[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 206 (Tuesday, October 26, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65700-65702]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-27093]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Notice Regarding the 
2010 Annual Product Review: Acceptance of Product Petitions

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 2010 GSP Annual Review to 
modify the list of products that are eligible for duty-free treatment 
under the GSP program (``2010 GSP Annual Product Review''). This notice 
announces the petitions accepted for review and sets the date of the 
public hearing and schedule for submitting comments on the petitions, 
requests to participate in the public hearing, pre-hearing and post-
hearing briefs, and comments on the U.S. International Trade 
Commission's (USITC) report on probable economic effects. The petitions 
accepted for review are listed below. More information on these 
petitions can

[[Page 65701]]

be found at: http://www.ustr.gov/node/6058 and at http://
www.regulations.gov, Docket Number USTR-2010-0017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tameka Cooper, GSP Program, Office of 
the United States Trade Representative, 600 17th Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20508. The telephone number is (202) 395-6971, the fax 
number is (202) 395-9674, 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 
notice published in the Federal Register. The schedule for the 2010 GSP 
Annual Product Review is set forth below. Notice of any other changes 
will be published in the Federal Register.
    November 18, 2010--Due date for submission of pre-hearing briefs 
and requests to appear at the GSP Subcommittee Public Hearing on all 
product petitions accepted for the 2010 GSP Annual Product Review.
    November 30, 2010--GSP Subcommittee Public Hearing on all product 
petitions accepted for the 2010 GSP Annual Product Review, to be held 
in Rooms 1 and 2, 1724 F St., NW., Washington, DC 20508, beginning at 
9:30 a.m.
    December 13, 2010--Due date for submission of product petition 
post-hearing briefs.
    February 2011--The USITC is scheduled to issue a confidential 
report to USTR providing advice on the potential impacts on U.S. 
industry and consumers based on the product petitions accepted in the 
2010 GSP Annual Product Review. USTR has directed USITC to then publish 
a public version of that report as soon as possible. Comments on that 
public version are due 10 calendar days after the date of USITC's 
publication of that version.
    June 30, 2011--Modifications to the list of articles eligible for 
duty-free treatment under the GSP resulting from the 2010 Annual Review 
will be announced on or about June 30, 2011, in the Federal Register, 
and any changes will take effect on the effective date announced. 
Notification of any changes to this date will be published in the 
Federal Register.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GSP program provides for the duty-free 
importation of designated 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.

Petitions Requesting Modifications of Product Eligibility

    In a notice published in the Federal Register on July 15, 2010 (75 
FR 41274), USTR announced that the deadline for the filing of product 
petitions, other than those requesting waivers of ``competitive need 
limitations'' (CNLs), for the 2010 GSP Annual Review was August 3, 
2010. The deadline for the filing of product petitions requesting 
waivers of the CNLs was announced to be November 16, 2010.
    The product petitions that were received in response to this notice 
requested modifications to the list of GSP-eligible products by adding 
new products for eligibility from all GSP beneficiaries, or by removing 
products from eligibility when imported from all or 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 following product 
petitions:
    (1) A petition submitted by Exxel Outdoors, Inc., of Haleyville, 
Alabama for withdrawal from GSP eligibility of certain types of 
sleeping bags (9404.30.80 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the 
United States (HTS)); and
    (2) A petition submitted by the Pressure Sensitive Tape Council of 
Naperville, Illinois, and others, for withdrawal from GSP eligibility, 
from Indonesia only, of two types of self-adhesive plastic tape (HTS 
3919.10.20 and 3919.10.50).
    More information on these two petitions can be found in ``List of 
Petitions Accepted in the 2010 GSP Annual Product Review'' posted on 
the USTR Web site (http://www.ustr.gov/node/6058) and available on 
Regulations.gov docket number USTR-2010-0017. That list sets forth, for 
each type of change requested: the case number, the HTS subheading 
number(s), a brief description of the product (see the HTS available on 
the U.S. International Trade Commission Web site http://www.usitc.gov/tata/hts/ for an authoritative description), 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.
    The GSP Subcommittee of the TPSC invites interested persons to 
testify at the public hearing, based on receipt of requests to testify, 
and comments in support of or in opposition to any petition which has 
been accepted for the 2010 GSP Annual Product 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 HTS subheading number, if applicable, as shown 
in the ``List of Petitions Accepted in the 2010 GSP Product Annual 
Review'' referenced above.

