[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 223 (Tuesday, November 19, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69438-69440]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-27575]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-542, Investigation No. 332-544, Investigation 
No. 332-545, Investigation No. 332-546]


AGOA: Trade and Investment Performance Overview; AGOA: Economic 
Effects of Providing Duty-Free Treatment for Imports, U.S. AGOA Rules 
of Origin: Possible Changes To Promote Regional Integration and 
Increase Exports to the United States; EU-South Africa FTA: Impact on 
U.S. Exports to South Africa

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Institution of investigations, scheduling of public hearing, 
and opportunity to provide written submissions.

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SUMMARY: Following receipt of a request dated September 30, 2013 
(received October 17, 2013) from the United States Trade Representative 
(USTR) under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 
1332(g)), the U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission) 
instituted four investigations for the purpose of providing the 
requested information: investigation No. 332-542, AGOA: Trade and 
Investment Performance Overview; investigation No. 332-544, AGOA: 
Economic Effects of Providing Duty-Free Treatment for Imports; 
investigation No. 332-545, U.S. AGOA Rules of Origin: Possible Changes 
to Promote Regional Integration and Increase Exports to the United 
States; and investigation No. 332-546, EU-South Africa FTA: Impact on 
U.S. Exports to South Africa.

DATES: 
December 13, 2013: Deadline for filing requests to appear at the public 
hearing.
December 17, 2013: Deadline for filing pre-hearing briefs and 
statements.
January 14, 2014: Public hearing.
January 21, 2014: Deadline for filing post-hearing briefs and 
statements.
January 21, 2014: Deadline for filing all other written submissions.
April 17, 2014: Transmittal to USTR of Commission reports on 
investigation Nos. 332-542, 332-544, and 332-546.
April 30, 2014: Transmittal to USTR of report on Commission 
investigation No. 332-545.

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 these investigations may be viewed on the Commission's electronic 
docket (EDIS) at https://edis.usitc.gov/edis3-internal/app.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information with respect to 
specific investigations:
    (1) Investigation No. 332-542, Project Leader Joanna Bonarriva 
(202-205-3312 or [email protected]) or Deputy Project Leader 
Joanne Guth (202-205-3264 or [email protected]);
    (2) Investigation No. 332-544, Project Leader Kathryn Lundquist 
(202-205-2563 or [email protected]) or Deputy Project Leader 
Andrew David (202-205-3368 or [email protected]);
    (3) Investigation No. 332-545, Project Leader Deborah McNay (202-
205-3425 or [email protected]) or Deputy Project Leader Heidi 
Colby-Oizumi (202-205-3391 or [email protected]);
    (4) Investigation No. 332-546, Project Leader David Riker (202-205-
2201 or [email protected]) or Deputy Project Leader Kyle Johnson 
(202-205-3229 or [email protected]).
    For information on the legal aspect of each of these 
investigations, 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: As requested, the Commission has instituted four 
investigations for the purpose of providing four reports as follows:

[[Page 69439]]

 Investigation No. 332-542, AGOA: Trade and Investment Performance 
Overview

    In its first report (investigation No. 332-542), the Commission 
will, as requested by the USTR, address the following topics for sub-
Saharan African countries, as defined in the African Growth and 
Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.) (AGOA), and, where applicable, 
those AGOA beneficiary countries that are designated as lesser 
developed beneficiary countries, covering the period 2000-13:
     AGOA trade performance, utilization and competitiveness 
factors, including (1) a review of the literature on the AGOA 
preference program, in terms of expanding and diversifying the exports 
of AGOA beneficiary countries to the United States, compared to 
preference programs offered by third parties such as the EU; (2) 
identification of non-crude petroleum sectors (i.e., manufacturing and 
agricultural) in AGOA beneficiary countries in which exports to the 
United States, under AGOA and under the U.S. Generalized System of 
Preferences program, have increased the most, in absolute terms, since 
2000, and the key factors behind this growth; (3) a description of the 
main factors affecting AGOA trade in the principal non-crude petroleum 
products that AGOA beneficiary countries export and that the United 
States principally imports from non-sub-Saharan African sources; and 
(4) based on a review of literature, identification of products with 
potential for integration into regional or global supply chains, and 
export potential to the United States under AGOA, as well as factors 
that affect AGOA beneficiary countries' competitiveness in these 
sectors.
     AGOA's effects on the business and investment climate in 
sub-Saharan Africa, including (1) the identification and description of 
changes, if any, in the business and investment climates in sub-Saharan 
African countries since 2000, including removal of barriers to domestic 
and foreign investment; and (2) a description of U.S. goods and 
services-related investment trends in sub-Saharan African countries 
since 2000 and a comparison of these trends with investments by other 
countries in sub-Saharan African countries, including investments by 
the EU, China, Brazil, and India, and identification of any links 
between these investment trends and the AGOA program.
     Current or potential reciprocal trade agreements between 
sub-Saharan African and non-sub-Saharan African partners and the 
relationship of these agreements to the objectives of AGOA, including 
(1) a list of reciprocal trade agreements that sub-Saharan African 
countries have completed or are under negotiation, a brief description 
of areas covered or likely to be covered under the agreements, and 
identification of U.S. sectors/products impacted or potentially 
impacted, including any tariff differentials; and (2) examples of 
developing countries that have moved from unilateral trade preferences 
to reciprocal trade agreements, and any effects of the change for the 
developing country in terms of expansion and diversification of its 
trade.
    The Commission will deliver this first report to the USTR by April 
17, 2014. The USTR also stated that it intends to make this report 
public.

