[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 232 (Monday, December 4, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70364-70366]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-20545]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Textile and Apparel Products From Vietnam: Import Monitoring 
Program; Request for Comments

AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration, 
Commerce.

ACTION: Request for Public Comment--Import Monitoring of Textile and 
Apparel Products From Vietnam.

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (the Department) is requesting 
public comment on the development of a monitoring program covering 
imports of textile and apparel products from Vietnam to remain in place 
for the duration of this Administration. To help the Department develop 
the program and, at the same time, be advised of the concerns of all 
interested stakeholders, the Department is inviting the public to 
provide input on the monitoring program and identify issues or 
considerations that they believe are deserving of the Department's 
attention as implementation of this program proceeds.

DATES: Written comments and electronic files must be received on or 
before 5 p.m. on December 27, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to comment should file, by the deadline 
specified above, a signed original and four copies of each set of 
comments. Written comments should be addressed to David M. Spooner, 
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration, Room 1870, Department of 
Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20230. 
Comments should be limited to 25 pages or less. All comments will be 
available for public inspection at Import Administration's Central 
Records Unit, Room B-099, between the hours of 8:30

[[Page 70365]]

a.m. and 5 p.m. on business days. The Department will not accept nor 
consider comments accompanied by a request that a part or all of the 
material be treated confidentially because of its business proprietary 
nature or for any other reason.
    While the Department requires that comments be submitted in written 
form, we also recommend submission of comments in electronic form. 
Comments filed in electronic form should be submitted on CD-ROM, as 
comments submitted on diskettes are likely to be damaged by postal 
radiation treatment. Electronic files should indicate that they are in 
response to the request for public comment on import monitoring of 
textile and apparel products from Vietnam. Comments received in 
electronic form will be made available to the public in Portable 
Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the Import Administration Web 
site at the following address: http://ia.ita.doc.gov. Any questions 
concerning file formatting, document conversion, access on the 
Internet, or other electronic filing issues should be addressed to 
Andrew Lee Beller, Import Administration Webmaster, at (202) 482-0866, 
e-mail address: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kelly Parkhill at (202) 482-3791.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department is establishing a monitoring 
program on imports of textile and apparel products from Vietnam. The 
program will begin upon Vietnam's accession to the World Trade 
Organization (WTO) and will expire at the end of the current 
administration (January 19, 2009). While we seek comment on what 
textile and apparel goods should be subject to monitoring, we note that 
items in the following product groups have been identified as being of 
special sensitivity: trousers, shirts, underwear, swimwear and 
sweaters. In addition to monitoring import volumes and values, the 
Department will develop, in close cooperation with interested parties, 
production templates to assist it in its biannual evaluation of imports 
of these products to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to 
initiate an antidumping investigation consistent with U.S. law and our 
international obligations under the WTO.
    The Department is aware that such a program has an impact on a 
broad array of parties (e.g., domestic textile and apparel producers, 
retailers, workers, importers, and the Government of Vietnam) and is 
seeking input from all interested parties who wish to comment. This is 
the first step in our outreach to interested parties and will be 
followed up with other outreach efforts as we progress. If you have any 
thoughts on what the most effective means of outreach would be, please 
feel free to comment.
    Guidance On Comments: The following is a list of issues and 
questions on which we are requesting assistance and comment. This is 
not a questionnaire; it is simply for your convenience. Please feel 
free to comment on any or all of the issues outlined below as well as 
provide additional comments that you believe will assist the Department 
in developing this monitoring program. Please be as specific as 
possible in your comments, especially with respect to product 
categories and HTS numbers. When responding, please identify the name 
of your company. Also please provide contact information including 
address, phone number and e-mail address.

Consultative Process With Interested Parties

     The Department wants to ensure that all interested parties 
(e.g., producers, retailers, workers) are given a full opportunity to 
provide input into all aspects of the process, consistent with legal 
requirements. Is there any advice you would like to share on the 
establishment of consultative mechanisms with or outreach efforts to 
interested parties?
     Are there advisory panels or industry groups that you 
believe the Department should meet with on an ongoing basis? Please 
identify and provide contact information, if possible.
     The Department intends to hold public hearings on this 
process. In addition to hearings in Washington, DC, should the 
Department consider field hearings in select locations? Are there 
specific locations where you think such hearings should be held?
     The Department is also considering options for other kinds 
of outreach sessions. Do you have suggestions for how such sessions 
should be structured and are there specific locations where or specific 
parties with whom you think such sessions should be held?
     Are there any other companies, groups or associations 
whose views you believe are integral to this process? Please identify 
and, to the extent possible, provide contact information.

