Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Notice of a GSP Product Review, Including Possible Actions Related to Competitive Need Limitations, 38501-38504 [2015-16498]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 128 / Monday, July 6, 2015 / Notices
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
[Docket No. SSA 2014–0051]
Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended;
Computer Matching Program (Social
Security Administration (SSA)/
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA),
Veterans Benefits Administration
(VBA))—Match Number 1309
AGENCY:
Social Security Administration
(SSA).
Notice of a renewal of an
existing computer matching program
that will expire on April 01, 2015.
ACTION:
In accordance with the
provisions of the Privacy Act, as
amended, this notice announces a
renewal of an existing computer
matching program that we are currently
conducting with VA/VBA.
DATES: We will file a report of the
subject matching program with the
Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate; the
Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform of the House of
Representatives; and the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB). The matching program will be
effective as indicated below.
ADDRESSES: Interested parties may
comment on this notice by either
telefaxing to (410) 966–0869 or writing
to the Executive Director, Office of
Privacy and Disclosure, Office of the
General Counsel, Social Security
Administration, 617 Altmeyer Building,
6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD
21235–6401. All comments received
will be available for public inspection at
this address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The
Executive Director, Office of Privacy
and Disclosure, Office of the General
Counsel, as shown above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
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A. General
The Computer Matching and Privacy
Protection Act of 1988 (Pub. L.100–503),
amended the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a)
by describing the conditions under
which computer matching involving the
Federal government could be performed
and adding certain protections for
persons applying for, and receiving,
Federal benefits. Section 7201 of the
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of
1990 (Pub. L. 101–508) further amended
the Privacy Act regarding protections for
such persons.
The Privacy Act, as amended,
regulates the use of computer matching
by Federal agencies when records in a
system of records are matched with
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other Federal, State, or local government
records. It requires Federal agencies
involved in computer matching
programs to:
(1) Negotiate written agreements with
the other agency or agencies
participating in the matching programs;
(2) Obtain approval of the matching
agreement by the Data Integrity Boards
of the participating Federal agencies;
(3) Publish notice of the computer
matching program in the Federal
Register;
(4) Furnish detailed reports about
matching programs to Congress and
OMB;
(5) Notify applicants and beneficiaries
that their records are subject to
matching; and
(6) Verify match findings before
reducing, suspending, terminating, or
denying a person’s benefits or
payments.
B. SSA Computer Matches Subject to the
Privacy Act
We have taken action to ensure that
all of our computer matching programs
comply with the requirements of the
Privacy Act, as amended.
Kirsten J. Moncada,
Executive Director, Office of Privacy and
Disclosure, Office of the General Counsel.
Notice of Computer Matching Program,
SSA With the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA), Veterans Benefits
Administration (VBA)
38501
D. CATEGORIES OF RECORDS AND PERSONS
COVERED BY THE MATCHING PROGRAM
1. SYSTEMS OF RECORDS
VA will provide us with electronic
files containing compensation and
pension payment data from its system of
records (SOR) entitled ‘‘Compensation,
Pension, Education, and Vocational
Rehabilitation and Employment
Records–VA’’ (58VA/21/22/28),
republished with updated name at 74
FR 14865 (April 1, 2009) and last
amended at 77 FR 42593 (July 19, 2012).
We will match the VA data with our
SOR 60–0321, Medicare Database
(MDB), last published at 71 FR 42159
(July 25, 2006).
2. NUMBER OF RECORDS
VA’s data file will consist of
approximately 4.9 million electronic
records. Our comparison file contains
approximately 90 million records
obtained from the MDB. The number of
people who apply for Extra Help
determines in part the number of
records matched.
3. SPECIFIED DATA ELEMENTS
We will conduct the match using the
Social Security number, name, date of
birth, and VA claim number on both the
VA file and the MDB.
4. FREQUENCY OF MATCHING
VA will furnish us with an electronic
file containing VA compensation and
pension payment data monthly. The
actual matching will take place
approximately the first week of every
month.
A. PARTICIPATING AGENCIES
E. INCLUSIVE DATES OF THE MATCHING PROGRAM
SSA and VA/VBA
The effective date of this matching
program is April 02, 2015 provided that
the following notice periods have
lapsed: 30 days after publication of this
notice in the Federal Register and 40
days after notice of the matching
program is sent to Congress and OMB.
The matching program will continue for
18 months from the effective date and,
if both agencies meet certain conditions,
it may extend for an additional 12
months thereafter.
B. PURPOSE OF THE MATCHING PROGRAM
The purpose of this matching program
is to provide us with VA compensation
and pension payment data. This
disclosure will provide us with
information necessary to verify an
individual’s self-certification of
eligibility for the Extra Help with
Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs
program (Extra Help). It will also enable
us to identify individuals who may
qualify for Extra Help as part of our
Medicare outreach efforts.
