[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 104 (Wednesday, May 30, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24838-24840]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-11574]


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

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

[Docket Numbers USTR-2017-0014, USTR-2018-0006, USTR-2018-0007, USTR-
2018-0008, and USTR-2018-0012]


Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Notice Regarding the 
2018 GSP Annual Product Review and Initiation of Country Practice 
Review of Thailand

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice of hearing and requests to testify and public comments.

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

SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is 
providing notice that petitions submitted in connection with the 2018 
GSP Annual Product Review have been accepted for further review. This 
notice includes the schedule for submission of public comments and the 
dates of a public hearing conducted by the GSP Subcommittee of the 
Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) associated with the review of these 
petitions and products. In addition, USTR is announcing the initiation 
of a country practice review of Thailand's GSP eligibility based on the 
statutory market access criterion.

DATES: 

A. GSP Annual Product Review Dates

    July 3, 2018 at midnight EDT: Deadline for submission of comments, 
pre-hearing briefs, and requests to appear at the July 18th public 
hearing on the 2018 GSP Annual Product Review.
    July 18, 2018 at 10 a.m. EDT: The GSP Subcommittee will convene a 
public hearing on all petitioned product additions, product removals, 
and competitive needs limitation (CNL) waiver petitions that were 
accepted for the 2018 GSP Annual Product Review. The hearing will be 
held in Rooms 1 and 2, 1724 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20508, 
beginning at 10:00 a.m.
    August 8, 2018 at midnight EDT: Deadline for submission of post-
hearing comments or briefs in connection with the GSP Subcommittee 
public hearing.
    September 7, 2018: The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) 
is expected to provide its report to USTR providing advice on the 
probable economic effects of adding products to GSP eligibility, 
removing products from GSP eligibility, and granting CNL waiver 
petitions during the 2018 GSP Annual Product Review. Comments from 
interested parties on the USITC report should be posted on 
www.regulations.gov using Docket Number USTR-2017-0014 (instructions 
for submissions are provided below). Comments are due ten calendar days 
after the publication date of the USITC's public report.
    November 1, 2018: Effective date for any modifications that the 
President proclaims to the list of articles eligible for duty-free 
treatment under GSP resulting from the 2018 Annual Product Review and 
for determinations related to CNL waivers.

B. Thailand Country Practice Review Dates

    June 12, 2018 at midnight EDT: Deadline for submission of comments, 
pre-hearing briefs, and requests with respect to Thailand to appear at 
the June 19th public hearing on the GSP country practice reviews. The 
Federal Register notice of April 27, 2018 (83 FR 18618) specifies the 
relevant deadlines and procedures for India, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan.
    June 19, 2018: The GSP Subcommittee will convene a public hearing 
on the GSP country practice reviews of India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, 
and Thailand in Rooms 1 and 2, 1724 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20508, 
beginning at 10:00 a.m.
    July 17, 2018 at midnight EDT: Deadline for submission of post-
hearing briefs.

ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through 
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments below. The docket number for the 
India review is USTR-2018-0006; the docket number for the Indonesia 
review is USTR-2018-0007; the docket number for the Kazakhstan review 
is USTR-2018-0008; and the docket number for the Thailand review is 
USTR-2018-0012. For alternatives to on-line submissions, please contact 
Yvonne Jamison at (202) 395-3475.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erland Herfindahl, Deputy Assistant 
U.S. Trade Representative for GSP, at (202) 395-2974 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Background

    The GSP program provides for the duty-free importation of 
designated articles when imported from designated beneficiary 
developing countries. The

[[Page 24839]]

GSP program is authorized by Title V of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 
U.S.C. 2461-2467), as amended, and is implemented in accordance with 
Executive Order 11888 of November 24, 1975, as modified by subsequent 
Executive Orders and Presidential Proclamations.

