[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 49 (Monday, March 16, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11141-11143]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-5541]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Notice Regarding the 
Review of Country Practice Petitions for the 2008 Annual Review

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) 
accepted petitions in the context of earlier GSP Annual Reviews, which 
are continuing to be evaluated in the 2008 GSP Annual Review, to modify 
the GSP status of certain GSP beneficiary developing countries because 
of country practices. This notice 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 
and comments. This notice also announces the continued evaluation for 
acceptance of certain country practice petitions submitted in the 2008 
Annual Review. The list of country practice petitions currently under 
review as well as those petitions submitted in the 2008 GSP Annual 
Review, is available at: http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Development/Preference_Programs/GSP/GSP_2008_Annual_Review/Section_Index.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tameka Cooper, GSP Program, Office of 
the United States Trade Representative, 1724 F Street, NW., Room F-214, 
Washington, DC 20508. The telephone number is (202) 395-6971, the fax 
number is (202) 395-2961, and the e-mail address is [email protected].

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 for accepted country 
practice petitions follows.
    April 2, 2009: Pre-hearing briefs and comments, requests to appear 
at the GSP Subcommittee Public Hearing, and hearing statements must be 
submitted by 5 p.m. EDT.
    April 24, 2009: GSP Subcommittee Public Hearing on all country 
practice petitions accepted for the 2008 GSP Annual Review in Rooms 1 
and 2, 1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508 beginning at 9 a.m. 
EDT.
    May 8, 2009: Post-hearing briefs and comments must be submitted by 
5 p.m. EDT.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GSP program provides for the duty-free 
importation of eligible articles when imported from designated 
beneficiary developing countries. The GSP program 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.
    Pursuant to 15 CFR 2007.0(b), the GSP Subcommittee of the Trade 
Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) has recommended the acceptance and 
continuation of the review of, and the TPSC has accepted and continued 
the review of, several country practice petitions: Petitions regarding 
worker rights in Bangladesh, Niger, the Republic of the Philippines, 
and Uzbekistan; and petitions regarding protection of intellectual 
property in Lebanon, Russia, and Uzbekistan. For additional 
information, see the ``List of 2008 Annual Review Country Practice 
Petitions under Further Review'' posted on the USTR Web site and 
available at: http://www.regulations.gov/, docket number USTR-2009-
0009. 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.
    A Federal Register notice dated January 21, 2009, 74 FR 3657, 
indicated that the decision whether to accept the country practice 
petitions with respect to worker rights in Iraq and Sri Lanka that were 
submitted for inclusion in the 2008 Annual Review, and a country 
practice petition submitted regarding the Republic of the Philippines, 
which has since been withdrawn, was expected to be announced no later 
than March 15, 2009. The decision whether to accept the country 
practice petitions for Iraq and Sri Lanka in the GSP 2008 Annual Review 
has been further deferred. Once a decision is made, it

[[Page 11142]]

will be published in a future Federal Register notice.

Notice of Public Hearing

    The GSP Subcommittee of the TPSC will hold a hearing on April 24, 
2009, for country practice petitions accepted for the 2008 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 for purchase from 
the reporting company. No electronic media coverage will be allowed.

Submission of Requests To Testify at the Public Hearing and Hearing 
Statements

    All interested parties wishing to testify at the hearing must 
submit, by 5 p.m. EDT, April 2, 2009, a (1) ``Notice of Intent to 
Testify,'' that includes the witness' or witnesses' name, address, 
telephone number, fax number, e-mail address, pertinent Case Number and 
country name; and (2) ``Hearing Statement'' to http://www.regulations.gov, docket number USTR-2009-0009 (following the 
procedures indicated in ``Requirements for Submissions''). Oral 
testimony before the GSP Subcommittee will be limited to one, ten-
minute presentation in English. If those testifying intend to submit a 
longer ``Hearing Statement'' for the record, it must accompany the 
``Notice of Intent to Testify'' to be submitted by 5 p.m. EDT on April 
2, 2009.

Opportunities for Public Comment and Inspection of Comments

    In addition to holding a public hearing, the GSP Subcommittee of 
the TPSC invites briefs and comments in support of or in opposition to 
any country practice petition that has been accepted for the 2008 GSP 
Annual Review. Parties not wishing to appear at the public hearing but 
wishing to submit pre-hearing briefs or statements must do so by 5 p.m. 
EDT., April 2, 2009 to http://www.regulations.gov, docket number USTR-
2009-0009. Post-hearing briefs or statements will be accepted if they 
conform with the ``Requirements for Submissions'' cited below and are 
submitted by 5 p.m EDT., May 8, 2009. All submissions should comply 
with 15 CFR Part 2007, except as modified below.

