[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 25, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71681-71682]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-27903]


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

INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-502]


Sub-Saharan African Textile and Apparel Inputs: Potential for 
Competitive Production

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Institution of investigation.

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

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 3(c)(1) of Public Law 110-436, An Act to 
extend the Andean Trade Preference Act, and for other purposes (``the 
Act''), and pursuant to section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 
U.S.C. 1332(g)), the U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission) 
has instituted investigation No. 332-502, Sub-Saharan African Textile 
and Apparel Inputs: Potential for Competitive Production.

DATES:

    January 15, 2009: Deadline for filing request to appear at the 
public hearing.
    January 17, 2009: Deadline for filing pre-hearing briefs and 
statements.
    January 29, 2009: Public hearing.
    February 12, 2009: Deadline for filing post-hearing briefs and 
statements.
    February 24, 2009: Deadline for filing all other written 
submissions.
    May 15, 2009: Transmittal of Commission report to the appropriate 
congressional committees and the Comptroller General.

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: Project leader Kimberlie Freund (202-
708-5402 or [email protected]) or deputy project leader Joshua 
Levy (202-205-3236 or [email protected]) for information specific 
to this investigation. 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 site (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: On October 16, 2008, the President signed into law 
Public Law No. 110-436, An Act to extend the Andean Trade Preference 
Act, and for other purposes. Section 3(c)(1) of the Act requires the 
Commission to conduct a review to identify yarns, fabrics, and other 
textile and apparel inputs that through new or increased investment or 
other measures can be produced competitively in beneficiary sub-Saharan 
African (SSA) countries (as defined in section 506A(c) of the Trade Act 
of 1974, 19 U.S.C. 2466a(c)). The Act requires the Commission to report 
the results of its review to the House Committee on Ways and Means and 
the Senate Committee on Finance (the committees), and the Comptroller 
General, not later than 7 months after enactment of the law (by May 15, 
2009). Section 3(c)(2) of the Act requires the Comptroller General to 
submit a report to the committees based on the Commission's report and 
other available information not later than 90 days after receiving the 
Commission's report. The Comptroller General's report is to include 
recommendations for changes in U.S. trade preference programs,

[[Page 71682]]

including the African Growth and Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3701) and 
amendments made by that act, to provide incentives to increase 
investment and other measures to improve the competitiveness of 
beneficiary SSA countries in the production of yarns, fabrics, and 
other textile and apparel inputs identified in the Commission's report, 
including changes to requirements relating to rules of origin under 
such programs.
    The Commission also instituted this investigation pursuant to 
section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 to facilitate docketing of 
submissions and public access to Commission records through the 
Commission's EDIS electronic records system.
    Public Hearing: A public hearing in connection with this 
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 
January 29, 2009. Requests to appear at the public hearing should be 
filed with the Secretary not later than 5:15 p.m., January 15, 2009, in 
accordance with the requirements in the ``Submissions'' section below. 
All pre-hearing briefs and statements should be filed not later than 
5:15 p.m., January 17, 2009, and all post-hearing briefs and statements 
responding to matters raised at the hearing should be filed not later 
than 5:15 p.m., February 12, 2009. In the event that, as of the close 
of business on January 15, 2009, 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 
Office of the Secretary (202-205-2000) after January 15, 2009, 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 concerning this investigation. All written submissions 
should be addressed to the Secretary and should be received not later 
than 5:15 p.m., February 24, 2009. 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 
submission that contains 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 for inspection by interested parties. The 
Commission anticipates that the report it sends to the committees and 
the Comptroller General in this investigation will be made available to 
the public in its entirety. Consequently, the report that the 
Commission sends to the committees and the Comptroller General will not 
contain any confidential business information. Any confidential 
business information received by the Commission in this investigation 
and used in preparing its report will not be published in a manner that 
would reveal the operations of the firm supplying the information.

    By order of the Commission.

    Issued: November 19, 2008.
William R. Bishop,
Acting Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. E8-27903 Filed 11-24-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P