C. AUTHORITY FOR CONDUCTING THE MATCHING
PROGRAM
The legal authority for VA to disclose
information under this agreement is
1631(f) of the Social Security Act (Act)
(42 U.S.C. 1383(f)). The legal authorities
for us to conduct this computer
matching are 1860D–14(a)(3), 1144(a)(1),
and 1144(b)(1) of the Act (42 U.S.C.
1395w–114 and 1320b–14).
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[FR Doc. 2015–16433 Filed 7–2–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191–02–P
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Generalized System of Preferences
(GSP): Notice of a GSP Product
Review, Including Possible Actions
Related to Competitive Need
Limitations
Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
AGENCY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 128 / Monday, July 6, 2015 / Notices
Notice of hearing and
solicitation of petitions and comments.
ACTION:
This notice announces a
review of products under the
Generalized System of Preferences
(GSP) program that based on full-year
2014 import data, are subject to certain
actions related to competitive need
limitations (CNLs). The review will also
consider the proposed designation for
GSP eligibility of five cotton products
from least developed beneficiary
developing countries (LDBDCs).
The Office of the United States Trade
Representative (USTR) will accept
petitions by interested parties seeking
waivers of CNLs for certain products
submitted by July 31, 2015. USTR will
also accept comments from the public
submitted by July 31, 2015, regarding:
(1) Possible de minimis CNL waivers, (2)
possible redesignations of articles not
currently eligible for GSP benefits, (3)
possible revocation of CNL waivers, and
(4) the proposed designation for GSP
eligibility for LDBDCs of the five cotton
products. This notice also sets forth the
schedule for submitting comments and
for a public hearing on prospective CNL
waiver petitions and the proposed
designation of the cotton products.
DATES:
July 31, 2015: Deadline for petitions
requesting waivers of CNLs and for all
other written comments in response to
this notice.
July 31, 2015: Deadline for prehearing briefs and requests to appear at
the August 11 public hearing regarding
CNL waiver petitions and the proposed
designation of the cotton products.
August 11, 2015: The GSP
Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff
Committee (TPSC) will convene a
public hearing on CNL waiver petitions
and the proposed designation of the
cotton products.
August 18, 2015: Deadline for
submission of post-hearing briefs and
comments.
SUMMARY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Marin Weaver, GSP Program, Office of
the United States Trade Representative.
The telephone number is (202) 395–
2974, the fax number is (202) 395–9674,
and the email address is MWeaver@
ustr.eop.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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I. Competitive Need Limitations
The GSP program provides for the
duty-free importation of designated
articles imported from designated
beneficiary developing countries
(BDCs). The GSP program is authorized
by Title V of the Trade Act of 1974 (19
U.S.C. 2461, et seq.), as amended (‘‘the
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1974 Act’’). The GSP program expired
on July 31, 2013. GSP was reauthorized
on June 29, 2015, by the Trade
Preferences Extension Act of 2015. The
GSP program is now effective through
December 31, 2017, with retroactive
effect through July 31, 2013.
Section 503(c)(2)(A) of the 1974 Act
sets out the two CNLs. When the
President determines that a BDC
exported to the United States during a
calendar year either: (1) A quantity of a
GSP-eligible article having a value in
excess of the applicable amount for that
year ($165 million for 2014), or (2) a
quantity of a GSP-eligible article having
a value equal to or greater than 50
percent of the value of total U.S. imports
of the article from all countries (the ‘‘50
percent’’ CNL), the President must
terminate GSP duty-free treatment for
that article from that BDC by no later
than July 1 of the next calendar year,
unless a waiver is granted. The Trade
Preferences Extension Act of 2015
provides that the applicable deadline for
all CNL-related actions based on import
data from 2014, will be October 1, 2015.
De minimis waivers: Under section
503(c)(2)(F) of the 1974 Act, the
President may waive the 50 percent
CNL with respect to an eligible article
imported from a BDC if the value of
total imports of that article from all
countries during the calendar year did
not exceed the applicable de minimis
amount for that year ($22 million for
2014).
Redesignations: Under section
503(c)(2)(C) of the 1974 Act, if imports
of an eligible article from a BDC ceased
to receive duty-free treatment due to
exceeding a CNL in a prior year, the
President may, subject to the
considerations in sections 501 and 502
of the 1974 Act, redesignate such an
article for duty-free treatment if imports
in the most recently completed calendar
year did not exceed the CNLs.
