[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 90 (Wednesday, May 11, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-11410]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 11, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of Export Administration

 

Public Hearings on Section 232 National Security Investigation of 
Imports of Crude Oil and Petroleum Products

AGENCY: Bureau of Export Administration, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public hearings.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Export Administration (BXA) is holding public 
hearings on the investigation that the Department of Commerce 
initiated, on April 5, 1994, to determine the effects on the national 
security of imports of crude oil and refined petroleum products under 
section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended. This notice 
identifies the issues on which the Department is interested in 
obtaining the public's views. It also sets forth the procedures for 
public participation in the hearings.

DATES: The hearings will be held in New York, New York, on Monday, June 
6, 1994; in Dallas, Texas, on Monday, June 13, 1994; and in Santa 
Clara, California, on Thursday, June 16, 1994. Requests to speak are 
due by Monday, May 23, 1994. The hearing in New York will be held in 
the Ceremonial Courtroom of the U.S. Court of International Trade, One 
Federal Plaza. The hearing in Dallas will be held at the Joe C. 
Thompson Amphitheatre, Cityplace Center East, 2711 N. Haskill. The 
hearing in Santa Clara will be held at the City of Santa Clara Council 
Chambers, 1500 Wurburton Avenue.

ADDRESSES: Send requests to speak and written copies of the oral 
presentation to Steven C. Goldman, Deputy Director, Office of 
Industrial Resource Administration, room 3878, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 
20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bernard Kritzer, Senior Industry 
Analyst, Office of Foreign Availability, Telephone: (202) 482-0074.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background and Specific Comments Requested

    On March 11, 1994, the Independent Petroleum Association of America 
petitioned the Department of Commerce to initiate an investigation 
under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (19 
U.S.C. 1862), to determine the effects on the national security of 
imports of crude oil and petroleum products.
    On April 5, 1994, the Department of Commerce formally accepted the 
petition and initiated an investigation. The findings and 
recommendations of the investigation are to be reported by the 
Secretary of Commerce to the President no later than December 31, 1994 
(i.e., within 270 days). For further details on this investigation, see 
the Federal Register of April 12, 1994 (59 FR 17335).
    Consistent with the interest of the U.S. Department of Commerce in 
soliciting public comments on issues affecting U.S. industry and 
national security, the Bureau of Export Administration (BXA) is holding 
public hearings as part of the investigation. The presentations at the 
hearings will assist the Department in determining whether imports of 
crude oil and petroleum products constitute a threat to the national 
security and in formulating remedies if such a threat is found to 
exist.
    The Department is particularly interested in comments and 
information directed to the criteria listed in Sec. 705.4 of the 
National Security Industrial Base Regulations (15 CFR parts 700 to 709) 
(the ``regulations'') as they affect national security, including the 
following:
    (a) Quantity of the articles subject to the investigation and other 
circumstances related to the importation of such articles;
    (b) Domestic production and productive capacity needed for these 
articles to meet projected national defense requirements;
    (c) Existing and anticipated availability of human resources, 
products, raw materials, production equipment, facilities, and other 
supplies and services needed to produce these articles;
    (d) Growth requirements of domestic industries needed to meet 
national defense requirements and the supplies and services (including 
investment, exploration and development) necessary to assure such 
growth;
    (e) The impact of foreign competition on the economic welfare of 
the domestic industry;
    (f) The displacement of any domestic products causing substantial 
unemployment, decrease in the revenues of government, loss of 
investment or specialized skills and productive capacity, or other 
serious effects; and
    (g) Any other factors that are causing, or will cause, a weakening 
of our national economy.

II. Public Hearings and Comment Procedures

    The public hearings are scheduled to be held in New York, New York 
on Monday, June 6, 1994; in Dallas, Texas, on Monday, June 13, 1994; 
and in Santa Clara, California, on Thursday, June 16, 1994. The 
hearings will commence at 8:30 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. The New York 
hearing will be held in the ceremonial courtroom of the U.S. Court of 
International Trade, One Federal Plaza. The Dallas hearing will be held 
at the Joe C. Thompson Amphitheatre, Cityplace Center East, 2711 N. 
Haskill. The Santa Clara hearing will be held at the City of Santa 
Clara Council Chambers, 1500 Wurburton Avenue.

A. Procedure for Requesting Participation

    The Department encourages interested public participants to present 
their views orally at the hearings. Any person wishing to make an oral 
presentation at the hearings must submit a written request to the 
Department of Commerce at the address indicated in the ADDRESS section 
of this notice. The request to participate in the hearings must be 
accompanied by 10 copies of a summary of the oral presentation. The 
written request and summary must be received by the Department no later 
than Monday, May 23, 1994. In addition, the request to speak should 
contain a daytime phone number where the person who will be making the 
oral presentation may be contacted before the hearing. Please note that 
the submission of comments for presentation at the public hearings is 
separate from the request for written comments contained in the April 
12, 1994, Federal Register notice.
    Since it may be necessary to limit the number of persons making 
presentations, the written request to participate in the public 
hearings should describe the individual's interest in the hearings and, 
where appropriate, explain why the individual is a proper 
representative of a group or class of persons that has such an 
interest. If all interested parties cannot be accommodated at the 
hearings, the summaries of the oral presentations will be used to 
allocate speaking time and to ensure that a full range of comments are 
heard.
    Each person selected to make a presentation will be notified by the 
Department of Commerce no later than 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 26, 1994. 
The Department will arrange the presentation times for the speakers. 
Attendees will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis. On the 
day of the hearing, persons selected to be heard should bring 100 
copies of the summary of their oral presentation to the hearing address 
indicated in the DATES section of this notice.
    Copies of the requests to participate in the public hearings and 
the summaries of the oral presentations will be maintained at the 
Bureau of Export Administration's Freedom of Information Records 
Inspection Facility, room 4525, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th 
Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230, telephone 
(202) 482-5653. The records in this facility may be inspected and 
copied in accordance with the regulations published in part 4 of title 
15 of the Code of Federal Regulations (15 CFR 4.1 et seq.) Information 
about the inspection and copying of records at the facility may be 
obtained from Ms. Margaret Cornejo, the Bureau of Export 
Administration's Freedom of Information Officer, at the above address 
and telephone number, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., 
Monday through Friday.

B. Conduct of the Hearing

    The Department reserves the right to select the persons to be heard 
at the hearings, to schedule their respective presentations, and to 
establish the procedures governing the conduct of the hearing. Each 
speaker will be limited to 10 minutes, and comments must be directly 
related to the criteria listed in Sec. 705.4 of the ``regulations''.
    A Commerce official will be designated to preside at the hearings. 
Representatives from the Departments of Energy and Interior will also 
participate in the hearings. This will not be a judicial or 
evidentiary-type hearing. Only those conducting the hearing may ask 
questions, and there will be no cross-examination of persons presenting 
statements.
    Any further procedural rules for the proper conduct of the hearing 
will be announced by the presiding officer.

    Dated: May 6, 1994.
Sue E. Eckert,
Assistant Secretary for Export Administration.
[FR Doc. 94-11410 Filed 5-6-94; 3:08 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-DT-P