[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 150 (Friday, August 3, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38176-38177]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-16610]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-352]


Andean Trade Preference Act: Impact on U.S. Industries and 
Consumers and on Drug Crop Eradication and Crop Substitution

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Notice of opportunity to submit information relating to matters 
to be addressed in the Commission's 18th report on the impact of the 
Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA).

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SUMMARY: Section 206 of the ATPA 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 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 U.S. Industries and 
Consumers and on Drug Crop Eradication and Crop Substitution.

DATES: August 16, 2018: Deadline for filing written submissions. 
September 30, 2018: 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 Commissions electronic 
docket (EDIS) at https://edis.usitc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information specific to this 
investigation may be obtained from Edward Wilson, Project Leader, 
Office of Economics ([email protected] or 202-205-3268). For 
information on the legal aspects of this investigation, contact William 
Gearhart of the Commission's Office of the General Counsel 
([email protected] or 202-205-3091). The media should contact 
Peg O'Laughlin, Office of External Relations 
([email protected] or 202-205-1819). 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 (https://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 206 of the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) 
(19 U.S.C. 3204) 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, 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.
    Under the statute the Commission is required to prepare this report 
regardless of whether preferential treatment was provided during the 
period covered by the report. The President's authority to provide 
preferential treatment under ATPA expired on July 31, 2013. During the 
period to be covered by this report, calendar years 2016 and 2017, no 
imports entering the United States should have received preferential 
treatment under the ATPA program.
    The Commission will submit its report by September 30, 2018. The 
initial notice announcing institution of this investigation for the 
purpose of preparing these reports was published in the Federal 
Register of March 10, 1994 (59 FR 11308). Notice providing opportunity 
to file written submissions in connection with the seventeenth report 
was published in the Federal Register of August 23, 2016 (81 FR 57613).
    Written Submissions: 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., August 16, 2018. 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 https://www.usitc.gov/secretary/documents/handbook_on_filing_procedures.pdf 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

[[Page 38177]]

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 is 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 that it sends to the Congress or the 
President or that 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 the 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: July 30, 2018.
Lisa Barton,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2018-16610 Filed 8-2-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7020-02-P