[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 66 (Wednesday, April 6, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19854-19855]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-07211]



[[Page 19854]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of Industry and Security

[Docket No. 220217-0051]
RIN 0694-XC089


Request for Public Comments on Supply Chain Issues To Support the 
U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council Secure Supply Chains Working Group

AGENCY: Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) requests public 
comments regarding how to advance supply chain resilience and security 
in key sectors: Semiconductors; solar photovoltaics; \1\ critical 
minerals and materials including rare earth magnets,\2\ lithium-ion 
batteries,\3\ and material inputs to semiconductors; \4\ and 
pharmaceuticals \5\ to inform the work of the United States-European 
Union (EU) Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Secure Supply Chains 
Working Group. The Working Group is tasked with increasing transparency 
of supply and demand, mapping respective existing sectoral 
capabilities, exchanging information on policy measures and research 
and development priorities, and cooperating on strategies to promote 
supply chain resilience and diversification.
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    \1\ Solar photovoltaics include materials and production tools 
for the manufacturing of solar components.
    \2\ Critical minerals include neodymium and dysprosium.
    \3\ Critical minerals include lithium, cobalt, class 1 nickel, 
manganese, and graphite.
    \4\ Critical minerals include gallium and germanium.
    \5\ Drug and Biologic Essential Medicines, Medical 
Countermeasures, and Critical Inputs.

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DATES: The due date for filing comments is May 23, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Submissions: You may submit comments, identified by docket 
number BIS-2021-0046 or RIN 0694-XC089, through the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. To submit comments via https://www.regulations.gov, enter the docket number BIS-2021-0046 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 and click the button entitled ``Comment.'' For further 
information on using https://www.regulations.gov, please consult the 
resources provided on the website by clicking on ``FAQ.'' For further 
information regarding required comment formatting, please see the 
Solicited Written Comments and Requirements for Written Comments 
sections below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Coyne, U.S.-EU Trade and 
Technology Council Secure Supply Chains Working Group, Bureau of 
Industry and Security, at 202-482-4933, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On June 15, 2021, President Joe Biden and European Commission 
President Ursula von der Leyen launched the U.S.-EU Trade and 
Technology Council at the U.S.-EU Summit in Brussels, Belgium. 
Together, the United States and the European Union account for a 
quarter of global trade and almost half of global gross domestic 
product, with U.S.-EU two-way trade in goods and services amounting to 
$1.1 trillion in 2019. In support of the continuing growth of U.S.-EU 
trade and cooperation, the TTC serves as a forum for the United States 
and the European Union to coordinate approaches to key global trade, 
economic, and technology issues, and to deepen transatlantic trade and 
economic relations based on shared democratic values.
    The main goals of the TTC are to expand and deepen bilateral trade 
and investment; avoid new technical barriers to trade; cooperate on key 
policies regarding technology, digital issues and supply chains; 
support collaborative research; cooperate on the development of 
compatible and international standards; cooperate on regulatory policy 
and enforcement; and promote innovation and leadership by U.S. and EU 
firms. The TTC's ten working groups provide a framework for tackling 
challenges and advancing work aligned with some of our shared trade and 
technology priorities. These include cooperation on technology 
standards; global trade challenges and supply chain security; climate 
and clean technology; Information and Communications Technology (ICT) 
security and competitiveness; data governance and technology platforms; 
the misuse of technology threatening security and human rights; export 
controls; investment screening; and access to, and use of, digital 
technologies by small and medium enterprises.
    On September 29, 2021, the U.S.-EU TTC met for the first time. The 
United States and the European Union reaffirmed the TTC's objectives to 
coordinate approaches to key global technology, economic, and trade 
issues; to deepen transatlantic trade and economic relations; and base 
policies on shared democratic values. Under the TTC's Secure Supply 
Chains Working Group, the United States and the European Union seek to 
maintain close cooperation on resilient and trusted supply chains that 
will foster common economic and security goals and strengthen 
capacities to respond decisively to international disasters and 
emergencies.
    With regard to semiconductors, on September 29, 2021, the United 
States and the European Union released a statement as part of the TTC, 
which affirmed the importance of promoting transparency in the 
semiconductor supply chain in partnership with industry and all 
relevant stakeholders, jointly identifying gaps and vulnerabilities, 
mapping capacity in the semiconductor value chain, strengthening our 
domestic semiconductor ecosystems, avoiding a subsidy race to the 
bottom, and reducing strategic dependencies throughout the supply chain 
through diversification and increased investment.
    Alongside the dedicated track on semiconductors, the Secure Supply 
Chains Working Group's initial focus is on solar photovoltaics, 
critical minerals and materials, and pharmaceuticals. In connection 
with these sectors, the Secure Supply Chains Working Group seeks to:
    a. Increase visibility and transparency of supply and demand;
    b. map respective existing sectoral capabilities;
    c. exchange information on policy measures and research and 
development priorities; and
    d. cooperate on strategies to promote supply chain resilience, 
security, and diversification.

