Please reference the website listed below for a complete listing of CBP 
approved gaugers and accredited laboratories. http://www.cbp.gov/about/labs-scientific/commercial-gaugers-and-laboratories

James D. Sweet,
Laboratory Director, Houston, Laboratories and Scientific Services.
[FR Doc. 2023-20846 Filed 9-25-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-14-P