CNL waiver revocation: Under Section
503(d)(5) of the 1974 Act, a CNL waiver
remains in effect until the President
determines that it is no longer
warranted due to changed
circumstances. Section 503(d)(4)(B)(ii)
of the 1974 Act, as amended by Public
Law 109–432, also provides that, ‘‘[n]ot
later than July 1 of each year, the
President should revoke any waiver that
has then been in effect with respect to
an article for five years or more if the
beneficiary developing country has
exported to the United States (directly
or indirectly) during the preceding
calendar year a quantity of the article—
(I) having an appraised value in excess
of 1.5 times the applicable amount set
forth in subsection (c)(2)(A)(ii) for that
calendar year ($247.5 million in 2012);
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or (II) exceeding 75 percent of the
appraised value of the total imports of
that article into the United States during
that calendar year.’’
Pursuant to the Trade Preferences
Extension Act of 2015, exclusions from
GSP duty-free treatment where CNLs
have been exceeded for calendar year
2014 will be effective October 1, 2015,
unless granted a waiver by the
President. Any CNL-based exclusions,
CNL waiver revocations, and decisions
with respect to de minimis waivers and
redesignations will be based on full
2014 calendar year import data.
II. 2014 Import Statistics
In order to provide notice of articles
that have exceeded the CNLs for 2014
and to afford an opportunity for
comment regarding (1) potential de
minimis waivers, (2) potential
redesignations, and (3) the potential
revocation of waivers for articles
exceeding the CNL waiver thresholds
for 2014, USTR has posted product lists
on the USTR Web site at https://
ustr.gov/issue-areas/trade-development/
preference-programs/generalizedsystem-preference-gsp/current-review-0
under the title ‘‘GSP: 2014/2015 Limited
Product Review.’’ These lists can also be
found at www.regulations.gov in Docket
Number USTR–2015–0007. Full 2014
calendar year data for individual tariff
subheadings may also be viewed on the
Web site of the U.S. International Trade
Commission at https://dataweb.usitc.gov.
The lists available on the USTR Web
site contain, for each article, the
Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) of the
United States subheading and BDC
country of origin, the value of imports
of the article from the subject BDC for
the 2014 calendar year, and that
country’s share of total U.S. imports of
that article.
List I on the USTR Web site shows the
following two GSP-eligible articles—
both from Thailand—that exceeded a
CNL in 2014 by having been exported in
a quantity equal to or greater than 50
percent of the total U.S. import value, in
2014:
• HTS 2008.19.15—Coconuts otherwise
prepared or preserved; and
• HTS 7408.29.10—Copper alloys (other
than brass, cupro-nickel or nickelsilver), wire, coated or plated with
metal
These products will be removed from
eligibility for GSP for the subject
countries on October 1, 2015, unless the
President grants a waiver for the
product for Thailand in response to a
petition filed by an interested party.
List II identifies GSP-eligible articles
from BDCs that are above the 50 percent
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CNL, but that are eligible for a de
minimis waiver of the 50 percent CNL.
Articles eligible for de minimis waivers
are automatically considered in the GSP
annual review process, without the
filing of a petition.
List III shows GSP-eligible articles
from certain BDCs that are currently not
receiving GSP duty-free treatment but
that may be considered for GSP
redesignation based on 2014 trade data
and consideration of certain statutory
factors.
List IV shows the following three
articles from specified BDCs that are
subject to CNL waiver revocation based
on the provisions of Section
503(d)(4)(B)(ii) of the 1974 Act, as
amended by Public Law 109–432:
• HTS 4412.31.40—(for Indonesia)
Certain plywood sheets not over 6
mm thick;
• HTS 7413.00.10—(for Turkey) Certain
copper, stranded wire;
• HTS 7413.00.50—(for Turkey) Certain
copper cables and plaited bands.
Petitions from interested parties
seeking a waiver of the application of
CNLs for the two products on List I, and
comments from the public in support of
or in opposition to CNL waivers,
revocations of CNL waivers, and
redesignation of products are invited in
accordance with the Requirements for
Submissions below.
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III. Possible Designation of New
Products
Pursuant to authority granted to the
President in Section 202 of the Trade
Preferences Extension Act of 2015 and
consistent with USTR’s December 2011
announcement of trade initiatives
intended to enable least-developed
countries to benefit more fully from
global trade, five cotton products are
being considered for GSP eligibility for
LDBDCs at the initiative of USTR. These
include:
• HTS 5201.00.18, 5201.00.28, and
5201.00.38—Certain cotton, not
carded or combed, of various
specified staple lengths
• HTS 5202.99.30—Certain cotton card
strips made from cotton waste; and
• HTS 5203.00.30—Certain cotton
fibers, carded or combed.
Comments from the public in support
of or in opposition to designation of the
proposed product additions are invited
in accordance with the Requirements for
Submissions below.
IV. Petitions and Public Comments
The GSP regulations (15 CFR part
2007) provide the schedule of dates for
conducting an annual review unless
otherwise specified in a notice
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published in the Federal Register. The
schedule for the 2015 GSP Annual
Review will be notified at a later date in
the Federal Register.
