Subsidy Programs Provided by Countries Exporting Softwood Lumber and Softwood Lumber Products to the United States; Request for Comment, 25961-25962 [2012-10594]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 2, 2012 / Notices used for a wide variety of research purposes, including the investigation of atomic structure, and material behavior under extreme pressures. The instrument is used as a component part of a particle accelerator system that produces and stores a high-energy electron beam in a storage ring. This electron beam is then manipulated by special magnets in order to produce photon flux in the form of x-rays. This x-ray flux is ultimately used for imaging biological and other materials samples. Justification for Duty-Free Entry: There are no instruments of the same general category manufactured in the United States. Application accepted by Commissioner of Customs: March 1, 2012. Dated: April 25, 2012. Gregory W. Campbell, Director of Subsidies Enforcement, Import Administration. BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Civil Nuclear Trade Advisory Committee (CINTAC) Public Meeting International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of Federal Advisory Committee Meeting. AGENCY: This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a meeting of the CINTAC. DATES: The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 5, 2012, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The public session is from 3:00 p.m.– 4:00 p.m. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in Room 4830, U.S. Department of Commerce, Herbert Clark Hoover Building, 1401 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20230. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Sarah Lopp, Office of Energy & Environmental Industries, ITA, Room 4053, 1401 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20230. (Phone: 202– 482–3851; Fax: 202–482–5665; email: sarah.lopp@trade.gov). mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background: The CINTAC was established under the discretionary authority of the Secretary of Commerce and in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), in response to an identified need for consensus advice from U.S. industry 16:55 May 01, 2012 Jkt 226001 Closed Session (9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.) 1. Discussion of matters determined to be exempt from the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act relating to public meetings found in 5 U.S.C. App. §§ (10)(a)(1) and 10(a)(3). Public Session (3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.) [FR Doc. 2012–10593 Filed 5–1–12; 8:45 am] VerDate Mar<15>2010 to the U.S. Government regarding the development and administration of programs to expand United States exports of civil nuclear goods and services in accordance with applicable U.S. laws and regulations, including advice on how U.S. civil nuclear goods and services export policies, programs, and activities will affect the U.S. civil nuclear industry’s competitiveness and ability to participate in the international market. Topics to be considered: The agenda for the June 5, 2012 CINTAC meeting is as follows: 1. International Trade Administration’s Civil Nuclear Trade Initiative Update. 2. Civil Nuclear Trade Promotion Activities Discussion. 3. Public comment period. The open session will be disabledaccessible. Public seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Members of the public wishing to attend the meeting must notify Ms. Sarah Lopp at the contact information below by 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, June 1, 2012 in order to pre-register for clearance into the building. Please specify any requests for reasonable accommodation at least five business days in advance of the meeting. Last minute requests will be accepted, but may be impossible to fill. A limited amount of time will be available for pertinent brief oral comments from members of the public attending the meeting. To accommodate as many speakers as possible, the time for public comments will be limited to two (2) minutes per person, with a total public comment period of 30 minutes. Individuals wishing to reserve speaking time during the meeting must contact Ms. Lopp and submit a brief statement of the general nature of the comments and the name and address of the proposed participant by 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, June 1, 2012. If the number of registrants requesting to make statements is greater than can be reasonably accommodated during the meeting, ITA may conduct a lottery to determine the speakers. Speakers are requested to bring at least 20 copies of their oral comments for distribution to the participants and public at the meeting. PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 25961 Any member of the public may submit pertinent written comments concerning the CINTAC’s affairs at any time before and after the meeting. Comments may be submitted to the Civil Nuclear Trade Advisory Committee, Office of Energy & Environmental Industries, Room 4053, 1401 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20230. For consideration during the meeting, and to ensure transmission to the Committee prior to the meeting, comments must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, June 1, 2012. Comments received after that date will be distributed to the members but may not be considered at the meeting. The Assistant Secretary for Administration, with the concurrence of the delegate of the General Counsel, formally determined on February 22, 2012, pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App. (10)(d)), (1) that the portion of the meeting dealing with matters the disclosure of which would be likely to frustrate significantly implementation of an agency action as described in 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(9)(B) shall be exempt from the provisions relating to public meetings found in 5 U.S.C. App. (10)(a)(1) and 10(a)(3); and (2) that the portion of the meeting dealing with matters requiring disclosure of trade secrets and commercial or financial information as described in 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(4) shall be exempt from the provisions relating to public meetings found in 5 U.S.C. App. (10)(a)(1) and 10(a)(3). The remaining portions of the meeting will be open to the public. Copies of CINTAC meeting minutes will be available within 90 days of the meeting. Edward A. O’Malley, Director, Office of Energy and Environmental Industries. [FR Doc. 2012–10625 Filed 