[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 23, 2000)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 9193-9196]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-4428]



[[Page 9191]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Part VIII





The President





-----------------------------------------------------------------------



Proclamation 7274--To Facilitate Positive Adjustment to Competition 
From Imports of Certain Circular Welded Carbon Quality Line Pipe



Memorandum of February 18, 2000--Action Under Section 203 of the Trade 
Act of 1974 Concerning Line Pipe
 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 36 / Wednesday, February 23, 2000 / 
Presidential Documents  

 ___________________________________________________________________

 Title 3--

[[Page 9193]]

                Proclamation 7274 of February 18, 2000

                
To Facilitate Positive Adjustment to Competition 
                From Imports of Certain Circular Welded Carbon Quality 
                Line Pipe

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                    1. On December 22, 1999, the United States 
                International Trade Commission (USITC) transmitted to 
                the President an affirmative determination in its 
                investigation under section 202 of the Trade Act of 
                1974, as amended (the ``Trade Act'') (19 U.S.C. 2252), 
                with respect to imports of certain circular welded 
                carbon quality line pipe (line pipe) provided for in 
                subheadings 7306.10.10 and 7306.10.50 of the Harmonized 
                Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS). The USITC 
                determined that line pipe is being imported in such 
                increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of 
                serious injury or the threat of serious injury to the 
                domestic industry producing a like or directly 
                competitive article.
                    2. Pursuant to section 311(a) of the North American 
                Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the ``NAFTA 
                Implementation Act'') (19 U.S.C. 3371(a)), the USITC 
                made negative findings with respect to imports of line 
                pipe from Mexico and Canada. The USITC also transmitted 
                to the President its recommendations made pursuant to 
                section 202(e) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2252(e)) 
                with respect to the action that would address the 
                serious injury or threat thereof to the domestic 
                industry and be most effective in facilitating the 
                efforts of the domestic industry to make a positive 
                adjustment to import competition.
                    3. Pursuant to section 203 of the Trade Act (19 
                U.S.C. 2253), and after taking into account the 
                considerations specified in section 203(a)(2) of the 
                Trade Act, I have determined to implement action of a 
                type described in section 203(a)(3). Pursuant to 
                section 312(a) of the NAFTA Implementation Act (19 
                U.S.C. 3372(a)), I have determined that imports of line 
                pipe from Mexico, considered individually, do not 
                contribute importantly to the serious injury, or threat 
                of serious injury, found by the USITC, and that imports 
                from Canada, considered individually, do not contribute 
                importantly to such injury or threat. Accordingly, 
                pursuant to section 312(b) of the NAFTA Implementation 
                Act (19 U.S.C. 3372(b)), I have excluded line pipe the 
                product of Mexico or Canada from the action I am taking 
                under section 203 of the Trade Act.
                    4. Such action shall take the form of an increase 
                in duty on imports of certain line pipe provided for in 
                HTS subheadings 7306.10.10 and 7306.10.50, imposed for 
                a period of 3 years plus 1 day, with the first 9,000 
                short tons of imports that are the product of each 
                supplying country excluded from the increased duty 
                during each year that this action is in effect, and 
                with annual reductions in the rate of duty in the 
                second and third years, as provided for in the Annex to 
                this proclamation.
                    5. Except for products of Mexico and Canada, which 
                shall be excluded from this action, the increase in 
                duty shall apply to imports of line pipe from all 
                countries. Pursuant to section 203(a)(1)(A) of the 
                Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2253(a)(1)(A)), I have further 
                determined that this action will facilitate efforts by 
                the domestic industry to make a positive adjustment to 
                import competition and provide greater economic and 
                social benefits than costs.

[[Page 9194]]

                    6. Section 604 of the Trade Act, as amended (19 
                U.S.C. 2483), authorizes the President to embody in the 
                HTS the substance of the relevant provisions of that 
                Act, and of other acts affecting import treatment, and 
                actions thereunder, including the removal, 
                modification, continuance, or imposition of any rate of 
                duty or other import restriction.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, acting under the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States of America, including but not limited to 
                sections 203 and 604 of the Trade Act, do proclaim 
                that:

                    (1) In order to establish an increase in duty on 
                imports of certain line pipe classified in HTS 
                subheadings 7306.10.10 and 7306.10.50, subchapter III 
                of chapter 99 of the HTS is modified as provided in the 
                Annex to this proclamation.
                    (2) Such imported line pipe that is the product of 
                Mexico or of Canada shall not be subject to the 
                increase in duty established by this proclamation.
                    (3) I hereby suspend, pursuant to section 503(c)(1) 
                of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2463(c)(1)), duty-free 
                treatment for line pipe the product of beneficiary 
                countries under the Generalized System of Preferences 
                (GSP) (Title V of the Trade Act, as amended (19 U.S.C. 
                2461-2467)); pursuant to section 213(e)(1) of the 
                Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, as amended 
                (CBERA) (19 U.S.C. 2703(e)(1)), duty-free treatment for 
                line pipe the product of beneficiary countries under 
                that Act (19 U.S.C. 2701-2707); pursuant to section 
                204(d)(1) of the Andean Trade Preference Act, as 
                amended (ATPA) (19 U.S.C. 3203(d)(1)), duty-free 
                treatment for line pipe the product of beneficiary 
                countries under that Act (19 U.S.C. 3201-3206); and 
                pursuant to section 403(a) of the Trade and Tariff Act 
                of 1984 (19 U.S.C. 2112 note), duty-free treatment for 
                line pipe the product of Israel under the United 
                States-Israel Free Trade Area Implementation Act of 
                1985 (the ``IFTA Act'') (19 U.S.C. 2112 note), to the 
                extent necessary to apply the increase in duty to those 
                products, as specified in the Annex to this 
                proclamation.
                    (4) Effective at the close of March 1, 2003, or at 
                the close of the date that may earlier be proclaimed by 
                the President as the termination of the import relief 
                set forth in the Annex to this proclamation, the 
                suspension of duty-free treatment under the GSP, the 
                CBERA, the ATPA, and the IFTA Act shall terminate, 
                unless otherwise provided in such later proclamation, 
                and qualifying goods the product of beneficiary 
                countries or of Israel entered under such programs 
                shall again be eligible for duty-free treatment.
                    (5) Effective at the close of March 1, 2004, or 
                such other date that is 1 year from the close of this 
                relief, the U.S. note and tariff provisions established 
                in the Annex to this proclamation shall be deleted from 
                the HTS.
                    (6) Any provisions of previous proclamations and 
                Executive orders that are inconsistent with the actions 
                taken in this proclamation are superseded to the extent 
                of such inconsistency.
                    (7) The modifications to the HTS made by this 
                proclamation, including the Annex hereto, shall be 
                effective with respect to goods entered, or withdrawn 
                from warehouse for consumption, on or after March 1, 
                2000, and shall continue in effect as provided in the 
                Annex to this proclamation, unless such actions are 
                earlier expressly modified or terminated.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                eighteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand, and of the Independence of the United States 
                of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

Billing code 3195-01-P

[[Page 9195]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TD23FE00.086


[[Page 9196]]


[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TD23FE00.087


[FR Doc. 00-4428
Filed 2-22-00 10:50 am]
Billing code 3190-01-C