In the interim, and pursuant to
Section 203 of the Trade Preferences
Extension Act of 2015, the GSP
Subcommittee of the TPSC will conduct
a limited GSP review encompassing
products that, based on full-year 2014
import data, are subject to CNL-related
actions, including exclusions, waivers,
and revocation of waivers, as well as
redesignations. These products appear
on Lists I—IV described above. In
addition, the review will also consider
the designation of the five cotton
products mentioned above as eligible for
GSP benefits for LDBDCs of the GSP
program.
As part of this limited GSP product
review, the GSP Subcommittee will
accept petitions from interested parties
seeking a waiver of the application of
CNLs for the two products on List I,
described above. The GSP
Subcommittee also invites comments in
support of or in opposition to: (1) The
CNL waiver petitions which it is
anticipated will be submitted for the
two products on List I; (2) de minimis
waivers of CNLs (see List II); (3)
redesignations of products that were
previously excluded from certain
countries based on CNLs (see List III);
(4) revocation of CNL waivers (see List
IV); and (5) the proposed addition to
GSP eligibility for LDBDCs only of the
five cotton products listed above.
Procedures for submission of both
petitions and written comments are
described in Section VI below.
V. Notice of Public Hearing
In addition to comments from the
public on the matters listed above, the
GSP Subcommittee of the TPSC will
convene a public hearing at 9:30 a.m. on
Tuesday, August 11, 2015, to receive
testimony related to (1) the CNL waiver
petitions for products on List I, and (2)
the proposed designation of the five
cotton products. The hearing will not
address de minimis waivers, product
redesignations, or CNL waiver
revocations.
The hearing will be held at 1724 F
Street NW., Washington, DC 20508 and
will be open to the public and to the
press. A transcript of the hearing will be
made available on https://
www.regulations.gov within
approximately two weeks of the hearing.
All interested parties wishing to make
an oral presentation at the hearing must
submit, following the ‘‘Requirements for
Submissions’’ set out below, the name,
address, telephone number, and email
address, if available, of the witness(es)
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38503
representing their organization by 5
p.m., Friday, July 31, 2015. Requests to
present oral testimony must be
accompanied by a written brief or
summary statement, in English, and also
must be received by 5 p.m., Friday, July
31, 2015. Oral testimony before the GSP
Subcommittee will be limited to fiveminute presentations that summarize or
supplement information contained in
briefs or statements submitted for the
record. Post-hearing briefs or statements
will be accepted if they conform with
the requirements set out below and are
submitted, in English, by 5 p.m.,
Tuesday, August 18, 2015. Parties not
wishing to appear at the public hearing
may submit pre-hearing and posthearing briefs or comments by the
aforementioned deadlines.
VI. Requirements for Submissions
Written comments submitted in
response to this notice, including
petitions for CNL waivers, must be
submitted electronically by 5:00 p.m.,
July 31, 2015, using
www.regulations.gov, docket number
USTR–2015–0007. Instructions for
submitting business confidential
versions are provided below. Handdelivered submissions will not be
accepted. Comments must be submitted
in English to the Chairman of the GSP
Subcommittee of the TPSC.
For CNL waiver petitions only: CNL
waiver petitions must conform to the
GSP regulations set forth at 15 CFR part
2007, except as modified below. These
regulations are available on the USTR
Web site at https://www.ustr.gov/tradetopics/trade-development/preferenceprograms/generalized-systempreference-gsp/gsp-program-inf. Any
person or party submitting a CNL
waiver petition is strongly advised to
review the GSP regulations as well as
the GSP Guidebook, which is available
at the same link. The requirements for
CNL waiver petitions do not apply to
other written submissions in response to
this notice.
To make a written comment or to
submit a CNL waiver petition using
https://www.regulations.gov, enter the
docket number for this review—USTR–
2015–0007—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 ‘‘Filter Results
by’’ section on the left side of the screen
and click on the link entitled ‘‘Comment
Now.’’ The https://www.regulations.gov
Web site offers the option of providing
comments by filling in a ‘‘Type
Comment’’ field or by attaching a
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document using the ‘‘Upload file(s)’’
field. The GSP Subcommittee prefers
that submissions be provided in an
attached document. At the beginning of
the submission, or on the first page (if
an attachment), please note that the
submission is in response to this
Federal Register notice and indicate the
specific product(s) that is the subject of
the comment and on which of the
relevant lists described above, (e.g., List
I) it appears. Submissions should not
exceed 30 single-spaced, standard lettersize pages in 12-point type, including
attachments. Any data attachments to
the submission should be included in
the same file as the submission itself,
and not as separate files.
Each submitter will receive a
submission tracking number upon
completion of the submissions
procedure at https://
www.regulations.gov. The tracking
number will be the submitter’s
confirmation that the submission was
received into https://
www.regulations.gov. The confirmation
should be kept for the submitter’s
records. USTR is not able to provide
technical assistance for the Web site.
