[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 166 (Wednesday, August 26, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52637-52638]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-18796]


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

INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-580]


COVID-19 Related Goods: The U.S. Industry, Market, Trade, and 
Supply Chain Challenges; Notice of Institution of Investigation and 
Scheduling of a Public Hearing

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Notice of institution of investigation and scheduling of a 
public hearing.

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

SUMMARY: Following receipt on August 13, 2020, of a joint request from 
the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on 
Finance (the Committees), under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 
1930, the U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission) instituted 
Investigation No. 332-580, COVID-19 Related Goods: The U.S. Industry, 
Market, Trade, and Supply Chain Challenges, for the purpose of 
providing a report that provides detailed information on COVID-related 
industry sectors and particular products identified in Commission inv. 
No. 332-576, COVID-19 Related Goods, U.S. Imports and Tariffs.

DATES: 
    September 11, 2020: Deadline for filing requests to appear at the 
public hearing.
    September 14, 2020: Deadline for filing prehearing briefs and 
statements.
    September 21, 2020: Deadline for filing copies of oral testimony to 
be presented at the hearing.
    September 23, 2020: Public hearing.
    September 30, 2020: Deadline for filing post-hearing briefs and 
statements.
    October 2, 2020: Deadline for filing all other written submissions.
    December 15, 2020: Transmittal of Commission report to the 
Committees.

ADDRESSES: All Commission offices are located in the U.S. International 
Trade Commission Building, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC. All written 
submissions should be submitted electronically and addressed to the 
Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, 
Washington, DC 20436. The public record for this investigation may be 
viewed on the Commission's electronic docket (EDIS) at https://edis.usitc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Co-Project Leader Samantha DeCarlo 
(202-205-3165 or [email protected]) or Co-Project Leader 
Andrew David (202-205-3368 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 website (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.
    Background: As requested by the Committees, the Commission will 
conduct an investigation and prepare a report that provides, to the 
extent practical, the following information:
     A brief overview of key U.S. industry sectors producing 
COVID-related goods, including, but not limited to, medical devices; 
personal protective equipment; and medicines (pharmaceuticals). These 
overviews should include, to the extent practicable, information on 
U.S. production, employment, and trade.
     More detailed case studies on key products within each 
relevant industry sector, such as N95 respirators, ventilators, 
vaccines, and COVID-19 test kits. The Committees stated that they are 
particularly interested in case studies on products for which there 
were reported shortages in the first half of 2020, including those 
affected by supply chain fragility, blockages, or barriers. The 
Committees stated that the case studies should draw upon all available 
information including the relevant literature, and to the extent 
practicable, should include information on:
    [cir] The U.S. industry, market, and trade, including, to the 
extent available:
    [ssquf] An overview of the product, including key components and 
the production process;
    [ssquf] Information on the size and characteristics of the U.S. 
market;

[[Page 52638]]

    [ssquf] An overview of the U.S. manufacturing industry, including 
key producers of finished goods and intermediate inputs, the extent of 
U.S. production, and employment;
    [ssquf] Information on U.S. imports of finished goods and inputs, 
including leading source countries and supplying firms (to the extent 
available); and
    [cir] Information on supply chain challenges and constraints, 
including, but not limited to:
    [ssquf] Information on factors affecting domestic production, 
including, to the extent practicable, regulatory requirements that may 
impact entry into the market; and
    [ssquf] Information on foreign trade barriers and restrictions and 
other factors that may affect U.S. imports of finished goods or inputs 
needed for domestic production.
    The Committees asked that the Commission deliver the report no 
later than December 15, 2020. The Committees stated that they intend to 
make the Commission's report available to the public and asked that the 
report not include any confidential business information.
    Public Hearing: A public hearing in connection with this 
investigation will be held beginning at 9:30 a.m. on September 23, 
2020, using a videoconference platform. More detailed information about 
the hearing, including how to participate, will be posted on the 
Commission's website at (https://usitc.gov/research_and_analysis/what_we_are_working_on.htm). Once on that web page, scroll down to the 
entry for Investigation No. 332-580, COVID-19 Related Goods: The U.S. 
Industry, Market, Trade, and Supply Chain Challenges, and click on the 
link to ``Hearing Information.'' Interested parties should check the 
Commission's website periodically for updates.
    Requests to appear at the public hearing should be filed with the 
Secretary no later than 5:15 p.m., September 11, 2020, in accordance 
with the requirements in the ``Written Submissions'' section below. All 
prehearing briefs and statements should be filed not later than 5:15 
p.m., September 14, 2020, and all post-hearing briefs and statements 
should be filed not later than 5:15 p.m., September 30, 2020. Post-
hearing briefs and statements should address matters raised at the 
hearing. To facilitate the hearing, including the preparation of an 
accurate written transcript of the hearing, oral testimony to be 
presented at the hearing must be submitted to the Commission 
electronically no later than the close of business September 21, 2020. 
In the event that, as of the close of business on September 11, 2020, 
no witnesses are scheduled to appear at the hearing, the hearing will 
be canceled.
    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., October 2, 2020. 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), as temporarily amended by 85 FR 15798 (March 
19, 2020). Under that rule waiver, the Office of the Secretary will 
accept only electronic filings at this time. Filings must be made 
through the Commission's Electronic Document Information System (EDIS, 
https://edis.usitc.gov). No in-person paper-based filings or paper 
copies of any electronic filings will be accepted until further notice. 
Persons with questions regarding electronic filing should contact the 
Office of the Secretary, Docket Services Division (202-205-1802), or 
consult the Commission's Handbook on Filing Procedures.
    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.
    As requested by the Committees, the Commission will not include any 
confidential business information in the report that it sends to the 
Committees. 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 (a) for cybersecurity 
purposes or (b) in monitoring user activity on U.S. government 
classified networks. The Commission will not otherwise disclose any 
confidential business information in a way that would reveal the 
operations of the firm supplying the information.
    Summaries of Written Submissions: Persons wishing to have a summary 
of their position included in the report should include a summary with 
their written submission and should mark the summary as having been 
provided for that purpose. The summary should be clearly marked as 
``summary for inclusion in the report'' at the top of the page. The 
summary may not exceed 500 words, should be in MS Word format or a 
format that can be easily converted to MS Word, 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 list 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: August 21, 2020.
William Bishop,
Supervisory Hearings and Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-18796 Filed 8-25-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P