[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 89 (Thursday, May 7, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27261-27262]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-09781]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

[Docket Number USTR-2020-0019]


Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Notice Regarding the 
2020 GSP Annual Product Review

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) 
has accepted petitions submitted in connection with the 2020 GSP Annual 
Product Review for further review. Due to COVID-19, the GSP 
Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee will foster public 
participation via written submissions rather than an in-person hearing. 
This notice includes the schedule for submission of comments and 
responses to questions from the GSP Subcommittee, on all petitions that 
USTR accepted for the 2020 GSP Annual Product Review.

DATES: 
    May 27, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EDT: Deadline for submission of written 
comments on petitions accepted for the 2020 GSP Annual Product Review.
    June 16, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EDT: Deadline for the GSP Subcommittee 
to pose questions on written comments.
    June 30, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EDT: Deadline for submission of 
commenters' responses to questions from the GSP Subcommittee.
    July 10, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EDT: Deadline for replies from other 
interested parties to the written comments and responses to questions.
    July 22, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EDT: Deadline for the GSP Subcommittee 
to pose additional questions on written comments.
    August 5, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EDT: Deadline for submission of 
responses to any additional questions from the GSP Subcommittee.

ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through 
the Federal eRulemaking portal: http://www.regulations.gov 
(Regulations.gov). Follow the instructions for submitting comments 
below. The docket number is USTR-2020-0019. For alternatives to online 
submissions, please contact Claudia Chlebek in advance of the relevant 
deadline at [email protected] or 202-395-2974.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Claudia Chlebek at [email protected] or 
202-395-2974.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Background

    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. 2461-2467), 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

    On March 2, 2020 (85 FR 12381), USTR announced the 2020 GSP Annual 
Review to consider petitions to modify the list of products that are 
eligible for duty-free treatment under the GSP program and petitions to 
waive competitive need limitations (CNLs) on imports of certain 
products from specific beneficiary countries. The GSP Subcommittee 
considered the product and CNL waiver petitions submitted in response 
to this announcement.
    USTR has decided to accept for review several petitions seeking to 
add or remove products from GSP eligibility for all GSP beneficiary 
countries. USTR posted a list of petitions and products accepted for 
review on the USTR website at: https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/IssueAreas/gsp/2020_GSP_Annual_Review-Petitions_Accepted_for_Review.pdf 
under the title ``2020 GSP Annual Review--Petitions Accepted for 
Review. You also can find this list at Regulations.gov in Docket Number 
USTR-2020-0019. Acceptance of a petition only indicates that the 
subject of the petition warranted further consideration and that a 
review of the requested action will take place. The U.S. International 
Trade Commission also will review the selected petitions and provide a 
report to USTR on the probable economic effects of adding or removing 
products from GSP eligibility during the 2020 GSP Annual Review. The 
President will proclaim any modifications to the list of articles 
eligible for duty-free treatment under the GSP resulting from the 2020 
GSP Annual Product Review by November 1, 2020.

C. Public Participation

    Due to COVID-19, the GSP Subcommittee will foster public 
participation via written submissions rather than an in-person hearing 
on all petitions USTR accepted for the 2020 GSP Annual Product Review. 
USTR invites public comments on these petitions according to the 
schedule set out in the Dates section above. The GSP Subcommittee will 
review comments and replies to comments, if any, and may ask clarifying 
questions to commenters. The GSP Subcommittee will post the questions 
it asks on the public docket, other than questions that include 
properly designated business confidential information (BCI). USTR will 
send questions that include properly designated BCI to the relevant 
commenters by email, and will not post

[[Page 27262]]

these questions on the public docket. Replies to questions that contain 
BCI must follow the procedures in section E below.

D. Requirements for Submissions

    To ensure consideration, interested parties must submit comments 
and responses to GSP Subcommittee questions electronically via 
Regulations.gov by the applicable deadlines in the DATES section above. 
The docket number is USTR-2020-0019. All submissions must be in 
English. USTR will not accept hand-delivered submissions.
    To submit a comment using Regulations.gov, enter docket number 
USTR-2020-0019 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.' Regulations.gov offers the option of providing 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 and, in such cases, that you write `see 
attached' in the `type comment' field, on the online submission form. 
At the beginning of the submission, include the following text: (1) 
2020 GSP Annual Product Review; (2) the relevant product's HTSUS tariff 
number; (3) organization name; and (4) whether the document is a 
comment, a reply to a comment, or an answer to a GSP Subcommittee 
question. Written comments should not exceed 30 single-spaced, standard 
letter-size pages in 12-point type, including attachments. Include any 
data attachments to the submission in the same file as the submission 
itself, and not as separate files.
    When you complete the submission procedure at Regulations.gov, you 
will receive a tracking number confirming successful transmission into 
Regulations.gov. USTR is not able to provide technical assistance for 
Regulations.gov. USTR may not consider documents that you do not submit 
in accordance with these instructions. If unable to provide submissions 
as requested, please contact Claudia Chlebek in advance of the relevant 
deadline at [email protected] or 202-395-2974.

E. Business Confidential (BCI) Submissions

    An interested party requesting that USTR treat information 
contained 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 clearly designate BCI by marking the 
submission ``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' at the top and bottom of the cover 
page and on each succeeding page, and indicating, via brackets, the 
specific information that is BCI. Additionally, you must include 
`business confidential' in the `type comment' field and add the 
designation BCI to the end of the file name for any attachments. For 
any submission containing BCI, you must separately submit a 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 post the non-confidential version in the docket for 
public inspection.

F. 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 
Regulations.gov upon completion of processing, usually within two weeks 
of the relevant due date or the date of the submission. USTR will make 
public versions of all documents relating to these reviews available 
for public viewing in docket number USTR-2020-0019 at Regulations.gov 
upon completion of processing.

Edward Gresser,
Chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States 
Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2020-09781 Filed 5-6-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3290-F0-P