5–1–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–DR–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Subsidy Programs Provided by Countries Exporting Softwood Lumber and Softwood Lumber Products to the United States; Request for Comment Import Administration, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Department) seeks public comment on any subsidies, including stumpage subsidies, provided by certain countries exporting softwood lumber or softwood AGENCY: E:\FR\FM\02MYN1.SGM 02MYN1 25962 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 2, 2012 / Notices lumber products to the United States during the period July 1 through December 31, 2011. DATES: Comments must be submitted within thirty days after publication of this notice. ADDRESSES: Written comments (original and six copies) should be sent to the Secretary of Commerce, Attn: James Terpstra, Import Administration, APO/ Dockets Unit, Room 1870, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street & Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20230. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Terpstra, Import Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482–3965. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Background On June 18, 2008, section 805 of Title VIII of the Tariff Act of 1930 (the Softwood Lumber Act of 2008) was enacted into law. Under this provision, the Secretary of Commerce is mandated to submit to the appropriate Congressional committees a report every 180 days on any subsidy provided by countries exporting softwood lumber or softwood lumber products to the United States, including stumpage subsidies. The Department submitted its last subsidy report on December 15, 2011. As part of its newest report, the Department intends to include a list of subsidy programs identified with sufficient clarity by the public in response to this notice. Request for Comments Given the large number of countries that export softwood lumber and softwood lumber products to the United States, we are soliciting public comment only on subsidies provided by countries whose exports accounted for at least one percent of total U.S. imports of softwood lumber by quantity, as classified under Harmonized Tariff Schedule code 4407.1001 (which accounts for the vast majority of imports), during the period July 1 through December 31, 2011. Official U.S. import data published by the United States International Trade Commission Tariff and Trade DataWeb indicate that only one country, Canada, exported softwood lumber to the United States during that time period in amounts sufficient to account for at least one percent of U.S. imports of softwood lumber products during that time period. We intend to rely on similar previous six-month periods to identify the countries subject to future reports on softwood lumber subsidies. For VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:55 May 01, 2012 Jkt 226001 example, we will rely on U.S. imports of softwood lumber and softwood lumber products during the period January 1 through June 30, 2011, to select the countries subject to the next report. Under U.S. trade law, a subsidy exists where a government authority: (i) Provides a financial contribution; (ii) provides any form of income or price support within the meaning of Article XVI of the GATT 1994; or (iii) makes a payment to a funding mechanism to provide a financial contribution to a person, or entrusts or directs a private entity to make a financial contribution, if providing the contribution would normally be vested in the government and the practice does not differ in substance from practices normally followed by governments, and a benefit is thereby conferred. See section 771(5)(B) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended. Parties should include in their comments: (1) The country which provided the subsidy; (2) the name of the subsidy program; (3) a brief description (at least 3–4 sentences) of the subsidy program; and (4) the government body or authority that provided the subsidy. Submission of Comment Persons wishing to comment should file a signed original and six copies of each set of comments by the date specified above. The Department will not accept comments accompanied by a request that a part or all of the material be treated confidentially due to business proprietary concerns or for any other reason. The Department will return such comments and materials to the persons submitting the comments and will not include them in its report on softwood lumber subsidies. The Department also requests submission of comments in electronic form to accompany the required paper copies. Comments filed in electronic form should be submitted on CD–ROM with the paper copies or by email to the Webmaster below. Comments received in electronic form will be made available to the public in Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Import Administration Web site at the following address: https://ia.ita.doc.gov. Any questions concerning file formatting, document conversion, access on the Internet, or other electronic filing issues should be addressed to Andrew Lee Beller, Import Administration Webmaster, at (202) 482–0866, email address: webmastersupport@ita.doc.gov. For documents filed in the antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings, the Department only PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 accepts electronic filings through the new IA ACCESS system. However, all comments and submissions in response to this Request for Comment should be mailed to James Terpstra, Import Administration; Subject: Softwood Lumber Subsidies Bi-Annual Report: Request for Comment; Room 1870, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230, by no later than 5 p.m., on the above-referenced deadline date. Dated: April 26, 2012. Christian Marsh, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations. [FR Doc. 2012–10594 Filed 5–1–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Planning, Protection or Restoration National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 2, 2012. ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at JJessup@doc.gov). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information should be directed to Patmarie Nedelka, (301) 713–3155 ext. 127 or Patmarie.Nedelka@noaa.gov. SUMMARY: SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Abstract This request is for extension of a currently approved information collection. The FY 2002 Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations Act directed the Secretary of Commerce to establish a E:\FR\FM\02MYN1.SGM 02MYN1