Documents not submitted in accordance
with these instructions may not be
considered in this review. If an
interested party is unable to provide
submissions as requested, please contact
the GSP program at USTR to arrange for
an alternative method of transmission.
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Business Confidential Submissions
Public Viewing of Review Submissions
Submissions in response to this
notice, except for information granted
‘‘business confidential’’ status under 15
CFR 2003.6, will be available for public
viewing pursuant to 15 CFR 2007.6 at
https://www.regulations.gov upon
completion of processing. Such
submissions may be viewed by entering
the country-specific docket number in
the search field at https://
www.regulations.gov.
William D. Jackson,
Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative
for the Generalized System of Preferences,
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2015–16498 Filed 7–2–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290–F5–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Office of Commercial Space
Transportation; Notice of Availability
of the Final Environmental
Assessment (Final EA), Finding of No
Significant Impact (FONSI), and Record
of Decision (ROD) for the Houston
Spaceport, City of Houston, Harris
County, Texas
Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of the
Final EA and FONSI/ROD.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
An interested party requesting that
1969, as amended (NEPA; 42 United
information contained in a submission
States Code 4321 et seq.), Council on
be treated as business confidential
Environmental Quality NEPA
information must certify that such
implementing regulations (40 Code of
information is business confidential and Federal Regulations parts 1500 to 1508),
would not customarily be released to
and FAA Order 1050.1E, Change 1,
the public by the submitter.
Environmental Impacts: Policies and
Confidential business information must Procedures, the FAA is announcing the
be clearly designated as such. The
availability of the Final EA and FONSI/
submission must be marked ‘‘BUSINESS ROD for the Houston Spaceport.
CONFIDENTIAL’’ at the top and bottom FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
of the cover page and each succeeding
Daniel Czelusniak, Office of Commercial
page, and the submission should
Space Transportation, Federal Aviation
indicate, via brackets, the specific
Administration, 800 Independence Ave.
information that is confidential.
SW., Suite 325, Washington DC 20591;
Additionally, ‘‘Business Confidential’’
phone (202) 267–5924; or email
must be included in the ‘‘Type
Daniel.Czelusniak@faa.gov.
Comment’’ field. For any submission
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Final
containing business confidential
EA was prepared to analyze the
information, a non-confidential version
potential environmental impacts of
must be submitted separately (i.e., not as Houston Airport System’s (HAS’s)
part of the same submission with the
proposal to establish and operate a
confidential version), indicating where
commercial space launch site at the
confidential information has been
Ellington Airport (EFD), in Houston,
redacted. The non-confidential version
Texas and offer the site to prospective
will be placed in the docket and open
commercial space launch operators for
to public inspection.
the operation of horizontal take-off and
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SUMMARY:
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horizontal landing Concept X and
Concept Z reusable launch vehicles
(RLVs). To operate a commercial space
launch site, HAS must obtain a
commercial space launch site operator
license from the FAA. Under the
Proposed Action addressed in the Final
EA, the FAA would: (1) Issue a launch
site operator license to HAS for the
operation of a commercial space launch
site at EFD; (2) issue launch licenses to
prospective commercial space launch
operators that would allow them to
conduct launches of horizontal take-off
and horizontal landing Concept X and
Concept Z RLVs from EFD, and (3)
provide unconditional approval to the
Airport Layout Plan (ALP)
modifications that reflect the
designation of a spaceport boundary and
construction of planned spaceport
facilities and infrastructure. Proposed
launch operations would begin in 2015
and continue through 2019 in
accordance with the terms of the launch
site operator license. HAS proposes to
provide RLV operators the ability to
conduct up to 50 launches and landings
(or 100 operations) per year, with
approximately five percent of the
operations expected to occur during
night-time hours.
The Final EA addresses the potential
environmental impacts of implementing
the Proposed Action and the No Action
Alternative. Under the No Action
Alternative, the FAA would not issue a
launch site operator license to HAS, and
thus no launch licenses would be issued
to individual commercial space launch
vehicle operators to operate at EFD.
Also, there would be no need to update
the EFD ALP, and thus there would be
no FAA approval of a revised ALP.
Existing operations would continue at
EFD, which is currently classified as a
general aviation reliever airport.
The environmental impact categories
considered in the Final EA include air
quality; climate; coastal resources;
compatible land use; Department of
Transportation Act: Section 4(f); fish,
wildlife, and plants; floodplains;
hazardous materials, pollution
prevention, and solid waste; historical,
architectural, archaeological, and
cultural resources; light emissions and
visual impacts; natural resources and
energy supply; noise; socioeconomics,
environmental justice, and children’s
environmental health and safety risks;
water quality; and wetlands. The Final
EA also considers the potential
secondary (induced) impacts and
cumulative impacts.