Products

     As noted above, five product groups--trousers, shirts, 
underwear, swimwear and sweaters--have been identified as being of 
special sensitivity. Within these broader groups, are there any 
particular products that should be monitored or could act as an 
indicator or bellwether for the category group as a whole? Please 
identify and explain.
     What other textile and apparel categories or HTS numbers 
do you believe should be monitored? Please identify and explain.
     What other textile and apparel product categories or HTS 
numbers do you believe could be excluded from monitoring? Please 
identify and explain.
     For any additional textile and apparel categories that you 
have indicated should be monitored, are there any particular products 
that could act as an indicator or bellwether for the category group as 
a whole? Please identify and explain.
     Textile and apparel import data from Vietnam are currently 
publicly available in the Major Shipper Reports issued by Import 
Administration's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA). These reports 
include volume and value (US$) data according to the historical product 
categories used in current monitoring activities. Is there any other 
type of publicly available aggregate information that should be used 
for purposes of the Vietnam monitoring program?
     In monitoring products, should the Department focus on 
products that specific U.S. domestic producers have identified as being 
products they produce? If not, please explain why?
     Are there any other comments relating to products that you 
wish to provide?

Production Templates

     As part of the monitoring system, the Department of 
Commerce may find it necessary to develop production templates to 
assist it in its evaluation of textile and apparel imports from 
Vietnam. Development of these templates will require a detailed 
understanding of the production process associated with the products to 
be monitored. Once product categories have been selected, we will be, 
if necessary, soliciting information on these production templates.
     As part of this process, the Department would likely 
examine information from market economy countries that it believes are 
most similar to Vietnam. In this regard, what countries would be the 
most appropriate for the Department to examine? To your knowledge, what 
market economy countries have the most similar textile and apparel 
industries to Vietnam? Please explain.
     Are there any other comments with respect to production 
templates that you wish to provide?

[[Page 70366]]

Domestic Industry Information

     As part of its monitoring, the Department will examine a 
broad range of public information on the domestic textile and apparel 
industry (e.g., production, capacity utilization, employment). In your 
opinion, what information on the domestic industry should the 
Department examine as part of this process? Are there sources that you 
recommend for such information? Please identify and explain.
     The Department will also examine public information on the 
domestic textile and apparel market (e.g., demand, domestic prices, 
market share). In your opinion, what information on the domestic market 
should the Department examine as part of this process? Are there 
sources that you recommend for such information? Please identify and 
explain.
     Should the Department also examine global industry and 
market information? In your opinion, what information should the 
Department examine as part of this process? Are there sources that you 
recommend for such information? Please identify and explain.
     Is there any other industry or market information that you 
think should be examined as part of this process? Are there sources 
that you recommend for such information? Please identify and explain.
     How can the Department best ascertain the effects of 
shifts in the type of textile and apparel imports from Vietnam on the 
domestic textile and apparel industry?
     Please identify interested parties (e.g., producers, 
retailers, workers) who are, in your view, relevant to our examination 
of the domestic industry.
     Are there any other comments with respect to the domestic 
industry that you wish to provide?

Biannual Evaluation Process

     Every six months, for the duration of the monitoring 
program, the Department will evaluate the information it has compiled 
as part of this effort. What information do you think is most important 
for the Department to consider in its evaluation process?
     As part of the biannual process, should the Department 
also undertake intermittent, mid-term or staged analyses of import and 
market trends? If so, what should be the focus of this analysis?
     What advice do you have with respect to the consultative 
process with interested parties (e.g., industry, retailers, workers) to 
be undertaken as part of the biannual evaluation process? Should the 
Department hold hearings or conduct outreach as part of this process?
     Are there any other comments you wish to provide on the 
biannual evaluation process.

Public Dissemination of Information

     What information should be disseminated to the public as 
part of this process (e.g., import data, U.S. industry information)?
     Is there any information that you think should not be 
publicly disseminated (please note that the Department is prohibited 
from releasing business proprietary information to the public)? Please 
explain why.

Additional Comments

     Do you have any additional comments? Are there any other 
concerns that you wish the Department to be aware of as it develops 
this monitoring program?

    Dated: November 30, 2006.
David M. Spooner,
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
 [FR Doc. E6-20545 Filed 12-1-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P