[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 165 (Thursday, August 25, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58547-58549]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-20054]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Notice of Initiation of 
the 2016/2017 Annual GSP Product and Country Practices Review; Travel 
Goods Supplemental Comment Period and Hearing; Deadlines for Filing 
Petitions

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice of public hearing and request for petitions and 
comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is 
prepared to receive petitions to modify the list of articles that are 
eligible for duty-free treatment under the Generalized System of 
Preferences (GSP) program and to modify the GSP status of certain GSP 
beneficiary developing countries because of country practices. USTR 
also is prepared to receive petitions requesting waivers of competitive 
need limitations (CNLs). In addition, USTR is seeking public comments 
and will convene a public hearing to receive additional information and 
stakeholder views regarding the potential addition of travel and 
luggage goods products for more economically advanced GSP beneficiary 
countries.

DATES: In order to be considered in the 2016/2017 Annual GSP Review, 
the GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) must 
receive petitions by the following deadlines:
    Tuesday, October 4, 2016, 5:00 p.m.: Petitions to modify the list 
of articles eligible for duty-free treatment under GSP.
    Tuesday, October 4, 2016, 5:00 p.m.: Petitions to review the GSP 
status of any beneficiary developing country.
    Friday, December 2, 2016, 5:00 p.m.: Petitions requesting waivers 
of CNLs.
    USTR will not consider petitions submitted after these deadlines. 
Decisions on which petitions are accepted for review, along with a 
schedule for any related public hearings and the opportunity for the 
public to provide comments, will be announced at a later date.

Travel Goods Supplemental Comment Period and Hearing

    A supplemental comment period and hearing will be held to give 
stakeholders the opportunity to submit further information with respect 
to the possible addition of travel and luggage goods items as eligible 
articles for more advanced Beneficiary Developing Countries (BDCs). 
This will supplement information collected during the 2015/2016 Annual 
Review. The schedule for the hearing and public comments is as follows:
    Tuesday, October 4, 2016, 5:00 p.m.: Deadline for submission of 
comments, pre-hearing briefs and requests to appear at the hearing.
    Tuesday, October 18, 2016, 9:30 a.m.: The GSP Subcommittee of the 
TPSC will convene a public hearing on travel and luggage goods in Rooms 
1 and 2, 1724 F Street NW., Washington DC 20508.
    Tuesday, November 1, 2016, 5:00 p.m.: Deadline for submission of 
post-hearing comments or briefs.

ADDRESSES: You should submit written comments through the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. The docket number for 
the 2016/2017 Annual GSP Review is USTR-2016-0009. The docket number 
for the Travel Goods Supplemental Comment Period and Hearing is USTR-
2015-0013. Follow the instructions for submitting comments in section 
III below. If an interested party is unable to provide submissions as 
requested, please contact Naomi Freeman at (202) 395-2974 to arrange 
for an alternative method of transmission.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naomi Freeman at (202) 395-2974 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GSP program provides for the duty-free 
importation of designated articles when imported from designated 
beneficiary developing countries. The GSP program is authorized by 
Title V of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461, et seq.), as amended 
(Trade Act), and is implemented in accordance with Executive Order 
11888 of November 24, 1975, as modified by subsequent Executive Orders 
and Presidential Proclamations.

