[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 3, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23079-23080]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06975]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

[Docket Number USTR-2024-0002]


Additional Hearings and Extension of Post-Hearing Comment Period: 
Request for Comments on Promoting Supply Chain Resilience

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice of additional public hearings and extension of post-
hearing comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) 
will hold additional public hearings to inform objectives and 
strategies that advance U.S. supply chain resilience in trade 
negotiations, enforcement, and other initiatives, and is extending the 
period for submission of post-hearing comments.

DATES: You must submit comments and responses in accordance with the 
following schedule:
    April 24, 2024: Due date for filing requests to appear and a 
summary of expected testimony at the additional public hearings.
    May 14, 2024: USTR will convene a public hearing at the Minnesota 
Department of Employment and Economic Development, Great Northern 
Building, Jerome Hill Auditorium, 180 East Fifth Street, St. Paul, MN 
55101, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
    May 23, 2024: USTR will convene a virtual public hearing beginning 
at 10:00 a.m.
    May 28, 2024: USTR will convene a public hearing in the Ted Weiss 
Federal Office Building, 30th Floor Conference Center, Conference Room 
2, 290 Broadway, New York, NY 10007, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
    June 4, 2024: Extended due date for submission of post-hearing 
written comments in response to testimony provided at any of the four 
public hearings in this proceeding.

ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through 
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov 
(Regulations.gov). The instructions for submitting comments are in 
sections IV and V below. The docket number is USTR-2024-0002. For 
alternatives to on-line submissions, please contact Sandy McKinzy at 
(202) 395-9483 in advance of the deadline.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Special Counsel Victor Ban at (202) 
395-5962 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    On March 7, 2024, USTR requested comments to inform objectives and 
strategies that advance U.S. supply chain resilience in trade 
negotiations, enforcement, and other initiatives. In outlining a new 
trade policy vision promoting resilience, the notice explained that 
resilient supply chains provide a range of sourcing options; adapt, 
rebound, and recover with agility following shocks; uphold labor rights 
and environmental protections; and strengthen the U.S. manufacturing 
base and workforce. To help achieve these objectives, the notice sought 
information on developing sector-specific policy tools, strengthening 
domestic manufacturing and services, collaborating with like-minded 
trading partners and allies, and measuring resilience, among other 
topics. The notice also stated that ``USTR may arrange regional 
hearings or meetings subsequent to the public hearing'' scheduled to 
begin on May 2, 2024, at the U.S. International Trade Commission. See 
89 FR 16608.

II. Additional Hearing Participation

    USTR invites participation at these additional public hearings:
     May 14, 2024: USTR will convene a public hearing at the 
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Great 
Northern Building, Jerome Hill Auditorium, 180 East Fifth Street, St. 
Paul, MN 55101, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
     May 23, 2024: USTR will convene a virtual public hearing 
beginning at 10:00 a.m.
     May 28, 2024: USTR will convene a public hearing in the 
Ted Weiss Federal Office Building, 30th Floor Conference Center, 
Conference Room 2, 290 Broadway, New York, NY 10007, beginning at 10:00 
a.m.
    Any person wishing to testify at one of the additional hearings 
must submit requests to appear by April 24, 2024. The request to appear 
at the additional hearings must specify the starting date of the 
relevant hearing and include a summary of testimony, and may be 
accompanied by a pre-hearing submission. To allow for possible 
questions from USTR staff, remarks at the additional hearings may be 
subject to time limits, to be communicated by USTR to witnesses in 
advance of the hearings. No witness may offer testimony at more than 
one public hearing.
    Additionally, USTR will permit members of the public to observe 
remotely both the hearing to be convened by USTR at the U.S. 
International Trade Commission beginning on May 2, 2024, and the 
virtual hearing to be convened by USTR beginning on May 23, 2024. Audio 
and video access to both hearings will be provided at www.ustr.gov/live. Testimony at the hearing to be held at the U.S. International 
Trade Commission must be delivered in-person, in accordance with the 
procedures outlined in the initial notice. See 89 FR 16608.

