Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Notice of Initiation of the 2016/2017 Annual GSP Product and Country Practices Review; Travel Goods Supplemental Comment Period and Hearing; Deadlines for Filing Petitions, 58547-58549 [2016-20054]
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 165 / Thursday, August 25, 2016 / Notices
2013 in the ‘‘Search’’ field on the home
page.
Probir Mehta,
Assistant United States Trade Representative
for Innovation and Intellectual Property
Office of the United States Trade
Representative.
[FR Doc. 2016–20325 Filed 8–24–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290–F6–P
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Generalized System of Preferences
(GSP): Notice of Initiation of the 2016/
2017 Annual GSP Product and Country
Practices Review; Travel Goods
Supplemental Comment Period and
Hearing; Deadlines for Filing Petitions
Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice of public hearing and
request for petitions and comments.
AGENCY:
The Office of the United
States Trade Representative (USTR) is
prepared to receive petitions to modify
the list of articles that are eligible for
duty-free treatment under the
Generalized System of Preferences
(GSP) program and to modify the GSP
status of certain GSP beneficiary
developing countries because of country
practices. USTR also is prepared to
receive petitions requesting waivers of
competitive need limitations (CNLs). In
addition, USTR is seeking public
comments and will convene a public
hearing to receive additional
information and stakeholder views
regarding the potential addition of travel
and luggage goods products for more
economically advanced GSP beneficiary
countries.
DATES: In order to be considered in the
2016/2017 Annual GSP Review, the GSP
Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff
Committee (TPSC) must receive
petitions by the following deadlines:
Tuesday, October 4, 2016, 5:00 p.m.:
Petitions to modify the list of articles
eligible for duty-free treatment under
GSP.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016, 5:00 p.m.:
Petitions to review the GSP status of any
beneficiary developing country.
Friday, December 2, 2016, 5:00 p.m.:
Petitions requesting waivers of CNLs.
USTR will not consider petitions
submitted after these deadlines.
Decisions on which petitions are
accepted for review, along with a
schedule for any related public hearings
and the opportunity for the public to
provide comments, will be announced
at a later date.
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
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Travel Goods Supplemental Comment
Period and Hearing
A supplemental comment period and
hearing will be held to give stakeholders
the opportunity to submit further
information with respect to the possible
addition of travel and luggage goods
items as eligible articles for more
advanced Beneficiary Developing
Countries (BDCs). This will supplement
information collected during the 2015/
2016 Annual Review. The schedule for
the hearing and public comments is as
follows:
Tuesday, October 4, 2016, 5:00 p.m.:
Deadline for submission of comments,
pre-hearing briefs and requests to
appear at the hearing.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016, 9:30 a.m.:
The GSP Subcommittee of the TPSC
will convene a public hearing on travel
and luggage goods in Rooms 1 and 2,
1724 F Street NW., Washington DC
20508.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016, 5:00
p.m.: Deadline for submission of posthearing comments or briefs.
ADDRESSES: You should submit written
comments through the Federal
eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. The docket
number for the 2016/2017 Annual GSP
Review is USTR–2016–0009. The docket
number for the Travel Goods
Supplemental Comment Period and
Hearing is USTR–2015–0013. Follow
the instructions for submitting
comments in section III below. If an
interested party is unable to provide
submissions as requested, please contact
Naomi Freeman at (202) 395–2974 to
arrange for an alternative method of
transmission.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Naomi Freeman at (202) 395–2974 or
GSP@ustr.eop.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GSP
program provides for the duty-free
importation of designated articles when
imported from designated beneficiary
developing countries. The GSP program
is authorized by Title V of the Trade Act
of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461, et seq.), as
amended (Trade Act), and is
implemented in accordance with
Executive Order 11888 of November 24,
1975, as modified by subsequent
Executive Orders and Presidential
Proclamations.
I. The 2016/2017 Annual GSP Review
GSP Product Review Petitions: Any
interested party, including foreign
governments, may submit petitions to:
(1) Designate additional articles as
eligible for GSP benefits, including to
designate articles as eligible for GSP
benefits only if imported from countries
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
58547
designated as least-developed
beneficiary developing countries, or
only from countries designated as
beneficiary sub-Saharan African
countries under the African Growth and
Opportunity Act (AGOA);
(2) Withdraw, suspend or limit the
application of duty-free treatment
accorded under the GSP with respect to
any article; and
(3) Otherwise modify GSP coverage.