Requirements for Submissions

    Submissions in response to this notice (including requests to 
testify, written comments, and pre-hearing briefs) must be submitted 
electronically by 5 p.m., Thursday, November 18, 2010, or by 5 p.m., 
Monday, December 13, 2010 (post-hearing briefs and statements only) 
using http://www.regulations.gov, docket number USTR-2010-0017. 
Instructions for submitting business confidential versions are provided 
below. Hand-delivered submissions will not be accepted. Submissions 
must be submitted in the English language to the Chairman of the GSP 
Subcommittee, Trade Policy Staff Committee, by the applicable deadlines 
set forth in this notice.
    To make a submission using http://www.regulations.gov, enter docket 
number USTR-2010-0017 on the home page in the ``Enter keyword or ID'' 
field on the right side of the screen. The site will provide a search-
results page listing all documents associated with this docket. Locate 
the reference to this notice by selecting ``Notices'' under ``Document 
Type''. In the results table below, click on the ``Send a Comment'' 
balloon that corresponds to this notice. Follow the instructions given 
on the screen to submit the comment. The http://www.regulations.gov 
website offers the option of providing comments by filling in a ``Type 
Comment'' field or by attaching a document. While both options are 
acceptable, USTR prefers submissions in the form of an attachment.
    Comments must be in the English language, with the total submission 
not to 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.

[[Page 65702]]

    Any person or party making a submission is strongly advised to 
review the GSP regulations and GSP Guidebook (both of which are 
available at: http://www.ustr.gov/trade-topics/trade-development/preference-programs/generalized-system-preference-gsp/gsp-program-inf)

Business Confidential Submissions

    A person requesting that information contained in a comment 
submitted by that person be treated as confidential business 
information must certify that such information is business confidential 
and would not customarily be released to the public by the submitter. 
Confidential business information must be clearly designated as such, 
the submission must be marked ``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' at the top and 
bottom of the cover page and each succeeding page, and the submission 
should indicate, via brackets, the specific information that is 
confidential. Additionally, ``Business Confidential'' must be included 
in the ``Type Comment & Upload File'' field. Submit your Business 
Confidential version as a separate document from the public version. 
Anyone submitting a comment containing business confidential 
information must also submit as a separate submission a non-
confidential version of the confidential submission, indicating where 
confidential information has been redacted. The non-confidential 
version will be placed in the docket and open to public inspection.

Notice of Public Hearing

    A hearing will be held by the GSP Subcommittee of the TPSC on 
Tuesday, November 30, 2010, for product petitions accepted for the 2010 
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. The hearing will be open to the public, and a transcript of 
the hearing 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, consistent with the ``Requirements for 
Submissions'' set out above, the name, address, telephone number, 
facsimile number, and e-mail address (if available), of the witness(es) 
representing their organization to William Jackson, Chair of the GSP 
Subcommittee, by 5 p.m., Thursday, November 18, 2010. Requests to 
present oral testimony in connection with the public hearing must be 
accompanied by a written brief or statement, in the English language, 
and also must be received by 5 p.m., Thursday, November 18, 2010. 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 the English language, by 5 p.m., Monday, 
December 13, 2010, consistent with the ``Requirements for Submissions'' 
set out above. Parties not wishing to appear at the public hearing may 
submit pre-hearing briefs or statements, in the English language, by 5 
p.m., November 18, 2010, and post-hearing written briefs or statements, 
in the English language, by 5 p.m., December 13, 2010, also in 
accordance with the ``Requirements for Submissions'' set out above.

Receipt of Advice From the USITC

    With respect to the petitions for removal included in the ``List of 
Product Petitions Accepted in the 2010 GSP Annual Review,'' and in 
accordance with authority delegated to the U.S. Trade Representative by 
the President, the U.S. Trade Representative has requested, pursuant to 
section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930, that the USITC provide its 
advice on the probable economic effect of such removals on U.S. 
industries producing like or directly competitive articles and on total 
U.S. imports and U.S. consumers. Comments by interested persons on the 
USITC Report prepared as part of the product review (other than those 
requesting CNL waivers) should be submitted to USTR by 5 p.m., 10 
calendar days after the date of USITC publication of the public version 
of its report.

William D. Jackson,
Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Generalized System 
of Preferences, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2010-27093 Filed 10-25-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W1-P