[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 167 (Thursday, August 27, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53018-53020]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-18889]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-579]


Lobsters: Effects of the Canada-EU Trade Agreement on the U.S. 
Industry; Institution of Investigation and Scheduling of Hearing

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

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

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SUMMARY: Following receipt of a request dated July 29, 2020 from the 
U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act 
of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1332(g)), the U.S. International Trade Commission 
(Commission) instituted investigation No. 332-579: Lobsters: Effects of 
the Canada-EU Trade Agreement on the U.S. Industry.

DATES: 
    September 15, 2020: Deadline for filing requests to appear at the 
public hearing.
    September 17, 2020: Deadline for filing pre-hearing briefs and 
statements.
    September 28, 2020: Deadline for filing electronic copies of oral 
hearing statements.
    October 1, 2020: Public hearing.
    October 16, 2020: Deadline for filing post-hearing briefs and 
statements.
    October 16, 2020: Deadline for filing all other written 
submissions.
    January 29 2021: Transmittal of Commission report to the USTR.

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 must 
be submitted electronically and 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 Commission's electronic docket (EDIS) at https://edis.usitc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project Leader Christopher Robinson 
(202-205-2602 or [email protected]) or Deputy Project 
Leader Amelia Shister (202-205-2047 or [email protected]) for 
information specific to this investigation. For information on the 
legal aspects of these investigations, 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 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.
    Background: In his letter, the USTR stated that the President, on 
June 24, 2020, issued a Memorandum on Protecting the United States 
Lobster

[[Page 53019]]

Industry (Memorandum). He indicated that the Memorandum states, in 
part, that U.S. exports of lobster to the European Union (EU) appear to 
have been significantly and negatively affected by the recent 
implementation of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) 
between Canada and the European Union. The Memorandum directed the USTR 
to request that the Commission provide a report that details any 
negative effects of the CETA on the United States lobster industry. The 
Memorandum requires the USTR to submit the report to the President, 
and, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of 
Commerce, recommend appropriate actions that may. be taken to minimize 
or eliminate any negative effects identified in the Commission's 
report.
    Accordingly, the USTR, under authority delegated by the President 
and pursuant to section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 
1332(g)), requested that the Commission conduct an investigation and 
prepare a report that details any. negative effects of the CETA on the 
United States lobster industry.
    More specifically, the USTR asked that the Commission's report 
contain:
     An overview of the U.S. and Canadian lobster industries, 
including information on production/catch levels, employment, 
processing capacity, supply chains, prices, domestic consumption, and 
key factors that affect industry competitiveness;
     A description of trends in lobster exports from the U.S. 
and Canada to the EU and the United Kingdom (UK), as well as other 
major destination markets, including but not limited to China, over the 
last five years, covering the period before and after implementation of 
the CETA;
     Information on the tariff treatment of U.S. and Canadian 
exports of lobster to the EU, the UK, and other major destination 
markets, including China, since the implementation of the CETA; and
     A quantitative assessment of the economic effects of the 
CETA on the volume of U.S. exports of lobster to the EU and the UK.
    The USTR asked that the Commission transmit its report not later 
than six months after receipt of the request, and the Commission will 
transmit its report by January 29, 2021. The USTR also stated that he 
intends to make the Commission's report available to the public in its 
entirety and asked that the report not include any confidential 
business information.
    Public Hearing: A public hearing in connection with this 
investigation will be held via an online videoconferencing platform, 
beginning at 9:30 a.m. on October 1, 2020. Information about how to 
participate in or view the hearing, 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. 332-579, Lobsters: Effects of the Canada-EU 
Trade Agreement on the U.S. Industry, and click on the link to 
``hearing instructions.'' All written submissions in connection with 
the investigation must be submitted in electronic form. Requests to 
appear at the public hearing should be filed with the Secretary, no 
later than 5:15 p.m., September 15, 2020 in accordance with the 
requirements in the ``Submissions'' section below. Persons appearing at 
the hearing must file, with the Secretary, a copy of the oral statement 
they plan to present at the hearing no later than 5:15 p.m., September 
28, 2020. All pre-hearing briefs and statements should be filed no 
later than 5:15 p.m., September 17, 2020; and all post-hearing briefs 
and statements should be filed no later than 5:15 p.m., October 16, 
2020. In the event that, as of the close of business on September 15, 
2020, no witnesses are scheduled to appear at the hearing, the hearing 
will be canceled. Any person interested in attending the hearing as an 
observer or nonparticipant should contact the Office of the Secretary 
at 202-205-2000 after September 15, 2020, for information concerning 
whether the hearing will be held.
    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 16, 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 USTR, the Commission will not include any 
confidential business information in the report that it sends to the 
USTR or 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 in an appendix to the 
report. Persons wishing to have a summary of their position included in 
the report should include a summary with their written submission, 
titled ``Public Summary,'' and should mark the summary as having been 
provided for that purpose. The summary may not exceed 500 words, should 
be in 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 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.


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    By order of the Commission.

    Issued: August 24, 2020.
Lisa Barton,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2020-18889 Filed 8-26-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P