[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 172 (Thursday, September 6, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51264-51266]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-17614]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Notice Regarding the 
Acceptance of Product and Country Practice Petitions for the 2007 
Annual Review

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) 
received petitions in connection with the 2007 GSP Annual Review to 
modify the list of products that are eligible for duty-free treatment 
under the GSP program and to modify the GSP status of certain GSP 
beneficiary developing countries because of country practices. This 
notice announces the product petitions, other than those requesting 
competitive need limitation (CNL) waivers, and country practice 
petitions that are accepted for further review in the 2007 GSP Annual 
Review. This notice also sets forth the schedule for comment and public 
hearings on these petitions, for requesting participation in the 
hearings, and for submitting pre-hearing and post-hearing briefs. The 
list of accepted petitions is available at: http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Development/Preference_Programs/GSP/Section_Index.html [2007 Annual 
review]. Petitions for CNL waivers are due November 16, 2007 (see 72 FR 
28,527), and a review of those petitions will be conducted thereafter.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact the GSP Subcommittee of the 
Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States Trade 
Representative, 1724 F Street, NW., Room F-220, Washington, DC 20508. 
The telephone number is (202) 395-6971.

DATES: The GSP regulations (15 CFR part 2007) provide the schedule of 
dates for conducting an annual review unless otherwise specified in a 
Federal Register notice. The current schedule follows. Notification of 
any other changes will be given in the Federal Register.
    September 21, 2007: Due date for submission of pre-hearing briefs 
and requests to appear at the GSP Subcommittee Public Hearing that 
include the name, address, telephone, fax, e-mail address and 
organization of witnesses for accepted product petitions.
    October 3, 2007: GSP Subcommittee Public Hearing on all product 
petitions accepted for the 2007 GSP Annual Review in Rooms 1 and 2, 
1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
    October 4, 2007: GSP Subcommittee Public Hearing, for all country 
practice petitions accepted for the 2007 GSP Annual Review in Rooms 1 
and 2, 1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

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October 19, 2007: Due date for submission of post-hearing briefs.

    January 2007: USITC scheduled to publish report on products of 
cases 2007-01 to 2007-11 in the 2007 GSP Annual Review. Comments on the 
USITC report on these products are due 10 days after USITC date of 
publication.
    June 30, 2007: Modifications to the list of articles eligible for 
duty-free treatment under the GSP resulting from the 2007 Annual Review 
will be announced on or about June 30, 2007, in the Federal Register, 
and any changes will take effect on the effective date announced.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GSP provides for the duty-free 
importation of designated articles when imported from designated 
beneficiary developing countries. The GSP is authorized by title V of 
the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461, et seq.), as amended (the ``1974 
Act''), and is implemented in accordance with Executive Order 11888 of 
November 24, 1975, as modified by subsequent Executive Orders and 
Presidential Proclamations.

A. Petitions Requesting Modifications of Product Eligibility

    In a Federal Register notice dated May 21, 2007, USTR announced 
that the deadline for the filing of product petitions, other than those 
requesting waivers of ``competitive need limitations'' (CNLs), and 
country practice petitions for the 2007 GSP Annual Review was June 22, 
2007 (72 FR 28527). The product petitions received have requested 
changes in the list of GSP-eligible products by adding new products and 
by removing duty-free treatment for products from specific GSP-eligible 
countries.
    The interagency GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff 
Committee (TPSC) has reviewed the product petitions, and the TPSC has 
decided to accept for review the product petitions listed in ``List of 
Petitions Accepted in the 2007 GSP Annual Review'' posted on the USTR 
Web site. That list sets forth, for each type of change requested: the 
case number, the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 
(HTSUS) subheading number, a brief description of the product (see the 
HTSUS for an authoritative description available on the USITC Web site 
(http://www.usitc.gov/tata/hts/) and the petitioner for each petition 
included in this review). Acceptance of a petition for review does not 
indicate any opinion with respect to the disposition on the merits of 
the petition. Acceptance indicates only that the listed petitions have 
been found eligible for review by the TPSC and that such review will 
take place.

B. Petitions for Review Regarding Country Practices

    Pursuant to 15 CFR 2007.0(b), the GSP Subcommittee of the TPSC has 
recommended, and the TPSC has accepted or continued the review of 
several country practice petitions (see ``List of Petitions Accepted in 
the 2007 GSP Annual Review'' posted on the USTR Web site). Acceptance 
of a petition for review does not indicate any opinion with respect to 
the disposition on the merits of the petition. Acceptance indicates 
only that the petition has been found eligible for review by the TPSC 
and that such review will take place.

Opportunities for Public Comment and Inspection of Comments

    The GSP Subcommittee of the TPSC invites comments in support of or 
in opposition to any petition that has been accepted thus far for the 
2007 GSP Annual Review. Submissions should comply with 15 CFR part 
2007, except as modified below. All submissions should identify the 
subject article(s) in terms of the case number and eight digit HTSUS 
subheading number, if applicable, as shown in the ``List of Petitions 
Accepted in the 2007 GSP Annual Review'' available at: http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Development/Preference_Programs/GSP/Section_Index.html [2007 Annual Review].

