[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 211 (Friday, October 31, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64834-64835]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-25926]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-550]


Trade and Investment Policies in India, 2014-2015

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Institution of investigation and scheduling of hearing.

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SUMMARY: Following receipt on September 25, 2014, of a joint request 
from the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on 
Finance (Committees) under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 
U.S.C. 1332(g)), the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC, or 
Commission) instituted investigation No. 332-550, Trade and Investment 
Policies in India, 2014-2015.

DATES: 
    March 24, 2015: Deadline for filing request to appear at the public 
hearing.
    March 26, 2015: Deadline for filing pre-hearing briefs and 
statements.
    April 7, 2015: Public hearing.
    April 14, 2015: Deadline for filing post-hearing briefs and 
statements.
    June 2, 2015: Deadline for filing all other written submissions.
    September 24, 2015: Transmittal of Commission report to the 
Committees.

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 Leaders James Stamps (202-205-
3227 or [email protected]) or Deputy Project Leader Jeff Okun-
Kozlowicki (202-205-5991 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 their request letter the Committees noted that the 
Commission is in the process of completing an investigation and report 
on India's trade, investment, and industrial policies covering the 
period 2003 through mid-2014 (Commission investigation No. 332-543, 
Trade, Investment, and Industrial Policies in India: Effects on the 
U.S. Economy). The Committees also noted the recent national elections 
in India and the formation of a new Bharatiya Janata Party-led 
government.
    As stated in the letter, in light of the new government and the 
Committees' interest in receiving the most comprehensive and up-to-date 
information possible, the Committees asked the Commission to conduct a 
second investigation concerning any significant changes since the first 
USITC investigation to India's industrial policies that discriminate 
against U.S. trade and investment. As requested by the Committees, the 
Commission will include in its report for the second investigation:
     Information about any significant changes by the new 
Indian government to the trade and investment policies identified in 
the Commission's first report (which is to be delivered to the 
Committees by December 15, 2014); and
     Information on any new relevant trade and investment 
policies and practices in India, focusing on the period from mid-2014. 
The Committees asked that the Commission deliver its second report by 
September 24, 2015. The Committees also noted that they intend to make 
the Commission's report available to the public and asked that the 
report not contain any confidential business information.
    Public Hearing: A public hearing in connection with this 
investigation will be held at the U.S. International Trade Commission 
Building, 500 E Street SW., Washington, DC, beginning at 9:30 a.m. on 
April 7, 2015. Requests to appear at the public hearing should be filed 
with the Secretary, no later than 5:15 p.m., March 24, 2015, in 
accordance with the requirements in the ``Submissions'' section below. 
All pre-hearing briefs and statements should be filed not later than 
5:15 p.m., March 26, 2015; and all post-hearing briefs and statements 
should be filed not later than 5:15 p.m., April 14, 2015. In the event 
that, as of the close of business on March 24, 2015, 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 March 24, 2015, 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 this investigation. All written submissions should be 
addressed to the Secretary, and should be received not later than 5:15 
p.m., June 2, 2015. 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 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 p.m. 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).
    The Commission intends to publish summaries of the positions of 
interested persons in an appendix to its report. Persons wishing to 
have a summary of their position included in the appendix should 
include a summary with their written submission. The summary may not 
exceed 500 words, should be in MSWord format or a format that can be 
easily converted to MSWord, and should not include any confidential 
business information. The summary will be published as provided if it 
meets these requirements and is germane to the subject matter of the 
investigation. In the appendix the Commission will

[[Page 64835]]

identify the name of the organization furnishing the summary, and will 
include a link to the Commission's Electronic Document Information 
System (EDIS) where the full written submission can be found. 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 its request letter, the 
Committees stated that they intend to make the Commission's report 
available to the public, and asked that the Commission not include any 
confidential business information in the report that it sends to the 
Committees. 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.

    Issued: October 28, 2014.

    By order of the Commission.
Lisa R. Barton,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2014-25926 Filed 10-30-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P