The Department of Energy’s Request for Information seeks input for the 2026 Energy Critical Materials Assessment (CMA), which will identify materials critical for energy based on two primary factors: importance to energy and...more
The IEA’s 2025 Global Critical Minerals Outlook reveals a market at a crossroads: While demand for energy transition and other minerals continues to surge, investment and supply diversification are not keeping pace....more
6/23/2025
/ China ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Energy Sector ,
Export Controls ,
G7 ,
International Energy Agency (IEA) ,
Investment ,
Minerals ,
National Security ,
Popular ,
Supply Chain
On March 20, 2025, the Trump administration invoked emergency powers in an Executive Order (EO) entitled Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production, aiming to accelerate domestic mineral mining and processing....more
3/27/2025
/ Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of the Interior ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Funding ,
Investment ,
Mineral Extraction ,
Minerals ,
Mining ,
National Security ,
Permits ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Supply Chain ,
Trump Administration
Critical minerals are the backbone of modern technologies and national security, powering everything from advanced semiconductors and electric vehicle batteries to missile guidance systems and renewable energy infrastructure....more
3/14/2025
/ China ,
Clean Energy ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
International Trade ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mineral Extraction ,
National Security ,
Renewable Energy ,
Semiconductors ,
Supply Chain ,
Trump Administration
On February 21, 2025, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced a proposal to: (i) require that exporters of U.S. goods use U.S.-flagged and U.S.-built vessels for an increasing percentage of their exports;...more
3/11/2025
/ China ,
Competition ,
Export Controls ,
International Trade ,
Maritime Transport ,
Section 301 ,
Shipbuilding ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
USTR ,
Vessels
On February 10, 2025, President Trump issued two Presidential Proclamations reimposing and expanding tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the United States pursuant to Section 232 of the Trade Adjustment Act of...more
2/14/2025
/ China ,
Imports ,
International Trade ,
National Security ,
Section 232 ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Policy ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
US Trade Policies
On January 13, 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a withhold-release order (WRO) on all cotton and tomato products from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) based on information that reasonably...more
On December 2, 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued an import detention or Withhold Release Order (WRO) against cotton produced by Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) based on information that...more
On July 1, 2020, the United-States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) entered into force, replacing the 26-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The U.S. government has taken several steps toward implementation...more
On April 7, 2020, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released for public inspection a temporary rule that prohibits the export of five types of personal protective equipment (PPE) without explicit approval by...more
Criminal investigations will target businesses profiting from the importation into the United States of goods made using forced labor.
The new criminal enforcement initiative seeks to leverage data about corporate supply...more
8/6/2019
/ Compliance ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Customer Due Diligence (CDD) ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Forced Labor ,
Imports ,
NGOs ,
Strategic Enforcement Plan ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariff Act of 1930 ,
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000
Third-party petitions seeking to ban the importation of goods made with forced labor may affect global supply chains.
Petitions are being filed with U.S. Custom and Border Protection seeking to ban the importation into the...more
7/26/2019
/ CAATSA ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Liability ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Due Diligence ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Forced Labor ,
Human Trafficking ,
Imports ,
Modern Slavery Act ,
North Korea ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Risk Management ,
Supply Chain ,
Third-Party ,
Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act
On February 4, 2019, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) issued a withhold release order (“WRO”) against tuna and tuna products from the Tunango No. 61, a Taiwanese vessel, based on information obtained by CBP that...more
On November 22, 2017, Apple, Inc. (“Apple”) released a statement confirming reports that its major supplier in China, Foxconn Technology Group (“Foxconn”) has used illegal student labor to assemble the latest version of the...more
12/5/2017
/ Apple ,
China ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Forced Labor ,
Imports ,
iPhone ,
Manufacturers ,
North Korea ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariff Act of 1930 ,
Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act