Requirements for Submissions

    In order to facilitate prompt processing of submissions, USTR 
requires electronic e-mail submissions in response to this notice. 
Hand-delivered submissions will not be accepted. These submissions 
should be single-copy transmissions in English, with the total 
submission not to exceed 30 single-spaced standard letter-size pages in 
12-point type and three megabytes as sent as a digital file attached to 
an e-mail transmission. E-mail submissions should use the following 
subject line: ``2007 GSP Annual Review'' followed by the Case Number 
and, if a product petition, the eight-digit HTSUS subheading number 
found in the ``List of Petitions Accepted in the 2007 GSP Annual 
Review'' on the USTR Web site (for example, 2007-05 7202.99.20) and, as 
appropriate ``Written Comments'', ``Notice of Intent to Testify'', 
``Pre-hearing brief'', ``Post-hearing brief'' or ``Comments on USITC 
Advice''. (For example, an e-mail subject line might read ``2007-05 
7202.99.20 Written Comments''.) Documents must be submitted in English 
in one of the following formats: WordPerfect (.WPD), Adobe (.PDF), 
MSWord (.DOC), or text (.TXT) files. Documents cannot be submitted as 
electronic image files or contain embedded images, e.g., ``.JPG'', 
``.TIF'', ``.BMP'', or ``.GIF''. Supporting documentation submitted as 
spreadsheets are acceptable as Excel files, formatted for printing on 
8\1/2\ x 11 inch paper. To the extent possible, any data attachments to 
the submission should be included in the same file as the submission 
itself, and not as separate files.
    If the submission contains business confidential information, a 
non-confidential version of the submission must also be submitted that 
indicates where confidential information was redacted by inserting 
asterisks where material was deleted. In addition, the confidential 
submission must be clearly marked ``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' at the top 
and bottom of each page of the document. The non-confidential version 
must also be clearly marked at the top and bottom of each page (either 
``PUBLIC VERSION'' or ``NON-CONFIDENTIAL''). Documents that are 
submitted without any marking might not be accepted or will be 
considered public documents.
    For any document containing business confidential information 
submitted as an electronic attached file to an e-mail transmission, the 
file name of the business confidential version should begin with the 
characters ``BC-'', and the file name of the public version should 
begin with the characters ``P-''. The ``P-'' or ``BC-'' should be 
followed by the name of the party (government, company, union, 
association, etc.) which is making the submission.
    E-mail submissions should not include separate cover letters or 
messages in the message area of the e-mail; information that might 
appear in any cover letter should be included directly in the attached 
file containing the submission itself, including the sender's name, 
organization name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. The e-
mail address for these submissions is [email protected]. Documents 
not submitted in accordance with these instructions might not be 
considered in this review. If unable to provide submissions by e-mail, 
please contact the GSP Subcommittee to arrange for an alternative 
method of transmission.
    Public versions of all documents relating to this review will be 
available for review approximately two weeks after the relevant due 
date by appointment in the USTR public

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reading room, 1724 F Street NW., Washington, DC. Appointments may be 
made from 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, by calling (202) 395-6186.

Notice of Public Hearing

    A hearing will be held by the GSP Subcommittee of the TPSC on 
October 3, 2007, for product petitions accepted for the 2007 GSP Annual 
Review (i.e., for product petitions other than those requesting CNL 
waivers) beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Office of the U.S. Trade 
Representative, Rooms 1 and 2, 1724 F St., NW., Washington, DC 20508. A 
second hearing will be held by the GSP Subcommittee of the TPSC on 
October 5, 2007 for country practice petitions in the 2007 GSP Annual 
Review. The hearings will be open to the public and a transcript of the 
hearings will be made available for public inspection or can be 
purchased from the reporting company. No electronic media coverage will 
be allowed.
    All interested parties wishing to make an oral presentation at the 
hearing must submit, following the above ``Requirements for 
Submissions'', the name, address, telephone number, and facsimile 
number and email address, if available, of the witness(es) representing 
their organization to Marideth Sandler, Executive Director of the GSP 
Program by 5 p.m., September 21, 2007. Requests to present oral 
testimony in connection with the public hearing must be accompanied by 
a written brief or statement, in English, and also must be received by 
5 p.m., September 21, 2007. Oral testimony before the GSP Subcommittee 
will be limited to five-minute presentations that summarize or 
supplement information contained in briefs or statements submitted for 
the record. Post-hearing briefs or statements will be accepted if they 
conform with the regulations cited above and are submitted, in English, 
by 5 p.m., October 19, 2007. Parties not wishing to appear at the 
public hearing may submit pre-hearing briefs or statements, in English, 
by 5 p.m., September 21, 2007, and post-hearing written briefs or 
statements, in English, by 5 p.m., October 19, 2007.
    In accordance with sections 503(d)(1)(A) of the 1974 Act and the 
authority delegated by the President, pursuant to section 332(g) of the 
Tariff Act of 1930, the U.S. Trade Representative has requested that 
the USITC provide its advice on the probable economic effect on U.S. 
industries producing like or directly competitive articles and on 
consumers of the elimination of U.S. import duties for all GSP 
beneficiary countries or, where applicable, the probable economic 
effect on U.S. industries producing like or directly competitive 
articles and on consumers of the removal from eligibility for duty-free 
status under GSP for such article from the specified countries, with 
respect to the articles that are specified in the ``List of Petitions 
Accepted in the 2007 GSP Annual Review.'' Comments by interested 
persons on the USITC Report prepared as part of the product review 
other than those requesting CNL waivers should be submitted by 5 p.m., 
10 days after the date of USITC publication of its report.

Marideth Sandler,
Executive Director, Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Program, 
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
 [FR Doc. E7-17614 Filed 9-5-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W7-P