Solicited Written Comments

    BIS welcomes public comments on how best to achieve the four 
primary tasks of the Secure Supply Chains Working Group described 
above. While BIS invites input from all interested parties, it is 
particularly interested in obtaining information from foreign and 
domestic entities that actively participate in semiconductors, solar 
photovoltaics, critical minerals and materials, and pharmaceuticals 
supply chains. Interested parties are invited to submit written 
comments, data, analyses, or information pertinent to this request to 
BIS no later than May 23, 2022.

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Requirements for Written Comments

    The https://www.regulations.gov website allows users to provide 
comments by filling in a ``Type Comment'' field, or by attaching a 
document using an ``Upload File'' field. The Department prefers that 
comments be provided in an attached document. The Department prefers 
supplemental submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc files) or Adobe 
Acrobat (.pdf files). If the submission is in an application format 
other than Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or Adobe Acrobat, please 
indicate the name of the application in the ``Type Comment'' field. 
Please do not attach separate cover letters to electronic submissions; 
rather, include any information that might appear in a cover letter 
within the comments. Similarly, to the extent possible, please include 
any exhibits, annexes, or other attachments in the same file, so that 
the submission consists of one supplemental file instead of multiple 
additional files. Comments (both public comments and non-confidential 
versions of comments containing business confidential information) will 
be placed in the docket and open to public inspection. Comments may be 
viewed on https://www.regulations.gov by entering docket number BIS-
2021-0046 in the search field on the home page.
    All filers should name their files using the name of the person or 
entity submitting the comments. Anonymous comments are also accepted. 
Communications from agencies of the United States Government will not 
be made available for public inspection. Anyone submitting business 
confidential information should clearly identify the business 
confidential portion at the time of submission, file a statement 
justifying nondisclosure and refer to the specific legal authority 
claimed, and provide a non-confidential version of the submission. The 
non-confidential version of the submission will be placed in the public 
file on https://www.regulations.gov. For comments submitted 
electronically containing business confidential information, the file 
name of the business confidential version should begin with the 
characters ``BC.'' Any page containing business confidential 
information must be clearly marked ``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' on the top 
of that page. The non-confidential version must be clearly marked 
``PUBLIC.'' The file name of the non-confidential version should begin 
with the character ``P.'' The ``BC'' and ``P'' should be followed by 
the name of the person or entity submitting the comments or rebuttal 
comments. If a public hearing is held in support of this assessment, a 
separate Federal Register notice will be published providing the date 
and information about the hearing.
    BIS does not maintain a separate public inspection facility. 
Requesters should first view the BIS's web page, which can be found at 
https://efoia.bis.doc.gov/ (see ``Electronic FOIA'' heading). If 
requesters cannot access the website, they may call 202-482-0795 for 
assistance. The records related to this assessment are made accessible 
in accordance with the regulations published in part 4 of title 15 of 
the Code of Federal Regulations (15 CFR 4.1 through 4.11).

Thea D. Rozman Kendler,
Assistant Secretary for Export Administration.
[FR Doc. 2022-07211 Filed 4-5-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-33-P