[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 134 (Wednesday, July 13, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41300-41301]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-17575]


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 INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-527 ]


Probable Economic Effect of Providing Duty-Free, Quota-Free 
Treatment for Imports From Least-Developed Countries, 2012 Report; 
Institution of Investigation

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Following receipt of a request dated June 16, 2011 from the 
United States Trade Representative (USTR), the U.S. International Trade 
Commission (Commission) instituted investigation No. 332-527, Probable 
Economic Effect of Providing Duty-Free, Quota-Free Treatment for 
Imports from Least-Developed Countries, 2012 Report, under section 
332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1332(g)), for the purpose 
of providing a report that contains the Commission's advice as to the 
probable economic effect of providing duty-free, quota-free treatment 
(DFQF) for imports of least-developed countries (LDCs) as outlined in 
the decision on proposal 36 in Annex F of the Hong Kong Ministerial 
Declaration on (i) Industries in the United States producing like or 
directly competitive products, (ii) consumers, (iii) imports under 
specified U.S. preference programs, and (iv) imports from U.S. free 
trade agreement (FTA) partner countries.

DATES: September 16, 2011: Deadline for filing written submissions. 
February 16, 2012: Transmittal of Commission report to the 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: Project Leader Philip Stone, Office of 
Industries (202-205-3424 or [email protected]), or Deputy Project 
Leader Heidi Colby-Oizumi, Office of Industries (202-205-3391 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 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: In his request letter the USTR noted that World Trade 
Organization (WTO) Members reached agreement at the WTO Ministerial 
Conference in Hong Kong in December 2005 to provide DFQF market access 
to products from the LDCs (as defined by the United Nations), and that 
the United States announced it would implement this initiative together 
with the results of the overall negotiations under the Doha Development 
Agenda (DDA). He also noted that his office in 2007 had requested and 
received such an analysis, and indicated that it would be useful to 
have an update of this analysis based on 2010 trade data.
    As requested, the Commission, in providing its advice, will 
consider each article in chapters 1 through 97 of the Harmonized Tariff 
Schedule of the United States (HTS) for which U.S. tariffs or tariff-
rate quotas remain, and preferential tariff treatment currently being 
provided to LDCs under the African Growth and Opportunity Act and the 
Caribbean Basin Initiative programs and that could be provided under 
the Generalized System of Preferences once Congress renews that 
program. As requested, the Commission will base its advice on the 2010 
HTS nomenclature and trade and tariff rate data for that year, and will 
provide its advice at the 8-digit HTS level, or the lowest level of 
aggregation feasible. The Commission will take into account the 2007 
advice, and any appropriate comparisons between the data. Additionally, 
the Commission will, to the extent possible, evaluate the articles in 
chapters 50 through 63 of the HTS to identify (i) Products not 
currently imported from LDCs for which imports could potentially 
increase following the granting of DFQF access and (ii) the possible 
effect of trade diversion on U.S. imports from all countries with which 
the United States has FTAs or preferential trade programs, including 
countries to which the United States is a major exporter of yarns and 
fabrics.

[[Page 41301]]

    The USTR asked that the Commission provide its report no later than 
February 16, 2012. He also indicated that the Commission's report 
should be classified and marked accordingly, and that he considers the 
Commission's report to be an inter-agency memorandum that will contain 
pre-decisional advice and be subject to the deliberative process 
privilege.
    Written Submissions: No public hearing is planned. Interested 
parties are invited to submit written submissions concerning this 
investigation. All written submissions should be addressed to the 
Secretary, and should be received not later than 5:15 p.m., September 
16, 2011. 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 requires that a signed original (or a copy so 
designated) and fourteen (14) copies of each document be filed. In the 
event that confidential treatment of a 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 authorize filing submissions with the Secretary by 
facsimile or electronic means only 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 (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 
for inspection by interested parties. The Commission may include some 
or all of the confidential business information submitted in the course 
of the investigation in the report it sends to the USTR.

    Issued: July 8, 2011.

    By order of the Commission.
James R. Holbein,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2011-17575 Filed 7-12-11; 8:45 am]
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