[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 97 (Tuesday, May 20, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28948-28949]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-11581]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-352]


Andean Trade Preference Act: Impact on the U.S. Economy and on 
Andean Drug Crop Eradication

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Notice of opportunity to submit comments in connection with the 
16th report on the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Section 206 of the ATPA (19 U.S.C. 3204) requires the 
Commission to report biennially to the Congress by September 30 of each 
reporting year on the economic impact of the Act on U.S. industries and 
U.S. consumers, as well as on the effectiveness of the Act in promoting 
drug related crop eradication and crop substitution efforts by 
beneficiary countries. The Commission prepares these reports under 
investigation No. 332-352, Andean Trade Preference Act: Impact on the 
U.S. Economy and on Andean Drug Crop Eradication.

DATES: June 24, 2014: Deadline for filing written submissions.
    September 30, 2014: Transmittal of Commission report to Congress.

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: Justino De La Cruz (202-205-3252, or 
[email protected]), Country and Regional Analysis Division, 
Office of Economics, U.S. International Trade Commission, Washington, 
DC 20436. 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 Peg O'Laughlin, Public Affairs Officer (202-205-1819 or 
[email protected]). General information concerning the 
Commission may be obtained by accessing its internet server (http://www.usitc.gov).
    Background: Section 206 of the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) 
(19 U.S.C. 3204) requires that the Commission submit biennial reports 
to the Congress regarding the economic impact of the Act on U.S. 
industries and consumers and, in conjunction with other agencies, the 
effectiveness of the Act in promoting drug-related crop eradication and 
crop substitution efforts of the beneficiary countries. Section 206(b) 
of the Act requires that each report include:
    (1) The actual effect of ATPA on the U.S. economy generally as well 
as on specific domestic industries which produce articles that are 
like, or directly competitive with, articles being imported under the 
Act from beneficiary countries;
    (2) the probable future effect that ATPA will have on the U.S. 
economy generally and on such domestic industries; and
    (3) the estimated effect that ATPA has had on drug-related crop 
eradication and crop substitution efforts of beneficiary countries.
    Notice of institution of this investigation for preparing these 
reports was published in the Federal Register of March 10, 1994 (59 FR 
11308). This 16th report, covering 2012-2013, the period since the 
previous report, is to be submitted by September 30, 2014. During the 
period covered by this 16th report, only Colombia and Ecuador were 
beneficiary countries eligible for preferential treatment, and only for 
part of the period covered by the report. Colombia's designation as a 
beneficiary country was terminated on May 15, 2012, when the United 
States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement entered into force; imports 
from Ecuador ceased to be eligible for preferential treatment after 
July 31, 2013, when the authority for such treatment expired.
    Written Submissions: Interested parties are invited to file written 
submissions containing information and views relating to the subject 
matter of the investigation. All written submissions should be 
addressed to the Secretary, and should be received not later than 5:15 
p.m., June 24, 2014. All written submissions must conform to the 
provisions of section 201.8 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedure (19 C.P.R. 201.8). Section

[[Page 28949]]

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 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.
    Congressional committee staff has indicated that the receiving 
committees intend to make the Commission's report available to the 
public in its entirety, and has asked that the Commission not include 
any confidential business information or national security classified 
information in the report that the Commission sends to the Congress. 
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.

    By order of the Commission.

    Issued: May 14, 2014.
Lisa R. Barton,
Secretary of the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2014-11581 Filed 5-19-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P