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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 2, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25961-25962]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10594]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Subsidy Programs Provided by Countries Exporting Softwood Lumber 
and Softwood Lumber Products to the United States; Request for Comment

AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Department) seeks public comment 
on any subsidies, including stumpage subsidies, provided by certain 
countries exporting softwood lumber or softwood

[[Page 25962]]

lumber products to the United States during the period July 1 through 
December 31, 2011.

DATES: Comments must be submitted within thirty days after publication 
of this notice.

ADDRESSES: Written comments (original and six copies) should be sent to 
the Secretary of Commerce, Attn: James Terpstra, Import Administration, 
APO/Dockets Unit, Room 1870, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street & 
Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Terpstra, Import Administration, 
U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-3965.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    On June 18, 2008, section 805 of Title VIII of the Tariff Act of 
1930 (the Softwood Lumber Act of 2008) was enacted into law. Under this 
provision, the Secretary of Commerce is mandated to submit to the 
appropriate Congressional committees a report every 180 days on any 
subsidy provided by countries exporting softwood lumber or softwood 
lumber products to the United States, including stumpage subsidies.
    The Department submitted its last subsidy report on December 15, 
2011. As part of its newest report, the Department intends to include a 
list of subsidy programs identified with sufficient clarity by the 
public in response to this notice.

Request for Comments

    Given the large number of countries that export softwood lumber and 
softwood lumber products to the United States, we are soliciting public 
comment only on subsidies provided by countries whose exports accounted 
for at least one percent of total U.S. imports of softwood lumber by 
quantity, as classified under Harmonized Tariff Schedule code 4407.1001 
(which accounts for the vast majority of imports), during the period 
July 1 through December 31, 2011. Official U.S. import data published 
by the United States International Trade Commission Tariff and Trade 
DataWeb indicate that only one country, Canada, exported softwood 
lumber to the United States during that time period in amounts 
sufficient to account for at least one percent of U.S. imports of 
softwood lumber products during that time period. We intend to rely on 
similar previous six-month periods to identify the countries subject to 
future reports on softwood lumber subsidies. For example, we will rely 
on U.S. imports of softwood lumber and softwood lumber products during 
the period January 1 through June 30, 2011, to select the countries 
subject to the next report.
    Under U.S. trade law, a subsidy exists where a government 
authority: (i) Provides a financial contribution; (ii) provides any 
form of income or price support within the meaning of Article XVI of 
the GATT 1994; or (iii) makes a payment to a funding mechanism to 
provide a financial contribution to a person, or entrusts or directs a 
private entity to make a financial contribution, if providing the 
contribution would normally be vested in the government and the 
practice does not differ in substance from practices normally followed 
by governments, and a benefit is thereby conferred. See section 
771(5)(B) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended.
    Parties should include in their comments: (1) The country which 
provided the subsidy; (2) the name of the subsidy program; (3) a brief 
description (at least 3-4 sentences) of the subsidy program; and (4) 
the government body or authority that provided the subsidy.

Submission of Comment

    Persons wishing to comment should file a signed original and six 
copies of each set of comments by the date specified above. The 
Department will not accept comments accompanied by a request that a 
part or all of the material be treated confidentially due to business 
proprietary concerns or for any other reason. The Department will 
return such comments and materials to the persons submitting the 
comments and will not include them in its report on softwood lumber 
subsidies. The Department also requests submission of comments in 
electronic form to accompany the required paper copies. Comments filed 
in electronic form should be submitted on CD-ROM with the paper copies 
or by email to the Webmaster below.
    Comments received in electronic form will be made available to the 
public in Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Import Administration 
Web site at the following address: https://ia.ita.doc.gov. Any questions 
concerning file formatting, document conversion, access on the 
Internet, or other electronic filing issues should be addressed to 
Andrew Lee Beller, Import Administration Webmaster, at (202) 482-0866, 
email address: webmaster-support@ita.doc.gov.
    For documents filed in the antidumping and countervailing duty 
proceedings, the Department only accepts electronic filings through the 
new IA ACCESS system. However, all comments and submissions in response 
to this Request for Comment should be mailed to James Terpstra, Import 
Administration; Subject: Softwood Lumber Subsidies Bi-Annual Report: 
Request for Comment; Room 1870, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th 
Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230, by no later 
than 5 p.m., on the above-referenced deadline date.

    Dated: April 26, 2012.
Christian Marsh,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Operations.
[FR Doc. 2012-10594 Filed 5-1-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P

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