[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 48 (Monday, March 12, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14568-14569]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-5916]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-503]


Earned Import Allowance Program: Evaluation of the Effectiveness 
of the Program for Certain Apparel from the Dominican Republic, Third 
Annual Review

AGENCY: U.S. International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Notice of opportunity to provide written comments in connection 
with the Commission's third annual review.

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[[Page 14569]]

SUMMARY: The U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission) has 
announced its schedule, including deadlines for filing written 
submissions, in connection with the preparation of its third annual 
review in investigation No. 332-503, Earned Import Allowance Program: 
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Program for Certain Apparel from 
the Dominican Republic, Third Annual Review.

DATES: April 12, 2012: Deadline for filing written submissions.
    July 26, 2012: Transmittal of third report to House Committee on 
Ways and Means and Senate Committee on Finance.

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, 
including requests to appear at the hearing, statements, and briefs, 
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://edis.usitc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project Leader Laura Rodriguez (202-
205-3499 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: Section 404 of the Dominican Republic-Central America-
United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (DR-CAFTA Act) 
(19 U.S.C. 4112) required the Secretary of Commerce to establish an 
Earned Import Allowance Program (EIAP) and directed the Commission to 
conduct annual reviews of the program for the purpose of evaluating its 
effectiveness and making recommendations for improvements. Section 404 
of the DR-CAFTA Act authorizes certain apparel articles wholly 
assembled in an eligible country to enter the United States free of 
duty if accompanied by a certificate that shows evidence of the 
purchase of certain U.S. fabric. The term ``eligible country'' is 
defined to mean the Dominican Republic. More specifically, the program 
allows producers (in the Dominican Republic) that purchase a certain 
quantity of qualifying U.S. fabric for use in the production of certain 
bottoms of cotton in the Dominican Republic to receive a credit that 
can be used to ship a certain quantity of eligible apparel using third 
country fabrics from the Dominican Republic to the United States free 
of duty.
    Section 404(d) directs the Commission to conduct an annual review 
of the program for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of the 
program and making recommendations for improvements. The Commission is 
required to submit its reports containing the results of its reviews to 
the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on 
Finance. The Commission submitted its report on its first annual review 
(USITC Publication 4175) on July 28, 2010, its report on its second 
annual review (USITC Publication 4246) on July 22, 2011, and it expects 
to submit its report on its third annual review by July 26, 2011.
    The Commission instituted this investigation pursuant to section 
332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 to facilitate docketing of submissions 
and also to facilitate public access to Commission records through the 
Commission's EDIS electronic records system.
    Submissions: Interested parties are invited to file written 
submissions concerning this third annual review. All written 
submissions should be addressed to the Secretary and must conform to 
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. If 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 to 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 
is 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 intends to publish only a public report in this 
review. Consequently, the report that the Commission sends to the 
committees 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: March 7, 2012.
James R. Holbein,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2012-5916 Filed 3-9-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P