In a Federal Register notice published on December 13, 2013, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the opening of the National Customs Automation Program (NCAP) test pilot concerning the submission of data elements required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to CBP via the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Partner Government Agency (PGA) Message Set. The two-year pilot will commence on January 13, 2014.
According to the release, the pilot is aimed to “enhance the interaction between international trade partners, CBP, and PGAs by facilitating electronic collection, processing, sharing, and review of trade data and documents required by Federal agencies during the cargo import and export process.The initiatives will significantly increase efficiency and reduce costs over the manual, paper-based interactions that have been in place.”
The PGA message Set will eliminate the manual paper process for following:
- EPA Form3520-1 (Required for engine imports for on-road vehicles)
- EPA Form 3520-21 (Required for engine imports for non-road vehicles)
- FSIS Form 9540-1 (Required for meat, poultry, and egg imports)
- Data submissions related to Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS)
The Federal Register notice, along with instructions for participants, can be viewed here