B. Petitions Requesting Modifications of GSP Product Eligibility

    In a notice published in the Federal Register on April 4, 2018 (83 
FR 14540), USTR announced the re-opening of the GSP Annual Review 
originally announced in 2017 and indicated that the GSP Subcommittee 
was prepared to receive petitions to modify the list of products that 
are eligible for duty-free treatment under the GSP program and 
petitions to waive CNLs on imports of certain products from specific 
beneficiary countries.
    The GSP Subcommittee has reviewed the product and CNL waiver 
petitions submitted in response to these announcements, and has decided 
to accept for review several petitions seeking to: Add certain products 
to the list of those eligible for duty-free treatment under GSP; remove 
products from GSP eligibility for certain GSP beneficiary countries; 
waive certain CNLs; deny certain De Minimis CNL waivers; and 
redesignate certain products to GSP eligibility for certain GSP 
beneficiary countries.
    A list of petitions and products accepted for review is posted on 
the USTR website at https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/preference-programs/generalized-system-preferences-gsp/current-reviews/gsp-20172018 under 
the title ``Petitions Accepted in the 2018 GSP Annual Product Review.'' 
This list also can be found at www.regulations.gov in Docket Number 
USTR-2017-0014. Acceptance of a petition indicates only that the TPSC 
found that the subject petition warranted further consideration and 
that a review of the requested action will take place.
    The GSP Subcommittee invites public comments on any petition that 
has been accepted for the 2018 GSP Annual Product Review. The GSP 
Subcommittee also will convene a public hearing on these products and 
petitions. See below for information on how to submit a request to 
testify at this hearing.

C. Notice of Public Hearing for the GSP Product Review

    The GSP Subcommittee will hold a public hearing on July 19, 2018, 
beginning at 10:00 a.m., for products and petitions accepted for the 
2018 GSP Annual Product Review. The hearing will be held at 1724 F 
Street NW, Washington, DC 20508 and will be open to the public. A 
transcript of the hearing will be made available on www.regulations.gov 
approximately two weeks after the hearing.
    All interested parties wishing to make an oral presentation at the 
hearing must submit, following the instructions below, the name, 
address, telephone number, and email address (if available), of the 
witness(es) representing their organization by midnight, July 3, 2018. 
Requests to present oral testimony in connection with the public 
hearing must be accompanied by a written brief or summary statement, in 
English, which also must be received by midnight, July 3, 2018. Oral 
testimony before the GSP Subcommittee will be limited to five-minute 
presentations that summarize or supplement information contained in 
briefs or statements submitted for the record. Post-hearing briefs or 
statements will be accepted if they conform with the regulations cited 
below and are submitted, in English, by midnight, August 8, 2018. 
Parties not wishing to appear at the public hearing may submit pre-
hearing and post-hearing briefs or comments by the aforementioned 
deadlines.

D. Initiation of a Country Practice Review of Thailand

    USTR will lead a review of the eligibility of Thailand for benefits 
under the GSP program. The GSP Subcommittee invites public comments on 
a petition from the National Pork Producers Council alleging that 
Thailand is not meeting the GSP eligibility criterion that requires a 
GSP beneficiary country to assure the United States that it will 
provide equitable and reasonable access to its market (19 U.S.C. 
2462(c)(4)). Thailand's country practice review will be added to the 
previously announced GSP country practice reviews of India, Indonesia, 
and Kazakhstan. As previously announced, the public hearing for these 
reviews is on June 19, 2018. See below for information on how to submit 
a request to testify at this hearing.

