Receipt of Petition To Reconcile Inconsistent Customs and Border Protection Decisions Concerning the Tariff Classification of CN-9 Solution

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice of receipt of petition to reconcile inconsistent Customs and Border Protection classification decisions; solicitation of comments.

SUMMARY:

Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) has received a petition, dated June 6, 2010, submitted by an importer (“petitioner”) under 19 CFR 177.13, requesting the reconciliation of inconsistent classification decisions under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (“HTSUS”) of a certain CN-9 solution that has been liquidated under subheading 2842.90.90, HTSUS, at the Port of Baltimore on June 3, 2010, and under subheading 3102.60.00, HTSUS, at the Port of Long Beach on October 13, 2009. The petitioner contends that the proper classification for the CN-9 Solution is in subheading 3102.60.00, HTSUS, as “Mineral or chemical fertilizers, nitrogenous: Double salts and mixtures of calcium nitrate and ammonium nitrate.” This document invites comments with regard to the correctness of each classification.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before August 24, 2011.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by docket number, by one of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov . Follow the instructions for submitting comments via docket number USCBP-2011-0025.
• Mail: Trade and Commercial Regulations Branch, Regulations and Rulings, Office of International Trade, Customs and Border Protection, 799 9th Street, NW., (Mint Annex), Washington, DC 20229-1179.

Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name and docket number for this petition to reconcile inconsistent decisions concerning the tariff classification of CN-9 Solution. All comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov,, including any personal information provided.

Docket: For access to the docket to read any comments received go to http://www.regulations.gov . Submitted comments may also be inspected during regular business days between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Trade and Commercial Regulations Branch, Regulations and Rulings, Office of International Trade, Customs and Border Protection, 799 9th Street, NW., 5th Floor, Washington, DC. Arrangements to inspect submitted comments should be made in advance by calling Joseph Clark, Trade and Commercial Regulations Branch, at (202) 325-0118. Please note that any submitted comments that CBP receives by mail will be posted on the above-referenced docket for the public's convenience.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Tamar Anolic, Tariff Classification and Marking Branch, Regulations and Rulings, Office of International Trade at (202) 325-0036.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

A petition has been filed under section 177.13, CBP regulations (19 CFR 177.13), on behalf of Yara North America, Inc. (“Yara”). Yara is a subset of Yara International ASA, a global firm specializing in agricultural products and environmental protection agents. It is a supplier of mineral fertilizers. As an importer of these products, Yara has received inconsistent classification decisions on its merchandise at different ports. As such, Yara meets the requirements as an interested party set forth in 19 CFR 177.13(a)(2) and 19 U.S.C. 1514(c) and meets the requirements regarding the types of decisions subject to petition set forth in 19 CFR 177.13(a)(1) and 19 U.S.C. 1514(a). Furthermore, having filed this petition within 90 days of the latest decision it received from a port, Yara meets the timeliness requirements of 19 CFR 177.13(a)(3). Lastly, Yara also meets the requirements of 19 CFR 177.13(b)(2), and specifically 19 CFR 177.13(b)(2)(i) in that their petition contains a complete description of the inconsistent decisions of which they complain. Their petition includes enough information to demonstrate the inconsistency of the decisions at the Ports. Furthermore, the company has submitted a sample that has been tested at Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) laboratories. Yara is requesting that CBP classify the imported merchandise in subheading 3102.60.00, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS).

This transaction in particular concerns Yara's importation of CN-9 Solution, a hydrated ammonium calcium nitrate double salt that is primarily used as a fertilizer but is also used for waste water treatment. Yara entered the subject merchandise at the Port of Long Beach between January 24, 2009 and September 8, 2009, and the Port of Baltimore on April 20, 2010, under subheading 3102.60.00, HTSUS, as “Mineral or chemical fertilizers, nitrogenous: Double salts and mixtures of calcium nitrate and ammonium nitrate.” Citing Legal Note 2(a)(v) to Chapter 31, HTSUS, the Port of Long Beach liquidated the subject merchandise as entered.

Citing Legal Note 5 to Chapter 28, HTSUS, the Port of Baltimore liquidated the subject merchandise under subheading 2842.90.90, HTSUS, as “Other salts of inorganic acids or peroxoacids (including aluminosilicates whether or not chemically defined), other than azides: Other: Other.”

Comments

Pursuant to section 177.13(c), CBP regulations (19 CFR 177.13(c)), before making a determination on this matter, CBP invites written comments on this petition to resolve inconsistent CBP decisions.

The comments received in response to this notice, will be available for public inspection on the docket at http://www.regulations.gov . Please note that any submitted comments that CBP receives by mail will be posted on the above-referenced docket for the public's convenience.

Authority: This notice is published in accordance with section 177.13(c), CBP Regulations (19 CFR 177.13(c)).