[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 130, 114th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9384 of December 23, 2015

To Modify the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

1. On September 9, 2012, leaders of the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) economies agreed to reduce applied tariff rates to 5
percent or less by the end of 2015 on 54 environmental goods. On
November 19, 2015, leaders of the APEC economies reaffirmed that
commitment.
2. Section 103(a) of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and
Accountability Act of 2015 (19 U.S.C. 4202(a)), authorizes the
President, under certain circumstances, to proclaim such modification of
any existing duty as the President determines to be required or appro

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priate to carry out an agreement entered into in accordance with section
103(a). The President may proclaim such modification provided that the
modification does not reduce the rate of duty to a rate that is less
than 50 percent of the rate of such duty that applied on June 29, 2015.
3. Section 502 of the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015
authorizes the President to exercise the authority under section
103(a)(1)(B) of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and
Accountability Act of 2015 to implement an agreement by members of APEC
to reduce any rate of duty on certain environmental goods included in
Annex C of the APEC Leaders' Declaration issued on September 9, 2012.
4. The United States applies duties to imports of certain environmental
goods included in Annex C of the APEC Leaders' Declaration issued on
September 9, 2012, of 8 percent, 5.6 percent, and 6.7 percent, the same
rates that applied on June 29, 2015. On September 9, 2012, the United
States agreed to cut applied duties on these environmental goods to 5
percent. The United States reaffirmed that commitment on November 19,
2015.
5. Section 604 of the Trade Act of 1974 (the ``1974 Act'') (19 U.S.C.
2483) authorizes the President to embody in the Harmonized Tariff
Schedule of the United States (HTS) the substance of the relevant
provisions of that Act, and of other Acts affecting import treatment,
and actions thereunder, including removal, modification, continuance, or
imposition of any rate of duty or other import restriction.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States of America, including but not limited to
section 103(a) of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and
Accountability Act of 2015, section 502 of the Protecting Americans from
Tax Hikes Act of 2015, and section 604 of the 1974 Act, do proclaim
that:
(1) In order to reduce the applied tariff rates of the United States
to the level agreed upon by APEC leaders, the HTS is modified as set
forth in the Annex to this proclamation.
(2) The modifications to the HTS set forth in the Annex to this
proclamation shall be effective with respect to goods entered, or
withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after December 31, 2015.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of
December, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
fortieth.
BARACK OBAMA


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