[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 58 (Monday, March 26, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16496-16497]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-7440]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. TA-204-6]


Certain Steel Wire Rod: Monitoring Developments in the Domestic 
Industry

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Institution and scheduling of an investigation under section 
204(a) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. Sec. 2254(a)) (the Act).

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SUMMARY: The Commission instituted the investigation for the purpose of 
preparing the report to the President and the Congress required by 
section 204(a)(2) of the Trade Act of 1974 on the results of its 
monitoring of developments with respect to the domestic certain steel 
wire rod industry since the President imposed a tariff-rate quota on 
imports of certain steel wire rod \1\ effective March 1, 2000.
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    \1\ The imported article covered by this investigation is 
defined as hot-rolled bars and rods, in irregularly wound coils, of 
circular or approximately circular solid cross section, having a 
diameter of 5 mm or more but less than 19 mm, of non-alloy or alloy 
steel, except such bars and rods of free-machining steel or of alloy 
steel containing by weight 24 percent or more of nickel. Free-
machining steel is any steel product containing by weight one or 
more of the following elements, in the specified proportions: 0.03 
percent or more of lead, 0.05 percent or more of bismuth, 0.08 
percent or more of sulfur, more than 0.04 percent of phosphorus, 
more than 0.05 percent of selenium, and/or more than 0.01 percent of 
tellurium. Certain steel wire rod is provided for in subheadings 
7213.91, 7213.99, 7227.20, and 7227.90.60 of the Harmonized Schedule 
of the United States (HTS). The scope of this investigation does not 
cover concrete reinforcing bars and rods, or bars and rods of 
stainless steel or tool steel, which are provided for in other HTS 
subheadings. Also excluded from the scope of the investigation are 
wire rod of tire cord quality, valve spring quality, class III pipe 
wrap quality, aircraft cold heading quality, aluminum cable steel 
reinforced (``ACSR'') quality, piano wire string quality, grade 1085 
annealed bearing quality, and grade 1080 tire bead wire quality. 
These products are described in detail in the annex to Presidential 
Proclamation 7273 (65 FR 8624, February 18, 2000).
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    For further information concerning the conduct of this 
investigation, hearing procedures, and rules of general application, 
consult the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure, part 201, 
subparts A through E (19 CFR part 201), and part 206, subparts A and F 
(19 CFR part 206).

EFFECTIVE DATE: March 16, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Debra Baker (202-205-3180), Office of 
Investigations, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, 
Washington, DC 20436. Hearing-impaired persons can obtain information 
on this matter by contacting the Commission's TDD terminal on 202-205-
1810. Persons with mobility impairments who will need special 
assistance in gaining access to the Commission should contact the 
Office of the Secretary at 202-205-2000. General information concerning 
the Commission may also be obtained by accessing its internet server 
(http://www.usitc.gov). The public record for this investigation may be 
viewed on the Commission's electronic docket (EDIS-ON-LINE) at http://dockets.usitc.gov/eol/public.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Following receipt of a report from the Commission in July 1999 
under section 202 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. Sec. 2252) 
containing an equally divided determination on the question of whether 
certain steel wire rod was being imported into the United States in 
such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of serious 
injury or the threat of serious injury to the domestic wire rod 
industry, and containing remedy recommendations, the President, on 
February 16, 2000, pursuant to section 203 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 
U.S.C. Sec. 2253), issued Proclamation 7273, announcing that he 
considered the determination of the Commissioners voting in the 
affirmative to be the determination of the Commission, and imposing 
import relief in the form of a tariff-rate quota on imports of certain 
steel wire rod for a period of 3 years and 1 day, effective March 1, 
2000. Section 204(a)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 
Sec. 2254(a)(1)) requires that the Commission, so long as any action 
under section 203 of the Trade Act remains in effect, monitor 
developments with respect to the domestic industry, including the 
progress and specific efforts made by workers and firms in the domestic 
industry to make a positive adjustment to import competition. Section 
204(a)(2) requires, whenever the initial period of an action under 
section 203 of the Trade Act exceeds 3 years, that the Commission 
submit a report on the results of the monitoring under section 
204(a)(1) to the President and the Congress not later than the mid-
point of the initial period of the relief, or by August 30, 2001, in 
this case. Section 204(a)(3) requires that the Commission hold a 
hearing in the course of preparing each such report.

Participation in the Investigation and Service List

    Persons wishing to participate in the investigation as parties must 
file an entry of appearance with the Secretary to the Commission, as 
provided in section 201.11 of the Commission's rules, not later than 14 
days after publication of this notice in the Federal Register. The 
Secretary will prepare a service list containing the names and 
addresses of all persons, or their representatives, who are parties to 
this investigation upon the expiration of the period for filing entries 
of appearance.

Public Hearing

    As required by statute, the Commission has scheduled a hearing in 
connection with this investigation. The hearing will be held beginning 
at 9:30 a.m. on July 11, 2001, at the U.S. International Trade 
Commission Building, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC. Requests to 
appear at the hearing should be filed in writing with the Secretary to 
the Commission on or before July 2, 2001. All persons desiring to 
appear at the hearing and make oral presentations should attend a 
prehearing conference to be held at 9:30 a.m. on July 6, 2001, at the 
U.S. International Trade Commission Building. Oral testimony and 
written materials to be submitted at the hearing are governed by 
sections 201.6(b)(2) and 201.13(f) of the Commission's rules. Parties 
must submit any request to present a portion of their hearing testimony 
in camera no later than 7 days prior to the date of the hearing.

[[Page 16497]]

Written Submissions

    Each party is encouraged to submit a prehearing brief to the 
Commission. The deadline for filing prehearing briefs is July 3, 2001. 
Parties may also file posthearing briefs. The deadline for filing 
posthearing briefs is July 18, 2001. In addition, any person who has 
not entered an appearance as a party to the investigation may submit, 
on or before July 18, 2001, a written statement concerning the matters 
to be addressed in the Commission's report to the President. All 
written submissions must conform with the provisions of section 201.8 
of the Commission's rules; any submissions that contain confidential 
business information must also conform with the requirements of section 
201.6 of the Commission's rules. The Commission's rules do not 
authorize filing of submissions with the Secretary by facsimile or 
electronic means.
    In accordance with section 201.16(c) of the Commission's rules, 
each document filed by a party to the investigation must be served on 
all other parties to the investigation (as identified by the service 
list), and a certificate of service must be timely filed. The Secretary 
will not accept a document for filing without a certificate of service.

    Authority: This investigation is being conducted under the 
authority of section 204(a) of the Trade Act of 1974; this notice is 
published pursuant to section 206.3 of the Commission's rules.

    By order of the Commission.

    Issued: March 20, 2001.
Donna R. Koehnke,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-7440 Filed 3-23-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P