The FAA has posted the Final EA and
FONSI/ROD on the FAA Office of
Commercial Space Transportation Web
site: https://www.faa.gov/about/
E:\FR\FM\06JYN1.SGM
06JYN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 128 (Monday, July 6, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38501-38504]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-16498]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Notice of a GSP Product
Review, Including Possible Actions Related to Competitive Need
Limitations
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
[[Page 38502]]
ACTION: Notice of hearing and solicitation of petitions and comments.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces a review of products under the
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program that based on full-year
2014 import data, are subject to certain actions related to competitive
need limitations (CNLs). The review will also consider the proposed
designation for GSP eligibility of five cotton products from least
developed beneficiary developing countries (LDBDCs).
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) will
accept petitions by interested parties seeking waivers of CNLs for
certain products submitted by July 31, 2015. USTR will also accept
comments from the public submitted by July 31, 2015, regarding: (1)
Possible de minimis CNL waivers, (2) possible redesignations of
articles not currently eligible for GSP benefits, (3) possible
revocation of CNL waivers, and (4) the proposed designation for GSP
eligibility for LDBDCs of the five cotton products. This notice also
sets forth the schedule for submitting comments and for a public
hearing on prospective CNL waiver petitions and the proposed
designation of the cotton products.
DATES:
July 31, 2015: Deadline for petitions requesting waivers of CNLs
and for all other written comments in response to this notice.
July 31, 2015: Deadline for pre-hearing briefs and requests to
appear at the August 11 public hearing regarding CNL waiver petitions
and the proposed designation of the cotton products.
August 11, 2015: The GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff
Committee (TPSC) will convene a public hearing on CNL waiver petitions
and the proposed designation of the cotton products.
August 18, 2015: Deadline for submission of post-hearing briefs and
comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marin Weaver, GSP Program, Office of
the United States Trade Representative. The telephone number is (202)
395-2974, the fax number is (202) 395-9674, and the email address is
MWeaver@ustr.eop.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Competitive Need Limitations
The GSP program provides for the duty-free importation of
designated articles imported from designated beneficiary developing
countries (BDCs). The GSP program is authorized by Title V of the Trade
Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461, et seq.), as amended (``the 1974 Act'').
The GSP program expired on July 31, 2013. GSP was reauthorized on June
29, 2015, by the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015. The GSP
program is now effective through December 31, 2017, with retroactive
effect through July 31, 2013.
Section 503(c)(2)(A) of the 1974 Act sets out the two CNLs. When
the President determines that a BDC exported to the United States
during a calendar year either: (1) A quantity of a GSP-eligible article
having a value in excess of the applicable amount for that year ($165
million for 2014), or (2) a quantity of a GSP-eligible article having a
value equal to or greater than 50 percent of the value of total U.S.
imports of the article from all countries (the ``50 percent'' CNL), the
President must terminate GSP duty-free treatment for that article from
that BDC by no later than July 1 of the next calendar year, unless a
waiver is granted. The Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 provides
that the applicable deadline for all CNL-related actions based on
import data from 2014, will be October 1, 2015.
De minimis waivers: Under section 503(c)(2)(F) of the 1974 Act, the
President may waive the 50 percent CNL with respect to an eligible
article imported from a BDC if the value of total imports of that
article from all countries during the calendar year did not exceed the
applicable de minimis amount for that year ($22 million for 2014).
Redesignations: Under section 503(c)(2)(C) of the 1974 Act, if
imports of an eligible article from a BDC ceased to receive duty-free
treatment due to exceeding a CNL in a prior year, the President may,
subject to the considerations in sections 501 and 502 of the 1974 Act,
redesignate such an article for duty-free treatment if imports in the
most recently completed calendar year did not exceed the CNLs.
CNL waiver revocation: Under Section 503(d)(5) of the 1974 Act, a
CNL waiver remains in effect until the President determines that it is
no longer warranted due to changed circumstances. Section
503(d)(4)(B)(ii) of the 1974 Act, as amended by Public Law 109-432,
also provides that, ``[n]ot later than July 1 of each year, the
President should revoke any waiver that has then been in effect with
respect to an article for five years or more if the beneficiary
developing country has exported to the United States (directly or
indirectly) during the preceding calendar year a quantity of the
article--(I) having an appraised value in excess of 1.5 times the
applicable amount set forth in subsection (c)(2)(A)(ii) for that
calendar year ($247.5 million in 2012); or (II) exceeding 75 percent of
the appraised value of the total imports of that article into the
United States during that calendar year.''
Pursuant to the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015, exclusions
from GSP duty-free treatment where CNLs have been exceeded for calendar
year 2014 will be effective October 1, 2015, unless granted a waiver by
the President. Any CNL-based exclusions, CNL waiver revocations, and
decisions with respect to de minimis waivers and redesignations will be
based on full 2014 calendar year import data.