Petitioners seeking to add products to
eligibility for GSP benefits should note
that, as provided in section 503(b) of the
Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2463(b)), certain
articles may not be designated as
eligible articles under GSP.
As specified in 15 CFR 2007.1, all
petitions must include a detailed
description of the product and the eightdigit subheading of the Harmonized
Tariff Schedule of the United States
(HTSUS) under which the product is
classified.
Country Practices Review Petitions:
Any interested party may submit a
petition to review the GSP eligibility of
any beneficiary developing country with
respect to any of the designation criteria
listed in sections 502(b) and 502(c) of
the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2462(b) and
(c)).
Competitive Need Limitations: Any
interested party may submit a petition
seeking a waiver of the 2016 CNL for
individual beneficiary developing
countries with respect to specific GSPeligible articles (these limits do not
apply to least-developed beneficiary
developing countries or AGOA
beneficiary countries). Before
submitting petitions for CNL waivers,
prospective petitioners may wish to
review the 2016 year-to-date import
trade data for products of interest. This
data is available via the U.S.
International Trade Commission’s
‘‘Dataweb’’ database at https://
dataweb.usitc.gov/. For more
information on CNLs and how they
apply to the GSP program, please visit
the GSP page of the USTR Web site at
https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/tradedevelopment/preference-programs/
generalized-system-preference-gsp.
II. Travel Goods Supplemental
Comment Period and Hearing
On June 30, 2016, the President
designated certain travel and luggage
goods articles as eligible for duty-free
treatment to least-developed beneficiary
developing counties (LDBDCs) and
AGOA beneficiary countries. A decision
regarding other, generally more
advanced, beneficiary countries was
deferred. In making any decision with
regard to the provision of duty-free
treatment for any eligible article from
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58548
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 165 / Thursday, August 25, 2016 / Notices
any beneficiary country, the President
under section 501 of the Trade Act (19
U.S.C. 2461) must have due regard for
the following factors:
(1) The effect such action will have on
furthering the economic development of
the developing countries through the
expansion of their exports;
(2) The extent to which other major
developed countries are undertaking a
comparable effort to assist developing
countries by granting generalized
preferences with respect to imports of
products of such countries;
(3) The anticipated impact of such
action on U.S producers of like or
directly competitive products; and
(4) The extent of the beneficiary
developing countries’ competitiveness
with respect to eligible articles.
In the 2015/2016 GSP Annual Review,
the President determined that a
consideration of these factors justified
the immediate provision of duty-free
treatment to travel and luggage goods
from LDBDCs and AGOA countries, but
that more analysis was needed with
respect to such goods from other,
generally more advanced, beneficiary
countries. The request for public
comments and hearing announced in
this notice are intended to create an
additional formal process to collect
supplemental information relevant to a
decision on whether to extend duty-free
treatment to this last category of GSP
beneficiaries.
Interested parties need not re-submit
information previously provided.
However, interested parties now have
an opportunity to provide any new
information or analysis with respect to
the possible further extension of GSP
benefits for non-LDBDCs for each of the
travel and luggage tariff lines under
consideration in light of the above
mentioned statutory criteria.
USTR aims to conclude its review of
luggage and travel goods by January
2017.
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
III. Requirements for Submissions
All submissions for the 2016/2017
GSP Annual Review and for the Travel
Goods Supplemental Comment Period
and Hearing 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://ustr.gov/issue-areas/
trade-development/preferenceprograms/generalized-systempreference-gsp/gsp-program-inf.
All submissions must be in English
and must be submitted electronically
via https://www.regulations.gov, using
docket number USTR–2016–0009 for
the 2016/2017 GSP Annual Review, or
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:54 Aug 24, 2016
Jkt 238001
docket number USTR–2015–0013 for
the Travel Goods Supplemental
Comment Period and Hearing. USTR
will not accept hand-delivered
submissions. USTR will not accept
submissions for review that do not
provide the information required by
§§ 2007.0 and 2007.1 of the GSP
regulations, except upon a detailed
showing in the submission that the
petitioner made a good faith effort to
obtain the information required.
In order to ensure the timely receipt
and consideration of submissions, USTR
strongly encourages submitters to make
on-line submissions, using the
www.regulations.gov Web site. To
submit comments via
www.regulations.gov, enter the docket
number for this review—either USTR–
2016–0009 or USTR–2015–0013—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.’’
For further information on using the
www.regulations.gov Web site, please
consult the resources provided on the
Web site by clicking on ‘‘How to Use
Regulations.gov’’ on the bottom of the
home page.
