[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 19 (Tuesday, January 29, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5240-5242]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-1524]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Notice Regarding the 
Acceptance of Competitive Need Limitation Waiver 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 
waive the competitive need limitations (CNLs) on imports of certain 
products that are eligible for duty-free treatment under the GSP 
program. This notice announces those petitions that are accepted for 
further review. This notice also sets forth the schedule for comment 
and public hearings on these petitions, for requesting participation in 
the hearings, and submitting pre-hearing and post-hearing briefs, and 
for commenting on the USITC report on probable economic effects. The 
list of accepted petitions to waive CNLs is available at: http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_ Development/Preference-- Programs/GSP/GSP-- 2007--
Annual-- Review/Section-- Index.html [2007 GSP Review, List of CNL 
Waiver Petitions Accepted in the 2007 GSP Annual Review]

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 with respect to the 
review of CNL waiver petitions is set forth below. Notification of any 
other changes will be given in the Federal Register.
    February 22, 2008: Due date for submission of pre-hearing briefs, 
requests to appear at the GSP Subcommittee Public Hearing, and hearing 
statements. Include the name, address, telephone, fax, e-mail address 
and organization of witnesses for accepted CNL waiver petitions on the 
submission of pre-hearing briefs and requests to appear at the Hearing.
    March 4, 2008: GSP Subcommittee Public Hearing on all CNL waiver 
petitions accepted for the 2007 GSP Annual Review in Rooms 1 and 2, 
1724 F St., NW., Washington, DC 20508, beginning at 9 a.m.
    March 14, 2008: Due date for submission of post-hearing briefs.
    May 2008: USITC scheduled to publish report on products for which 
CNL waivers have been requested in the 2007 GSP Annual Review (cases 
2007-12 to 2007-16). Comments on the USITC report on these products are 
due 10 calendar days after USITC date of publication.
    June 30, 2008: 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, 2008, in the Federal Register, 
and any changes will take effect on the effective date announced.

[[Page 5241]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GSP provides for the duty-free 
importation of eligible 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.
    In Federal Register notices dated May 21, 2007, and October 24, 
2007, USTR announced that the deadline for the filing of product 
petitions requesting waivers of ``competitive need limitations'' (CNLs) 
for the 2007 GSP Annual Review was November 16, 2007 (72 FR 28527 and 
72 FR 60395). The interagency GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy 
Staff Committee (TPSC) has reviewed the CNL waiver petitions, and the 
TPSC has decided to accept for review the following petitions:
    (1) Cucumbers including gherkins, prepared or preserved by vinegar 
or acetic acid from India (HTS 2001.10.00);
    (2) Polyethylene terephthalate Resin (PET Resin) from Indonesia 
(HTS 3907.60.00);
    (3) New pneumatic rubber radial tires for passenger vehicles from 
Indonesia (HTS 4011.10.10);
    (4) Full grain unsplit bovine (not buffalo) & equine leather, not 
whole, w/o hair on, nesoi from Argentina (HTS 4107.91.80)
    (5) Copper, cables, plaited bands and the like, not fitted with 
fittings and not made up into articles from Turkey (HTS 7413.00.50)
    Additional information regarding this request is provided in ``List 
of CNL Waiver Petitions Accepted in the 2007 GSP Annual Review'' posted 
on the USTR Web site. That list sets forth: 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.

Opportunities for Public Comment and Inspection of Comments

    The GSP Subcommittee of the TPSC invites comments in support of or 
in opposition to any CNL waiver petition that has been accepted 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 CNL Waiver 
Petitions Accepted in the 2007 GSP Annual Review'' available at: http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_ Development/Preference-- Programs/GSP/GSP-- 
2007--Annual--Review/Section--Index.html [2007 GSP Review, List of CNL 
Waiver Petitions Accepted in the 2007 GSP 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, and including 
attachments, 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, the eight-digit HTSUS subheading 
number found in the ``List of CNL Waiver 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]. (Note: the 
digit before the number 7 in the e-mail address is the number zero, not 
a letter.) 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 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

    The GSP Subcommittee of the TPSC will hold a hearing on March 4, 
2008, for CNL waiver product petitions accepted for the 2007 GSP Annual 
Review, beginning at 9 a.m. at the Office of the U.S. Trade 
Representative, Rooms 1 and 2, 1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20508. The hearing will be open to the public and a transcript of the 
hearing will be available for public inspection or can be purchased 
from the reporting company. No

[[Page 5242]]

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 e-mail address, if available, of the witness(es) 
representing their organization to Marideth Sandler, Executive Director 
of the GSP Program by 5 p.m., February 22, 2008. Requests to present 
oral testimony at the public hearing, along with a written hearing 
statement, must be received by 5 p.m., February 22, 2008. Oral 
testimony before the GSP Subcommittee will be limited to a five-minute 
presentation. If those testifying intend to submit a longer statement 
for the record, it must be in English and accompany the request to 
present oral testimony to be submitted by February 22, 2008. Post-
hearing briefs or statements will be accepted if they conform with the 
``Requirements for Submissions'' cited above and are submitted, in 
English, by 5 p.m., March 14, 2008. Parties not wishing to appear at 
the public hearing may submit pre-hearing briefs or statements, in 
English, by 5 p.m., February 22, 2008. Post-hearing written briefs or 
statements are to be submitted in English by 5 p.m. on March 14, 2008.
    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 waiver of the CNL for the specified GSP beneficiary 
countries, with respect to the articles that are specified in the 
``List of CNL Waiver Petitions Accepted in the 2007 GSP Annual 
Review.'' Comments by interested persons on the USITC Report prepared 
as part of the product review should be submitted by 5 p.m., 10 
calendar days after the date of USITC publication of its report. The e-
mail address for these submissions is: [email protected].

Marideth Sandler,
Executive Director, Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Program, 
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
 [FR Doc. E8-1524 Filed 1-28-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W8-P