[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 14, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2159-2160]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-810]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-449]


Market Conditions for Certain Wool Articles in 2002-04

AGENCY: International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Notice of second report, scheduling of public hearing, and 
request for public comments.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: December 19, 2003.
SUMMARY: The Commission has announced the schedule for its second (and 
final) report on investigation No. 332-449, U.S. Market Conditions for 
Certain Wool Articles in 2002-04, instituted under section 332(g) of 
the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1332(g)) on January 24, 2003, at the 
request of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, contact 
Jackie W. Jones (202-205-3466; [email protected]) of the Office of 
Industries; for information on legal aspects, contact William Gearhart 
(202-205-3091; [email protected]) of the Office of the General 
Counsel. The media should contact Margaret O'Laughlin, Public Affairs 
Officer (202-205-1819). Hearing impaired individuals may 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 about 
the Commission may 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) at http://edis.usitc.gov.
    Background: As requested by the USTR, the Commission will provide 
information for 2003 and year-to-date 2003-04 on U.S. market 
conditions, including domestic demand, domestic supply, and domestic 
production for men's and boys' worsted wool suits, suit-type jackets, 
and trousers; worsted wool fabrics and yarn used in the manufacture of 
such clothing; and wool fibers used in the manufacture of such fabrics 
and yarn. Also, as requested by the USTR, the Commission will provide, 
to the extent possible, data on:
    (1) Increases or decreases in sales and production of the subject 
domestically-produced worsted wool fabrics;
    (2) Increases or decreases in domestic production and consumption 
of the subject apparel items;
    (3) The ability of domestic producers of the subject worsted wool 
fabrics to meet the needs of domestic manufacturers of the subject 
apparel items in terms of quantity and ability to meet market demands 
for the apparel items;
    (4) Sales of the subject worsted wool fabrics lost by domestic 
manufacturers to imports benefiting from the temporary duty reductions 
on certain worsted wool fabrics under the tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) 
provided for in headings 9902.51.11 and 9902.51.12 of the Harmonized 
Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS);
    (5) Loss of sales by domestic manufacturers of the subject apparel 
items related to the inability to purchase adequate supplies of the 
subject worsted wool fabrics on a cost competitive basis; and
    (6) The price per square meter of imports and domestic sales of the 
subject worsted wool fabrics.
    The USTR requested that the Commission submit the information in a 
confidential report by September 15, 2004. The USTR requested that the 
Commission issue a public version of the report as soon as possible 
thereafter, with any confidential business information deleted. The 
Commission's first report on this investigation was submitted to the 
USTR in October 2003.
    Public Hearing: A public hearing in connection with the 
investigation will be held at the U.S. International Trade Commission 
Building, 500 E Street, SW., Washington, DC, beginning at 9:30 a.m. on 
March 25, 2004. Requests to appear at the public hearing should be 
filed with the Secretary, no later than 5:15 p.m., March 9, 2004, in 
accordance with the requirements in the ``Submissions'' section below. 
In the event that, as of the close of business on March 9, 2004, no 
witnesses are scheduled to appear at the hearing, the hearing will be 
canceled. Any person interested in attending the hearing as an observer 
or non-participant may call the Secretary (202-205-2000) after March 9, 
2004, to determine whether the hearing will be held.
    Statements and Briefs: In lieu of or in addition to participating 
in the hearing, interested parties are invited to submit written 
statements or briefs concerning the investigation in accordance with 
the requirements in the ``Submissions'' section below. Any prehearing 
briefs or statements should be filed not later than 5:15 p.m., March 
11, 2004; the deadline for filing post-hearing briefs or statements is 
5:15 p.m., April 11, 2004. To be assured of consideration by the 
Commission, written statements relating to the Commission's second 
report on this investigation should be submitted to the Commission at 
the earliest practical date and should be received no later than the 
close of business on April 11, 2004.
    Written Submissions: All written submissions including requests to 
appear at the hearing, statements, and briefs should be addressed to 
the Secretary, United States International Trade Commission, 500 E 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20436. All written

[[Page 2160]]

submissions must conform with the provisions of Sec.  201.8 of the 
Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.8); any 
submissions that contain confidential business information must also 
conform with the requirements of Sec.  201.6 of the Commission's Rules 
of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.6). Section 201.8 of the rules 
require that a signed original (or a copy designated as an original) 
and fourteen (14) copies of each document be filed. In the event that 
confidential treatment of the document is requested, at least four (4) 
additional copies must be filed, in which the confidential information 
must be deleted. Section 201.6 of the rules require that the cover of 
the document and the individual pages be clearly marked as to whether 
they are the ``confidential'' or ``nonconfidential'' version, and that 
the confidential business information be clearly identified by means of 
brackets.
    The Commission's rules do not authorize filing submissions with the 
Secretary by facsimile or electronic means, except to the extent 
permitted by Sec.  201.8 of the Commission's Rules (1 CFR 201.8) (see 
Handbook for Electronic Filing Procedures, ftp://ftp.usitc.gov/pub/reports/electronic_filing_handbook.pdf). Persons with questions 
regarding electronic filing should contact the Secretary (202-205-2000 
or [email protected]).
    All written submissions, except for confidential business 
information, will be made available for inspection by interested 
parties. Accordingly, any confidential information received by the 
Commission in these investigations and used in preparing the report 
will not be published in a manner that would reveal the operations of 
the firm supplying the information.
    The public record for these investigations may be viewed on the 
Commission's electronic docket (EDIS) at http://edis.usitc.gov. 
Hearing-impaired individuals are advised that information on this 
matter can be obtained by contacting our 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.

List of Subjects

    Tariffs, imports, wool, fabric, and suits.

    Issued: January 8, 2004.

    By order of the Commission.
Marilyn R. Abbott,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 04-810 Filed 1-13-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P