II. 2014 Import Statistics
In order to provide notice of articles that have exceeded the CNLs
for 2014 and to afford an opportunity for comment regarding (1)
potential de minimis waivers, (2) potential redesignations, and (3) the
potential revocation of waivers for articles exceeding the CNL waiver
thresholds for 2014, USTR has posted product lists on the USTR Web site
at https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/trade-development/preference-programs/generalized-system-preference-gsp/current-review-0 under the title
``GSP: 2014/2015 Limited Product Review.'' These lists can also be
found at www.regulations.gov in Docket Number USTR-2015-0007. Full 2014
calendar year data for individual tariff subheadings may also be viewed
on the Web site of the U.S. International Trade Commission at https://dataweb.usitc.gov.
The lists available on the USTR Web site contain, for each article,
the Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) of the United States subheading and
BDC country of origin, the value of imports of the article from the
subject BDC for the 2014 calendar year, and that country's share of
total U.S. imports of that article.
List I on the USTR Web site shows the following two GSP-eligible
articles--both from Thailand--that exceeded a CNL in 2014 by having
been exported in a quantity equal to or greater than 50 percent of the
total U.S. import value, in 2014:
HTS 2008.19.15--Coconuts otherwise prepared or preserved; and
HTS 7408.29.10--Copper alloys (other than brass, cupro-nickel
or nickel-silver), wire, coated or plated with metal
These products will be removed from eligibility for GSP for the subject
countries on October 1, 2015, unless the President grants a waiver for
the product for Thailand in response to a petition filed by an
interested party.
List II identifies GSP-eligible articles from BDCs that are above
the 50 percent
[[Page 38503]]
CNL, but that are eligible for a de minimis waiver of the 50 percent
CNL. Articles eligible for de minimis waivers are automatically
considered in the GSP annual review process, without the filing of a
petition.
List III shows GSP-eligible articles from certain BDCs that are
currently not receiving GSP duty-free treatment but that may be
considered for GSP redesignation based on 2014 trade data and
consideration of certain statutory factors.
List IV shows the following three articles from specified BDCs that
are subject to CNL waiver revocation based on the provisions of Section
503(d)(4)(B)(ii) of the 1974 Act, as amended by Public Law 109-432:
HTS 4412.31.40--(for Indonesia) Certain plywood sheets not
over 6 mm thick;
HTS 7413.00.10--(for Turkey) Certain copper, stranded wire;
HTS 7413.00.50--(for Turkey) Certain copper cables and plaited
bands.
Petitions from interested parties seeking a waiver of the
application of CNLs for the two products on List I, and comments from
the public in support of or in opposition to CNL waivers, revocations
of CNL waivers, and redesignation of products are invited in accordance
with the Requirements for Submissions below.
III. Possible Designation of New Products
Pursuant to authority granted to the President in Section 202 of
the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 and consistent with USTR's
December 2011 announcement of trade initiatives intended to enable
least-developed countries to benefit more fully from global trade, five
cotton products are being considered for GSP eligibility for LDBDCs at
the initiative of USTR. These include:
HTS 5201.00.18, 5201.00.28, and 5201.00.38--Certain cotton,
not carded or combed, of various specified staple lengths
HTS 5202.99.30--Certain cotton card strips made from cotton
waste; and
HTS 5203.00.30--Certain cotton fibers, carded or combed.
Comments from the public in support of or in opposition to
designation of the proposed product additions are invited in accordance
with the Requirements for Submissions below.
IV. Petitions and Public Comments
The GSP regulations (15 CFR part 2007) provide the schedule of
dates for conducting an annual review unless otherwise specified in a
notice published in the Federal Register. The schedule for the 2015 GSP
Annual Review will be notified at a later date in the Federal Register.
In the interim, and pursuant to Section 203 of the Trade
Preferences Extension Act of 2015, the GSP Subcommittee of the TPSC
will conduct a limited GSP review encompassing products that, based on
full-year 2014 import data, are subject to CNL-related actions,
including exclusions, waivers, and revocation of waivers, as well as
redesignations. These products appear on Lists I--IV described above.
In addition, the review will also consider the designation of the five
cotton products mentioned above as eligible for GSP benefits for LDBDCs
of the GSP program.
As part of this limited GSP product review, the GSP Subcommittee
will accept petitions from interested parties seeking a waiver of the
application of CNLs for the two products on List I, described above.
The GSP Subcommittee also invites comments in support of or in
opposition to: (1) The CNL waiver petitions which it is anticipated
will be submitted for the two products on List I; (2) de minimis
waivers of CNLs (see List II); (3) redesignations of products that were
previously excluded from certain countries based on CNLs (see List
III); (4) revocation of CNL waivers (see List IV); and (5) the proposed
addition to GSP eligibility for LDBDCs only of the five cotton products
listed above.
Procedures for submission of both petitions and written comments
are described in Section VI below.