Requirements for Submissions

    Submissions of pre-hearing and post-hearing briefs and comments, as 
well as ``Notices of Intent to Testify'' and ``Hearing Statements'' 
provided in response to this notice, with the exception of business 
confidential submissions, must be submitted electronically using http://www.regulations.gov, docket number USTR-2009-0009. Hand-delivered 
submissions will not be accepted. Submissions must be submitted in 
English by the applicable deadlines set forth in this notice.
    For additional information on using the http://www.regulations.gov 
Web site or for any technical assistance relating to a submission, 
please consult the resources provided on the Web site by clicking on 
``How to Use This Site'' on the left side of the home page. Each 
submitter will receive a submission tracking number upon completion of 
the submissions procedure at http://www.regulations.gov. The tracking 
number will be the submitter's confirmation that the submission was 
received into http://www.regulations.gov. The confirmation should be 
kept for the submitter's records. USTR is not responsible for any 
delays in a submission due to technical difficulties, nor is it able to 
provide any technical assistance for the Web site.
    To make a submission using http://www.regulations.gov, enter docket 
number USTR-200-0009 on the home page and click ``go.'' The site will 
provide a search-results page listing all documents associated with 
this docket. Find a reference to this notice by selecting ``Notice'' 
under ``Document Type'' on the left side of the search-results page, 
and click on the link entitled ``Send a Comment or Submission.'' The 
http://www.regulations.gov Web site offers the option of providing 
comments by filling in a ``General Comments'' field or by attaching a 
document. Given the detailed nature of the information sought by the 
GSP Subcommittee, it is expected that most comments and submissions 
will be provided in an attached document. If a document is attached, 
(1) type the seven-digit case number, as appropriate; (2) indicate 
whether the attachment is ``Written Comments,'' ``Notice of Intent to 
Testify,'' ``Pre-hearing brief,'' or ``Post-hearing brief,'' and (3) 
type in ``See attached'' in the ``General Comments'' field. The total 
submission must not exceed 30 single-spaced standard letter-size pages 
in 12-point type, including attachments. Any data attachments to the 
submission should be included in the same file as the submission 
itself, and not as separate files.
    Submissions must include, on the first page (if an attachment) or 
at the beginning of the submission, the following text (in bold and 
underlined): (1) 2008 GSP Annual Review; (2) the Case Number; (3) the 
country name; and (4) as appropriate, ``Written Comments,'' ``Notice of 
Intent to Testify,'' ``Hearing Statement,'' ``Pre-hearing brief,'' or 
``Post-hearing brief.'' The case number and country name are found on 
the ``List of 2008 Annual Review Country Practice Petitions under 
Further Review'' on the USTR Web site and at http://www.regulations.gov.
    Submissions will be placed in the docket and open to public 
inspection pursuant to 15 CFR 2007.6. Submissions may be viewed on the 
http://www.regulations.gov Web site by entering the docket number USTR-
2009-0009 in the search field at http://www.regulations.gov.

Business Confidential Submissions

    Persons wishing to submit business confidential information must 
submit that information by electronic mail to [email protected]. 
Business confidential submissions will not be accepted at http://www.regulations.gov; however, public or non-confidential submissions 
that accompany business confidential submissions should be submitted at 
http://www.regulations.gov. For any document containing business 
confidential information submitted as a file attached to an e-mail 
transmission, the file name of the business confidential version should 
begin with the characters ``BC.'' The ``BC'' should be followed by the 
name of the party (government, company, union, association, etc.) that 
is making the submission.
    Persons wishing to submit a business confidential submission must 
also follow each of these steps: (1) Provide a written explanation of 
why the information should be protected in accordance with 15 CFR 
2007.7(b), which must be submitted along with the business confidential 
version of the submission; (2) clearly mark the business confidential 
submission ``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' at the top and bottom of each page 
of the submission; (3) indicate using brackets what information in the 
document is confidential; and (4) submit a non-confidential version of 
the submission, marked ``Public'' at the top and bottom of each page, 
that also indicates, using asterisks, where business confidential 
information was redacted or deleted from the applicable sentences to 
http://www.regulations.gov. Business confidential submissions that are 
submitted without the required markings or are not accompanied by a 
properly marked non-confidential version, as set forth above, might not 
be

[[Page 11143]]

accepted or may be considered public documents. The non-confidential 
summary will be placed in the docket and open to public inspection.
    Public versions of all documents relating to this review will be 
made available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov upon 
completion of processing and no later than approximately two weeks 
after the relevant due date.

Marideth Sandler,
Executive Director, Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Program, 
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
 [FR Doc. E9-5541 Filed 3-13-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W9-P