E. Notice of Revised Country Practice Public Hearing

    The GSP Subcommittee will hold a public hearing on June 19, 2018, 
beginning at 10:00 a.m., to receive information regarding the country 
practice reviews of India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and Thailand. The 
hearing will be held in Rooms 1 and 2, 1724 F Street NW, Washington, DC 
20508, and will be open to the public and to the press. A transcript of 
the hearing will be available on www.regulations.gov within 
approximately two weeks after the date of the hearing. All interested 
parties wishing to make an oral presentation at the hearing with regard 
to the country practice review of Thailand only must submit, following 
the instructions below, the name, address, telephone number, and email 
address, if available, of the witness(es) representing their 
organization by midnight on June 12, 2018. The Federal Register notice 
of April 27, 2018 (83 FR 18618) specified the relevant deadlines and 
procedures for India, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan.
    Requests to present oral testimony must be accompanied by a written 
brief or summary statement, in English. The GSP Subcommittee will limit 
oral testimony before the GSP Subcommittee to five-minute presentations 
that summarize or supplement information contained in briefs or 
statements submitted for the record. The GSP Subcommittee will accept 
post-hearing briefs or statements if they conform to the requirements 
set out below and are submitted in English, by midnight on July 17, 
2018. Parties not wishing to appear at the public hearing may submit 
pre-hearing and post-hearing briefs or comments by these deadlines. In 
order to be assured of consideration, you must submit all post-hearing 
briefs or statements by the July 17, 2018 deadline to the appropriate 
docket via www.regulations.gov: India (market access): USTR-2018-0006; 
Indonesia (market access; investment and services): USTR-2018-0007; 
Kazakhstan (worker rights): USTR-2018-0008; Thailand (market access): 
USTR-2018-0012. However, if there are new developments or information 
that parties wish to share with the GSP Subcommittee after this date, 
the www.regulations.gov docket will remain open until a final decision 
is made. Post all comments, letters, or other submissions related to 
the appropriate docket listed above via www.regulations.gov.

F. Requirements for Submissions

    Submissions in response to this notice (including requests to 
testify, written comments, and pre-hearing and post-hearing briefs) 
must be submitted by the applicable deadlines set forth in this notice. 
All submissions must be in English and submitted electronically via 
http://www.regulations.gov, using the appropriate docket number. Hand-
delivered submissions will not be accepted. To make a submission using 
http://www.regulations.gov, enter the appropriate docket number in the 
`Search for' field on the home page and click `Search.' The site will 
provide a

[[Page 24840]]

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.' The http://www.regulations.gov website offers the option of providing 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 and, in such cases, that parties 
note `See attached' in the `Type Comment' field on the online 
submission form. At the beginning of the submission, or on the first 
page (if an attachment) should be the following text (in bold and 
underlined): (1) ``2018 Annual Product Review'' or the name of the 
particular Country Practice Review (2) the subject matter or the 
product description and related HTS tariff number; and (3) whether the 
document is a ``Written Comment,'' ``Notice of Intent to Testify,'' 
``Pre-hearing brief,'' or a ``Post-hearing brief.'' Submissions should 
not exceed thirty single-spaced, standard letter-size pages in twelve-
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.
    Each submitter will receive a tracking number upon completion of 
the submissions procedure at http://www.regulations.gov. The tracking 
number will be the submitter's confirmation that the submission was 
received into http://www.regulations.gov. The confirmation should be 
kept for the submitter's records. USTR is not able to provide technical 
assistance for the website. Documents not submitted in accordance with 
these instructions may not be considered in this review. If unable to 
provide submissions as requested, please contact Yvonne Jamison at 
(202) 395-3475.

G. Business Confidential Submissions

    An interested party requesting that information contained in a 
submission be treated as business confidential information must certify 
that the information is business confidential and would not customarily 
be released to the public by the submitter. Confidential business 
information must be clearly designated as such. The submission must be 
marked ``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' at the top and bottom of the cover 
page and each succeeding page, and the submission should indicate, via 
brackets, the specific information that is confidential. Additionally, 
``Business Confidential'' must be included in the `Type Comment' field. 
For any submission containing business confidential information, a non-
confidential version must be submitted separately (i.e., not as part of 
the same submission with the confidential version), indicating where 
confidential information has been redacted. The non-confidential 
version will be placed in the docket and open to public inspection.

H. Public Viewing of Submissions

    Submissions in response to this notice, except for information 
granted business confidential status, will be available for public 
viewing at http://www.regulations.gov upon completion of processing, 
usually within two weeks of the relevant due date or date of the 
submission. Public versions of all documents relating to these reviews 
will be made available for public viewing in the appropriate docket 
number at http://www.regulations.gov upon completion of processing.

Erland Herfindahl,
Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Generalized System 
of Preferences, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2018-11574 Filed 5-29-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3290-F8-P