I. The 2016/2017 Annual GSP Review

    GSP Product Review Petitions: Any interested party, including 
foreign governments, may submit petitions to:
    (1) Designate additional articles as eligible for GSP benefits, 
including to designate articles as eligible for GSP benefits only if 
imported from countries designated as least-developed beneficiary 
developing countries, or only from countries designated as beneficiary 
sub-Saharan African countries under the African Growth and Opportunity 
Act (AGOA);
    (2) Withdraw, suspend or limit the application of duty-free 
treatment accorded under the GSP with respect to any article; and
    (3) Otherwise modify GSP coverage.
    Petitioners seeking to add products to eligibility for GSP benefits 
should note that, as provided in section 503(b) of the Trade Act (19 
U.S.C. 2463(b)), certain articles may not be designated as eligible 
articles under GSP.
    As specified in 15 CFR 2007.1, all petitions must include a 
detailed description of the product and the eight-digit subheading of 
the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) under which 
the product is classified.
    Country Practices Review Petitions: Any interested party may submit 
a petition to review the GSP eligibility of any beneficiary developing 
country with respect to any of the designation criteria listed in 
sections 502(b) and 502(c) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2462(b) and 
(c)).
    Competitive Need Limitations: Any interested party may submit a 
petition seeking a waiver of the 2016 CNL for individual beneficiary 
developing countries with respect to specific GSP-eligible articles 
(these limits do not apply to least-developed beneficiary developing 
countries or AGOA beneficiary countries). Before submitting petitions 
for CNL waivers, prospective petitioners may wish to review the 2016 
year-to-date import trade data for products of interest. This data is 
available via the U.S. International Trade Commission's ``Dataweb'' 
database at http://dataweb.usitc.gov/. For more information on CNLs and 
how they apply to the GSP program, please visit the GSP page of the 
USTR Web site at https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/trade-development/preference-programs/generalized-system-preference-gsp.

II. Travel Goods Supplemental Comment Period and Hearing

    On June 30, 2016, the President designated certain travel and 
luggage goods articles as eligible for duty-free treatment to least-
developed beneficiary developing counties (LDBDCs) and AGOA beneficiary 
countries. A decision regarding other, generally more advanced, 
beneficiary countries was deferred. In making any decision with regard 
to the provision of duty-free treatment for any eligible article from

[[Page 58548]]

any beneficiary country, the President under section 501 of the Trade 
Act (19 U.S.C. 2461) must have due regard for the following factors:
    (1) The effect such action will have on furthering the economic 
development of the developing countries through the expansion of their 
exports;
    (2) The extent to which other major developed countries are 
undertaking a comparable effort to assist developing countries by 
granting generalized preferences with respect to imports of products of 
such countries;
    (3) The anticipated impact of such action on U.S producers of like 
or directly competitive products; and
    (4) The extent of the beneficiary developing countries' 
competitiveness with respect to eligible articles.

In the 2015/2016 GSP Annual Review, the President determined that a 
consideration of these factors justified the immediate provision of 
duty-free treatment to travel and luggage goods from LDBDCs and AGOA 
countries, but that more analysis was needed with respect to such goods 
from other, generally more advanced, beneficiary countries. The request 
for public comments and hearing announced in this notice are intended 
to create an additional formal process to collect supplemental 
information relevant to a decision on whether to extend duty-free 
treatment to this last category of GSP beneficiaries.

    Interested parties need not re-submit information previously 
provided. However, interested parties now have an opportunity to 
provide any new information or analysis with respect to the possible 
further extension of GSP benefits for non-LDBDCs for each of the travel 
and luggage tariff lines under consideration in light of the above 
mentioned statutory criteria.
    USTR aims to conclude its review of luggage and travel goods by 
January 2017.

