81 FR 40347 - Probable Economic Effect of Certain Modifications to the U.S.-Chile FTA Rules of Origin

INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 119 (June 21, 2016)

Following receipt on May 24, 2016, of a request from the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), under authority delegated by the President and pursuant to section 103(a) of the United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the Act) (19 U.S.C. 3805 note), the Commission instituted investigation No. U.S.-Chile FTA-103-029, Probable Economic Effect of Certain Modifications to the U.S.-Chile FTA Rules of Origin.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 119 (Tuesday, June 21, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40347-40348]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-14618]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. U.S.-Chile FTA-103-029]


Probable Economic Effect of Certain Modifications to the U.S.-
Chile FTA Rules of Origin

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Institution of investigation and notice of opportunity to 
provide written comments.

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SUMMARY: Following receipt on May 24, 2016, of a request from the U.S. 
Trade Representative (USTR), under authority delegated by the President 
and pursuant to section 103(a) of the United States-Chile Free Trade 
Agreement Implementation Act (the Act) (19 U.S.C. 3805 note), the 
Commission instituted investigation No. U.S.-Chile FTA-103-029, 
Probable Economic Effect of Certain Modifications to the U.S.-Chile FTA 
Rules of Origin.

DATES: July 11, 2016: Deadline for filing written submissions.
    August 24, 2016: Transmittal of Commission report to 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 
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://www.usitc.gov/secretary/edis.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project leader Laura Rodriguez (202-
205-3499 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 
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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: In his request letter (received May 24, 2016), the USTR 
stated that U.S. negotiators have recently reached agreement in 
principle with representatives of the government of Chile on 
modifications to the FTA rules of origin. He said that the proposed 
modifications are the result of determinations that U.S. and Chilean 
producers are unable to produce rayon filament yarns in commercial 
quantities in a timely manner. The USTR noted that section 
202(o)(2)(B)(i) of the Act authorizes the President, subject to the 
consultation and layover requirements of section 103(a) of the Act, to 
proclaim such modifications to the rules of origin provisions as are 
necessary to implement an agreement with Chile pursuant to Article 
3.20.5 of the Agreement. He noted that one of the requirements set out 
in section 103(a) of the Act is that the President obtain advice 
regarding the proposed action from the U.S. International Trade 
Commission.
    In the request letter, the USTR asked that the Commission provide 
advice on the probable economic effect of the modifications on U.S. 
trade under the FTA, total U.S. trade, and on domestic producers of the 
affected articles. He asked that the Commission provide its advice at 
the earliest possible date but not later than three months of receipt 
of the request. He also asked that the Commission issue, as soon as 
possible thereafter, a public version of its report with any 
confidential business information deleted. The products identified in 
the proposal are certain woven fabrics of artificial filament yarn 
provided for in subheadings 5408.22-5408.23 of the U.S. Harmonized 
Tariff Schedule. The request letter and the proposed modification are 
available on the Commission's Web site at https://www.usitc.gov/research_and_analysis/what_we_are_working_on.htm. As requested, the 
Commission will provide its advice to USTR by August 24, 2016.
    Written Submissions: No public hearing is planned. However, 
interested parties are invited to file written submissions. All written 
submissions should be addressed to the Secretary, and should be 
received not later than 5:15 p.m., July 11, 2016. All written 
submissions must conform with the provisions of section 201.8 of the 
Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.8). Section 
201.8 and the Commission's Handbook on Filing Procedures require that 
interested parties file documents electronically on or before the 
filing deadline and submit eight (8) true paper copies by 12:00 p.m. 
eastern time on the next business day. In the event that confidential 
treatment of a document is requested, interested parties must file, at 
the same time as the eight paper copies, at least four (4) additional 
true paper copies in which the confidential information must be deleted 
(see the following paragraph for further information regarding 
confidential business information). Persons with questions regarding 
electronic filing should contact the Office of the Secretary, Docket 
Services Division (202-205-1802).
    Confidential Business Information: Any submissions that contain 
confidential business information must also conform with 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

[[Page 40348]]

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.
    The Commission may include some or all of the confidential business 
information submitted in the course of this investigation in the report 
it sends to the USTR. Additionally, 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 its 
report. Persons wishing to have a summary of their position included in 
the appendix should include a summary with their written submission. 
The summary may not exceed 500 words, should be in MSWord format or a 
format that can be easily converted to MSWord, 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. In the appendix 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.

    By order of the Commission.

     Issued: June 16, 2016.
Lisa R. Barton,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2016-14618 Filed 6-20-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7020-02-P