V. Notice of Public Hearing
In addition to comments from the public on the matters listed
above, the GSP Subcommittee of the TPSC will convene a public hearing
at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 11, 2015, to receive testimony related
to (1) the CNL waiver petitions for products on List I, and (2) the
proposed designation of the five cotton products. The hearing will not
address de minimis waivers, product redesignations, or CNL waiver
revocations.
The hearing will be held at 1724 F Street NW., Washington, DC 20508
and will be open to the public and to the press. A transcript of the
hearing will be made available on https://www.regulations.gov within
approximately two weeks of the hearing.
All interested parties wishing to make an oral presentation at the
hearing must submit, following the ``Requirements for Submissions'' set
out below, the name, address, telephone number, and email address, if
available, of the witness(es) representing their organization by 5
p.m., Friday, July 31, 2015. Requests to present oral testimony must be
accompanied by a written brief or summary statement, in English, and
also must be received by 5 p.m., Friday, July 31, 2015. Oral testimony
before the GSP Subcommittee will be limited to five-minute
presentations that summarize or supplement information contained in
briefs or statements submitted for the record. Post-hearing briefs or
statements will be accepted if they conform with the requirements set
out below and are submitted, in English, by 5 p.m., Tuesday, August 18,
2015. Parties not wishing to appear at the public hearing may submit
pre-hearing and post-hearing briefs or comments by the aforementioned
deadlines.
VI. Requirements for Submissions
Written comments submitted in response to this notice, including
petitions for CNL waivers, must be submitted electronically by 5:00
p.m., July 31, 2015, using www.regulations.gov, docket number USTR-
2015-0007. Instructions for submitting business confidential versions
are provided below. Hand-delivered submissions will not be accepted.
Comments must be submitted in English to the Chairman of the GSP
Subcommittee of the TPSC.
For CNL waiver petitions only: CNL waiver petitions must conform to
the GSP regulations set forth at 15 CFR part 2007, except as modified
below. These regulations are available on the USTR Web site at https://www.ustr.gov/trade-topics/trade-development/preference-programs/generalized-system-preference-gsp/gsp-program-inf. Any person or party
submitting a CNL waiver petition is strongly advised to review the GSP
regulations as well as the GSP Guidebook, which is available at the
same link. The requirements for CNL waiver petitions do not apply to
other written submissions in response to this notice.
To make a written comment or to submit a CNL waiver petition using
https://www.regulations.gov, enter the docket number for this review--
USTR-2015-0007--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 ``Filter Results
by'' section on the left side of the screen and click on the link
entitled ``Comment Now.'' The https://www.regulations.gov Web site
offers the option of providing comments by filling in a ``Type
Comment'' field or by attaching a
[[Page 38504]]
document using the ``Upload file(s)'' field. The GSP Subcommittee
prefers that submissions be provided in an attached document. At the
beginning of the submission, or on the first page (if an attachment),
please note that the submission is in response to this Federal Register
notice and indicate the specific product(s) that is the subject of the
comment and on which of the relevant lists described above, (e.g., List
I) it appears. Submissions should not exceed 30 single-spaced, standard
letter-size pages in 12-point type, including attachments. Any data
attachments to the submission should be included in the same file as
the submission itself, and not as separate files.
Each submitter will receive a submission tracking number upon
completion of the submissions procedure at https://www.regulations.gov.
The tracking number will be the submitter's confirmation that the
submission was received into https://www.regulations.gov. The
confirmation should be kept for the submitter's records. USTR is not
able to provide technical assistance for the Web site. Documents not
submitted in accordance with these instructions may not be considered
in this review. If an interested party is unable to provide submissions
as requested, please contact the GSP program at USTR to arrange for an
alternative method of transmission.
Business Confidential Submissions
An interested party requesting that information contained in a
submission be treated as business confidential information must certify
that such information is business confidential and would not
customarily be released to the public by the submitter. Confidential
business information must be clearly designated as such. The submission
must be marked ``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' at the top and bottom of the
cover page and each succeeding page, and the submission should
indicate, via brackets, the specific information that is confidential.
Additionally, ``Business Confidential'' must be included in the ``Type
Comment'' field. For any submission containing business confidential
information, a non-confidential version must be submitted separately
(i.e., not as part of the same submission with the confidential
version), indicating where confidential information has been redacted.
The non-confidential version will be placed in the docket and open to
public inspection.
Public Viewing of Review Submissions
Submissions in response to this notice, except for information
granted ``business confidential'' status under 15 CFR 2003.6, will be
available for public viewing pursuant to 15 CFR 2007.6 at https://www.regulations.gov upon completion of processing. Such submissions may
be viewed by entering the country-specific docket number in the search
field at https://www.regulations.gov.
William D. Jackson,
Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Generalized System
of Preferences, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2015-16498 Filed 7-2-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F5-P