[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 47 (Tuesday, March 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 13973]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04827]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

[Docket Number USTR-2020-0010]


Field Hearings Regarding Trade Distorting Policies That May Be 
Affecting Seasonal and Perishable Products in U.S. Commerce

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice of public hearing and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) 
and the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture will convene public 
hearings in Florida and Georgia to hear firsthand from interested 
persons on trade distorting policies that may be causing harm to U.S. 
seasonal and perishable producers (namely, of fresh fruits and 
vegetables) and contributing to unfair pricing in the U.S. market, and 
to solicit feedback on how the Administration can better support these 
producers and redress any unfair harm.

DATES: 

Field Hearing Dates and Locations

    April 7, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. EST: Grimes Family Agricultural Center, 
2508 W Oak Avenue, Plant City, Florida 33563.
    April 9, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. EST: Rainwater Conference Center, 1 
Meeting Place, Valdosta, Georgia 31601.

Submission Deadlines

    March 19, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EST: Deadline for submission of 
requests to appear at either of the field hearings.
    March 26, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EST: Deadline for submission of 
hearing statements and written comments.

ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through 
the Federal eRulemaking portal: http://www.regulations.gov 
(Regulations.gov). Follow the instructions for submission in section II 
below. The docket number is USTR-2020-0010. For alternatives to online 
submissions, please contact Trey Forsyth in advance of the submission 
deadline at (202) 395-8583.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions, questions 
regarding the field hearings, or to request special accommodations, 
please contact Trey Forsyth at (202) 395-8583.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    USTR and the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture will convene 
public hearings in Florida and Georgia to hear firsthand from 
interested persons regarding trade distorting policies that may be 
affecting seasonal and perishable products in U.S. commerce. The 
hearings are open to the public, but space may be limited. Accordingly, 
attendees will be accommodated on a first come, first served basis.
    USTR invites comments and supporting documentation from interested 
persons on the following issues:
     Trade distorting policies that may be contributing to 
unfair pricing in the U.S. market and causing harm to U.S. seasonal and 
perishable producers in U.S. commerce.
     How the Administration can better support these producers 
and redress unfair harm.

II. Hearing Participation--Submission Requirements

    To appear and provide testimony at either of the field hearings, 
you must submit a request to do so by the March 19, 2020, 11:59 p.m. 
EST deadline.
    All parties who wish to testify also must submit the statement they 
intend to present at the hearing by the March 26, 2020, 11:59 p.m. EST 
deadline. Remarks at the hearing will be limited to five minutes, and 
might be further limited if circumstances warrant, to allow adequate 
time for questions from the panel.
    Interested parties who do not want to appear at the hearing may 
submit comments by the March 26 deadline.
    To submit a request to appear and provide testimony, go to 
www.regulations.gov. To make a submission via Regulations.gov, enter 
docket number USTR-2020-0010 in the `search for' field 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.' In the ``comment'' field on the next page, 
identify the hearing at which you would like to testify and provide the 
full name, address, email address, and telephone number of the person 
who wishes to present the testimony.
    To submit a written statement, the Regulations.gov website allows 
users to provide comments by filling in a `type comment' field or by 
attaching a document using the `upload file(s)' field. USTR prefers 
that you provide submissions in an attached document. The file name 
should include the name of the person who will be presenting the 
testimony, or if not testifying, the name of the person submitting the 
statement. The name of the presenter also should be clear in the 
content of the file itself. All submissions must be in English and be 
prepared in (or be compatible with) Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe 
Acrobat (.pdf) formats. Include any data attachments to the submission 
in the same file as the submission itself, and not as separate files.
    For additional information on using the Regulations.gov website, 
please consult the resources provided on the website by clicking on 
`how to use this site' on the left side of the home page.
    You must clearly designate business confidential information (BCI) 
by marking the submission `BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL' at the top and bottom 
of the cover page and each succeeding page, and indicating, via 
brackets, the specific information that is confidential.
    A submitter requesting that USTR treat information in a submission 
as BCI must certify that the information is business confidential and 
would not customarily be released to the public by the submitter.
    You must include `business confidential' in the `type comment' 
field, and must add `business confidential' to the end of your file 
name for any attachments.
    For any submission containing BCI, you also must attach a separate 
non-confidential version (i.e., not as part of the same submission with 
the BCI version), indicating where confidential information has been 
redacted. USTR will place the non-confidential version in the docket 
and it will be available for public inspection.
    USTR may not accept BCI submissions that do not have the required 
markings, or are not accompanied by a properly marked non-confidential 
version, and may consider the submission to be a public document.
    Submissions responding to this notice, except for information 
granted BCI status, will be available for public viewing at 
Regulations.gov upon completion of processing. You can view submissions 
by entering docket number USTR-2020-0010 in the search field at 
Regulations.gov.

Joseph Barloon,
General Counsel, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2020-04827 Filed 3-9-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3290-F0-P