[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 51 (Friday, March 17, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14231-14232]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-05319]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-227]


 Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act: Impact on U.S. Industries 
and Consumers and on Beneficiary Countries

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Scheduling of public hearing and opportunity to submit 
information in connection with the Commission's 23rd report.

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SUMMARY: The Commission is inviting the public to appear at the public 
hearing and or to submit information in writing in connection with the 
preparation of its 23rd report under section 215 of the Caribbean Basin 
Economic Recovery Act, which requires the Commission to report 
biennially to the Congress and the President by September 30 of each 
reporting year on the economic impact of the Act on U.S. industries and 
U.S. consumers and on the economy of the beneficiary countries. The 
report is being prepared under Commission investigation No. 332-227, 
Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act: Impact on U.S. Industries and 
Consumers and on Beneficiary Countries. The report will cover trade 
during calendar years 2015 and 2016, and will be transmitted to the 
Congress and the President by September 29, 2017.

DATES: 
    April 13, 2017: Deadline for filing requests to appear at the 
public hearing.
    April 20, 2017: Deadline for filing pre-hearing briefs and 
statements.
    May 11, 2017: Public hearing.
    May 18, 2017: Deadline for filing post-hearing briefs and 
statements.
    May 18, 2017: Deadline for filing all other written submissions.
    September 29, 2017: Transmittal of Commission report to Congress 
and the President.

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project Leader Justino De La Cruz 
(202-205-3252 or [email protected]) or Deputy Project Leader 
Heather Wickramarachi (202-205-2699 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 Web site at 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: Section 215(a)(1) of the Caribbean Basin Economic 
Recovery Act (CBERA) (19 U.S.C. 2704(a)(1)) requires that the 
Commission submit biennial reports to the Congress and the President 
regarding the economic impact of the Act on U.S. industries and 
consumers, and on the economy of the beneficiary countries. Section 
215(b)(1) requires that the reports include, but not be limited to, an 
assessment regarding:
    (A) The actual effect, during the period covered by the report, of

[[Page 14232]]

[CBERA] on the United States economy generally, as well as on those 
specific domestic industries which produce articles that are like, or 
directly competitive with, articles being imported into the United 
States from beneficiary countries; and
    (B) the probable future effect which this Act will have on the 
United States economy generally, as well as on such domestic 
industries, before the provisions of this Act terminate.
    The report will cover trade with the 17 beneficiary countries: 
Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British 
Virgin Islands, Cura[ccedil]ao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, 
Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and 
the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.
    Notice of institution of the investigation was published in the 
Federal Register of May 14, 1986 (51 FR 17678). The Commission plans to 
transmit the 23rd report, covering calendar years 2015 and 2016, by 
September 29, 2017.
    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 
May 11, 2017. Requests to appear at the public hearing should be filed 
with the Secretary, no later than 5:15 p.m., April 13, 2017, 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., April 20, 2017; and all post-hearing briefs and statements 
responding to matters raised at the hearing should be filed not later 
than 5:15 p.m., May 18, 2017. In the event that, as of the close of 
business on April 13, 2017, 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 April 13, 2017, 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., May 18, 2017. 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 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 
Office of the Secretary, Docket Services Division (202-205-1802).
    Confidential Business Information: 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 be 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 will not include any confidential business 
information in the report it makes available to the public. However, 
all information, including confidential business information, submitted 
in this investigation may be disclosed to and used: (i) By the 
Commission, its employees and Offices, and contract personnel (a) for 
developing or maintaining the records of this or a related proceeding, 
or (b) in internal investigations, audits, reviews, and evaluations 
relating to the programs, personnel, and operations of the Commission 
including under 5 U.S.C. Appendix 3; or (ii) by U.S. government 
employees and contract personnel for cybersecurity purposes. The 
Commission will not otherwise disclose any confidential business 
information in a manner that would reveal the operations of the firm 
supplying the information.
    Summaries of Written Submissions: The Commission intends to publish 
summaries of positions of interested persons. Persons wishing to have a 
summary of their position included in the report 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. The Commission will 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.

    By order of the Commission.

    Issued: March 13, 2017.
Lisa R. Barton,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2017-05319 Filed 3-16-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7020-02-P