III. Post-Hearing Comments

    In light of the additional public hearings, USTR will extend the 
due date for submission of post-hearing written comments from May 16, 
2024, to June 4, 2024.\1\ Additionally, although the March 7, 2024 
notice (89 FR 16608), specified that only ``persons who testified at 
the public hearing'' beginning on May 2, 2024, could submit post-
hearing written comments, USTR will permit any person to submit post-
hearing comments, so long as the comments respond to testimony provided 
at any of the four public hearings in this proceeding.
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    \1\ Except for this extension, this notice does not modify any 
of the deadlines established in the initial notice of March 7, 2024. 
See 89 FR 16608.
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IV. Requirements for Submissions

    To be assured of consideration, submit any request to appear at the

[[Page 23080]]

additional hearings by the April 24, 2024 deadline, and any post-
hearing written comments by the June 4, 2024 deadline. All submissions 
must be in English. USTR strongly encourages submissions via 
Regulations.gov. The docket number is USTR-2024-0002.
    To submit via Regulations.gov, use Docket Number USTR-2024-0002 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 `refine documents results' section on the 
left side of the screen and click on the link entitled `comment.' 
Regulations.gov allows users to make submissions by filling in a `type 
comment' field, or by attaching a document using the `upload file' 
field. USTR prefers that you provide submissions in an attached 
document named according to the following protocol, as appropriate: 
Commenter Name or Organization_Supply Chain Resilience. If you provide 
submissions in an attached document, please type `see attached 
comments' in the `comment' field on the online submission form.
    Requests to appear at an additional hearing must include the name, 
address, email address, and telephone number of the person presenting 
the testimony in the `type comment' field. Attach a summary of the 
testimony specifying the relevant additional hearing, and a pre-hearing 
submission if provided, by attaching a document using the `upload file' 
field. The file name should include the name of the person who will be 
presenting the testimony. In addition, please submit a request to 
appear by email to [email protected]. The subject line of the 
email must begin with the starting date of the relevant additional 
hearing in the format `May 14' followed by the name of the person who 
will be presenting the testimony, and then `Request to Appear'. In the 
body of the email, include the name, address, email address, and 
telephone number of the person presenting testimony.
    USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat 
(.pdf). If you use an application other than those two, please indicate 
the name of the application in the `type comment' field.
    Please include any information that might appear in a cover letter, 
exhibits, annexes, or other attachments in the same file as the comment 
itself, rather than submitting them as separate files.
    Please include the name, email address, and telephone number of an 
individual USTR can contact if there are issues or questions with the 
submission.
    You will receive a tracking number upon completion of the 
submission procedure at Regulations.gov. The tracking number is 
confirmation that Regulations.gov received your submission. Keep the 
confirmation for your records. USTR is not able to provide technical 
assistance for Regulations.gov.
    For further information on using Regulations.gov, please consult 
the resources provided on the website by clicking on `How to Use 
Regulations.gov' on the bottom of the home page. You can contact the 
Regulations.gov help desk at [email protected] or 1-866-498-
2945 for help with technical questions on submitting comments on 
Regulations.gov.
    If you are unable to submit through Regulations.gov after seeking 
assistance from the help desk, please contact Sandy McKinzy at (202) 
395-9483 before transmitting your document and in advance of the 
deadline to arrange for an alternative method of transmission. USTR 
will not accept hand-delivered submissions. USTR may not consider 
submissions that you do not make in accordance with these instructions.
    General information concerning USTR is available at https://www.ustr.gov.

V. Business Confidential Information (BCI) Submissions

    If you ask USTR to treat information you submit as BCI, you must 
certify that the information is business confidential and that you 
would not customarily release it to the public. For any comments 
submitted electronically containing BCI, the file name of the business 
confidential version should begin with the characters `BCI.' You must 
clearly mark any page containing BCI with `BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL' on 
the top of that page. Filers of submissions containing BCI also must 
submit a public version that will be placed in the docket for public 
inspection. The file name of the public version should begin with the 
character `P.' Follow the `BCI' and `P' with the name of the individual 
or organization submitting the comments.

VI. Public Viewing of Review Submissions

    USTR will post written submissions in the docket for public 
inspection, except properly designated BCI. You can view comments on 
Regulations.gov by entering Docket Number USTR-2024-0002 in the search 
field on the home page.

Juan Millan,
Acting General Counsel, Office of the United States Trade 
Representative.
[FR Doc. 2024-06975 Filed 4-2-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3390-F4-P