Investigation No. 332-544, AGOA: Economic Effects of Providing Duty-
Free Treatment for Imports

    In its second report the Commission will, as requested by the USTR, 
provide an assessment of the economic effects of providing duty-free 
treatment for imports of products from AGOA beneficiary countries on 
U.S. industries producing like or directly competitive products and on 
U.S. consumers. The report will include an assessment of the economic 
effect on U.S. industries and consumers of imports of articles already 
eligible for duty-free treatment under AGOA, as well as an assessment 
of the probable economic effect on U.S. industries and consumers of the 
extension of duty-free treatment to the remaining articles in chapters 
1 through 97 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 
(HTS). The assessment will take into account implementation of U.S. 
commitments in the World Trade Organization and will be based on the 
HTS in effect during 2013 and trade data for 2012.
    The Commission will provide this second report to the USTR by April 
17, 2014. The USTR stated that this report will be classified.

 Investigation No. 332-545, U.S. AGOA Rules of Origin: Possible Changes 
To Promote Regional Integration and Increase Exports to the United 
States

    As requested by the USTR, in its third report the Commission will, 
to the extent practicable, identify possible changes to the rules of 
origin under AGOA that could have the potential to promote regional 
integration and increase exports to the United States, and the leading 
manufactured or processed goods (non-petroleum) which might benefit 
from such changes.
    The Commission will provide this third report to the USTR by April 
30, 2014. The USTR stated that this report will be classified.

Investigation No. 332-546, EU-South Africa FTA: Impact on U.S. Exports 
to South Africa

    As requested by the USTR, in its fourth report the Commission will, 
to the extent practicable, provide an assessment of the impact of the 
EU-South Africa Free Trade Agreement on U.S. exports to South Africa.
    This analysis will also identify the U.S. sectors/products with 
potential for increased U.S. exports if South Africa were to reduce its 
MFN tariffs for those U.S. products to the tariff levels of the EU-
South Africa FTA.
    The Commission will provide this fourth report to the USTR by April 
17, 2014. The USTR stated that this report will be classified.
    The USTR indicated that those sections of the Commission's three 
confidential reports that relate to assessments and analyses will be 
classified. The USTR also indicated that he considers the Commission's 
three confidential reports to be inter-agency memoranda that will 
contain pre-decisional advice and be subject to the deliberative 
process privilege.
    Public Hearing: A public hearing in connection with these 
investigations 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 14, 2014. Requests to appear at the public hearing should be 
filed with the Secretary no later than 5:15 p.m., December 13, 2013. 
All pre-hearing briefs and statements should be filed no later than 
5:15 p.m. December 17, 2013; and all post-hearing briefs and statements 
should be filed no later than 5:15 p.m. January 21, 2014. All such 
briefs and statements should otherwise comply with the filing 
requirements in the ``Submissions'' section below. In the event that, 
as of the close of business on December 13, 2013, 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 should contact the Office of the Secretary at 202-205-
2000 after December 13, 2013, 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 file written submissions 
concerning any of the four investigations. Each written submission 
should identify the one or more of the four investigations to which the 
submission relates. All written submissions should be addressed to the

[[Page 69440]]

Secretary, and should be received not later than 5:15 p.m., January 21, 
2014. All written submissions 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 and the Commission's Handbook on Filing 
Procedures require that interested parties file documents 
electronically on or before the filing deadline and submit eight (8) 
true paper copies by 12:00 noon eastern time on the next business day. 
In the event that confidential treatment of a document is requested, 
interested parties must file, at the same time as the eight paper 
copies, at least four (4) additional true paper copies in which the 
confidential information must be deleted (see the following paragraph 
for further information regarding confidential business information). 
Persons with questions regarding electronic filing should contact the 
Secretary (202-205-2000).
    Any submissions that contain confidential business information 
(CBI) 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. In his request letter the USTR said that it is the intent of 
his office to make the Commission's report in the first investigation, 
No. 332-542 AGOA: Trade and Investment Performance Overview, available 
to the public in its entirety, and asked that the Commission not 
include any confidential business information or national security 
classified information in the report that it sends to the USTR. Any 
confidential business information received by the Commission in this 
investigation and used in preparing this report will not be published 
in a manner that would reveal the operations of the firm supplying the 
information. The Commission may include some or all of the confidential 
business information submitted in the course of investigation Nos. 332-
544, 332-545, and 332-546 in the reports it sends to the USTR in those 
investigations. The Commission will not otherwise publish any 
confidential business information in a manner that would reveal the 
operations of the firm supplying the information.

    By order of the Commission.

    Issued: November 13, 2013.
Lisa R. Barton,
Acting Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2013-27575 Filed 11-18-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P