[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 153 (Thursday, August 7, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46034-46036]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-18051]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-477]


Sub-Saharan Africa: Effects of Infrastructure Conditions on 
Export Competitiveness, Third Annual Report

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Scheduling of third annual report and public hearing; change in 
focus and title of third report; and indication of sub-Saharan African 
industries that may be covered.

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SUMMARY: In response to a supplemental letter dated June 30, 2008, from 
the United States Trade Representative (USTR) covering the third report 
in this series, the Commission has changed the focus and title of its 
third report and will examine the effect that conditions of key 
infrastructure sectors have on the export competitiveness of select 
sub-Saharan African (SSA) industries. This notice announces the 
scheduling of the third and final report in this series, the SSA 
industries that may be covered, and the scheduling of a public hearing. 
This series of reports was originally requested in a letter from the 
USTR dated July 26, 2006. In response, the Commission instituted 
investigation No. 332-477 and delivered its first and second reports on 
April 3, 2007, and April 3, 2008, respectively, under the investigation 
title Sub-Saharan Africa: Factors Affecting Trade Patterns of Selected 
Industries.
    October 1, 2008: Deadline for filing requests to appear at the 
public hearing.

[[Page 46035]]

    October 7, 2008: Deadline for filing pre-hearing briefs and 
statements.
    October 28, 2008: Public hearing.
    November 4, 2008: Deadline for filing post-hearing briefs and 
statements.
    April 3, 2009: Transmittal of Commission report to USTR.

ADDRESSES: All Commission offices, including the Commission's hearing 
rooms, are located in the United States International Trade Commission 
Building, 500 E Street, SW., Washington, DC. All written submissions 
should be addressed to the Secretary, United States International Trade 
Commission, 500 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20436. The public record 
for this investigation may be viewed on the Commission's electronic 
docket (EDIS) at http://www.usitc.gov/secretary/edis.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Co-project leaders Erland Herfindahl 
(202-205-2374 or [email protected]) or Alan Treat (202-205-
3426 or [email protected]) for information specific to this report. 
For information on the legal aspects of this investigation, contact 
William Gearhart of the Commission's Office of the General Counsel 
(202-205-3091 or [email protected]). The media should contact 
Margaret O'Laughlin, Office of External Relations (202-205-1819 or 
[email protected]). Hearing-impaired individuals may obtain 
information on this matter by contacting the Commission's TDD terminal 
at 202-205-1810. General information concerning the Commission may also 
be obtained by accessing its Internet server (http://www.usitc.gov). 
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.
    Background: As indicated above, this notice concerns the final of 
three annual reports that the USTR requested the Commission provide 
concerning factors affecting trade patterns of selected industries in 
SSA countries. In the initial request letter of July 26, 2006, the USTR 
described the type of information that the Commission should provide in 
its reports with respect to each industry and identified the industries 
and products produced to be covered in the first annual report. The 
letter indicated that USTR would provide additional lists of industries 
and products produced for each of the second and third annual reports. 
The letter asked that the Commission deliver its three reports by April 
3, 2007, April 3, 2008, and April 3, 2009, respectively. The Commission 
published notice of institution of this investigation in the Federal 
Register on August 29, 2006 (71 FR 51212), and delivered its first and 
second reports to USTR on April 3, 2007 and April 3, 2008, 
respectively.
    On June 30, 2008, the Commission received a supplemental letter 
from the USTR requesting that the Commission provide, in its third 
report, an analysis of the effect that conditions in key infrastructure 
sectors have on the export competitiveness of select SSA industries, 
particularly but not limited to, industries considered in the previous 
two reports. The USTR asked that the Commission's analysis include a 
brief overview of the effect of infrastructure conditions generally, 
and a more in-depth analysis of the effect of conditions in 
infrastructure sectors (land transport, maritime transport, and 
electricity) that were identified by the Commission in the previous two 
reports as having a significant effect on the export competitiveness of 
many SSA industries. To address the effect of conditions in these 
infrastructure sectors on the export competitiveness of SSA industries, 
the Commission's report may include analysis with respect to the 
following industries: (1) In the agriculture sector, coffee, shea 
butter, and tropical fruits (e.g., bananas and pineapples); (2) in the 
mining and manufacturing sector, natural rubber and downstream products 
thereof, textiles and apparel, and leather; and (3) in the services 
sector, tourism services.
    Public Hearing: A public hearing in connection with this 
investigation will be held beginning at 9:30 a.m. on October 28, 2008, 
at the United States International Trade Commission Building, 500 E 
Street, SW., Washington DC. Requests to appear at the hearing should be 
filed with the Secretary no later than 5:15 p.m., October 1, 2008, in 
accordance with the requirements in the ``Written Submissions'' section 
below. In the event that, as of the close of business on October 1, 
2008, 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 nonparticipant may call the Secretary to the Commission 
(202-205-2000) after October 1, 2008, for information concerning 
whether the hearing will be held.
    Written Submissions: In lieu of or in addition to participating in 
the hearing, interested parties are invited to submit written 
statements or briefs concerning this investigation. All written 
submissions, including requests to appear at the hearing, statements, 
and briefs, should be addressed to the Secretary. Any pre-hearing 
statements or briefs should be filed not later than 5:15 p.m., October 
7, 2008; and post-hearing statements and briefs and all other written 
submissions should be filed not later than 5:15 p.m., November 4, 2008. 
All written submissions must conform with the provisions of section 
201.8 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 
201.8). Section 201.8 of the rules requires 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 (see the 
following paragraph for further information regarding confidential 
business information). The Commission's rules do not authorize filing 
submissions with the Secretary by facsimile or electronic means, except 
to the extent permitted by section 201.8 of the rules (see Handbook for 
Electronic Filing Procedures, http://www.usitc.gov/secretary/fed_reg_notices/rules/documents/handbook_on_electronic_filing.pdf; persons 
with questions regarding electronic filing should contact the Secretary 
at 202-205-2000). Any submissions that contain confidential business 
information must also conform with the requirements of section 201.6 of 
the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.6). 
Section 201.6 of the rules requires that the cover of the document and 
the individual pages be clearly marked as to whether they are the 
``confidential'' or ``non-confidential'' version, and that the 
confidential business information be clearly identified by means of 
brackets. All written submissions, except for confidential business 
information, will be made available in the Office of the Secretary to 
the Commission for inspection by interested parties.
    In the initial request letter (and reaffirmed in her letter of June 
30, 2008), the USTR stated that her office intends to make the 
Commission's reports in this investigation available to the public in 
their entirety, and asked that the Commission not include any 
confidential business or national security information in its reports. 
Consequently, the reports that the Commission sends to the USTR will 
not contain any such information. Any confidential business information 
received by the Commission in this investigation and used in preparing 
its reports will not be published in a manner that would reveal the 
operations of the firm supplying the information.


[[Page 46036]]


     Issued: July 31, 2008.

    By order of the Commission.
Marilyn R. Abbott,
Secretary to the Commission.
 [FR Doc. E8-18051 Filed 8-6-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P