III. Requirements for Submissions

    All submissions for the 2016/2017 GSP Annual Review and for the 
Travel Goods Supplemental Comment Period and Hearing must conform to 
the GSP regulations set forth at 15 CFR part 2007, except as modified 
below. These regulations are available on the USTR Web site at https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/trade-development/preference-programs/generalized-system-preference-gsp/gsp-program-inf.
    All submissions must be in English and must be submitted 
electronically via http://www.regulations.gov, using docket number 
USTR-2016-0009 for the 2016/2017 GSP Annual Review, or docket number 
USTR-2015-0013 for the Travel Goods Supplemental Comment Period and 
Hearing. USTR will not accept hand-delivered submissions. USTR will not 
accept submissions for review that do not provide the information 
required by Sec. Sec.  2007.0 and 2007.1 of the GSP regulations, except 
upon a detailed showing in the submission that the petitioner made a 
good faith effort to obtain the information required.
    In order to ensure the timely receipt and consideration of 
submissions, USTR strongly encourages submitters to make on-line 
submissions, using the www.regulations.gov Web site. To submit comments 
via www.regulations.gov, enter the docket number for this review--
either USTR-2016-0009 or USTR-2015-0013--on the home page and click 
``search.'' The site will provide a search-results page listing all 
documents associated with this docket. Find a reference to this notice 
by selecting ``Notice'' under ``Document Type'' in the ``Filter Results 
by'' section on the left side of the screen and click on the link 
entitled ``Comment Now.'' For further information on using the 
www.regulations.gov Web site, please consult the resources provided on 
the Web site by clicking on ``How to Use Regulations.gov'' on the 
bottom of the home page.
    The www.regulations.gov Web site allows users to provide comments 
by filling in a ``Type Comment'' field or by attaching a document using 
the ``Upload file(s)'' field. The GSP Subcommittee prefers that 
submissions be provided in an attached document. If a document is 
attached, it is sufficient to type ``See attached'' in the ``Type 
Comment'' field. USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or 
Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If the submission is in an application other than 
those two, please indicate the name of the application in the ``Type 
Comment'' field.
    Submissions must include, at the beginning of the submission or on 
the first page (if an attachment), the following text (in bold and 
underlined): (1) ``2016/2017 GSP Annual Review'' or ``Travel Goods 
Supplemental Comment Period and Hearing'' and (2) the eight-digit HTSUS 
subheading number in which the product is classified (for product 
petitions) or the name of the country (for country practice petitions). 
Interested parties submitting petitions that request action with 
respect to specific products also should list at the beginning of the 
submission, or on the first page (if an attachment) the following 
information: (1) The requested action; and (2) if applicable, the 
beneficiary developing country.
    Submissions should not exceed 30 single-spaced, standard letter-
size pages in 12-point type, including attachments. Any data 
attachments to the submission should be included in the same file as 
the submission itself, and not as separate files. Please do not attach 
separate cover letters to electronic submissions; rather, include any 
information that might appear in a cover letter in the comments 
themselves. Similarly, to the extent possible, please include any 
exhibits, annexes, or other attachments in the same file as the 
submission itself, not as separate files.
    Each submitter will receive a submission tracking number upon 
completion of the submissions procedure at www.regulations.gov that 
will be the submitter's confirmation that the submission was received. 
Submitters should keep the confirmation for their records. USTR is not 
responsible for any delays in a submission due to technical 
difficulties, and is not able to provide any technical assistance for 
the http://www.regulations.gov Web site.
    As noted, USTR strongly urges submitters to use 
www.regulations.gov. Any alternative arrangements must be made with 
Naomi Freeman in advance of submission. You can contact Ms. Freeman at 
(202) 395-2974.
    USTR may not consider for review documents that are not submitted 
in accordance with these instructions.
    Business Confidential Submissions: For any submissions containing 
business confidential information, the file name of the business 
confidential version should begin with the characters ``BC''. Any page 
containing business confidential information must be clearly marked 
``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' on the top of that page. Filers of 
submissions containing business confidential information must also 
submit a public version of their comments. The file name of the public 
version should begin with the character ``P''. The ``BC'' and ``P'' 
should be followed by the name of the person or entity making the 
submission. Name submissions that do not contain business confidential 
information using the name of the person or entity making the 
submission.
    Public Viewing of Review Submissions: Submissions in response to 
this notice, except for information granted ``business confidential'' 
status under 15 CFR 2003.6, will be available for public viewing 
pursuant to 15 CFR 2007.6 at http://www.regulations.gov upon completion 
of processing. You can view a submission by entering the docket number 
USTR-2016-0009 or

[[Page 58549]]

USTR-2015-0013 in the search field at http://www.regulations.gov.

Erland Herfindahl,
Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Generalized System 
of Preferences, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2016-20054 Filed 8-24-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3290-F6-P