The www.regulations.gov Web site
allows users to provide comments by
filling in a ‘‘Type Comment’’ field or by
attaching a document using the ‘‘Upload
file(s)’’ field. The GSP Subcommittee
prefers that submissions be provided in
an attached document. If a document is
attached, it is sufficient to type ‘‘See
attached’’ in the ‘‘Type Comment’’ field.
USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft
Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If
the submission is in an application
other than those two, please indicate the
name of the application in the ‘‘Type
Comment’’ field.
Submissions must include, at the
beginning of the submission or on the
first page (if an attachment), the
following text (in bold and underlined):
(1) ‘‘2016/2017 GSP Annual Review’’ or
‘‘Travel Goods Supplemental Comment
Period and Hearing’’ and (2) the eightdigit HTSUS subheading number in
which the product is classified (for
product petitions) or the name of the
country (for country practice petitions).
Interested parties submitting petitions
that request action with respect to
specific products also should list at the
beginning of the submission, or on the
first page (if an attachment) the
following information: (1) The requested
action; and (2) if applicable, the
beneficiary developing country.
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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. Please do not attach
separate cover letters to electronic
submissions; rather, include any
information that might appear in a cover
letter in the comments themselves.
Similarly, to the extent possible, please
include any exhibits, annexes, or other
attachments in the same file as the
submission itself, not as separate files.
Each submitter will receive a
submission tracking number upon
completion of the submissions
procedure at www.regulations.gov that
will be the submitter’s confirmation that
the submission was received.
Submitters should keep the
confirmation for their records. USTR is
not responsible for any delays in a
submission due to technical difficulties,
and is not able to provide any technical
assistance for the https://
www.regulations.gov Web site.
As noted, USTR strongly urges
submitters to use www.regulations.gov.
Any alternative arrangements must be
made with Naomi Freeman in advance
of submission. You can contact Ms.
Freeman at (202) 395–2974.
USTR may not consider for review
documents that are not submitted in
accordance with these instructions.
Business Confidential Submissions:
For any submissions containing
business confidential information, the
file name of the business confidential
version should begin with the characters
‘‘BC’’. Any page containing business
confidential information must be clearly
marked ‘‘BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL’’
on the top of that page. Filers of
submissions containing business
confidential information must also
submit a public version of their
comments. The file name of the public
version should begin with the character
‘‘P’’. The ‘‘BC’’ and ‘‘P’’ should be
followed by the name of the person or
entity making the submission. Name
submissions that do not contain
business confidential information using
the name of the person or entity making
the submission.
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. You can
view a submission by entering the
docket number USTR–2016–0009 or
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 165 / Thursday, August 25, 2016 / Notices
USTR–2015–0013 in the search field at
https://www.regulations.gov.
Erland Herfindahl,
Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative
for the Generalized System of Preferences,
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2016–20054 Filed 8–24–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290–F6–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Meeting: RTCA Program Management
Committee
Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), U.S. Department
of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of RTCA Program
Management Committee Meeting.
AGENCY:
The FAA is issuing this notice
to advise the public of a meeting of
RTCA Program Management Committee.
DATES: The meeting will be held
September 22nd 2016 from 8:30 a.m.–
4:30 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
RTCA, Inc., 1150 18th Street NW., Suite
910, Washington, DC 20036.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The
RTCA Secretariat, 1150 18th Street NW.,
Suite 910, Washington, DC 20036, or by
telephone at (202) 833–9339, fax at (202)
833–9434, or Web site at https://
www.rtca.org.
SUMMARY:
Pursuant
to section 10(a)(2) of the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–
463, 5 U.S.C., App.), notice is hereby
given for a Program Management
Committee meeting. The agenda will
include the following:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
September 22nd
1. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS
2. REVIEW/APPROVE
A. Meeting Summary June 21, 2016
B. Administrative Special Committee
TOR Revisions
3. PUBLICATION CONSIDERATION/
APPROVAL
A. Final Draft, New Document—Final
Phase One, C2 Data Link MOPS and
V&V (Terrestrial), prepared by SC–
228
4. INTEGRATION and COORDINATION
COMMITTEE (ICC)
A. Word Definitions/Usage—Update
B. Cross Cutting Committee (CCC)
Process Recommendations—
Discussion
5. PAST ACTION ITEM REVIEW
A. SC–214 participation with SC–223
Internet Protocol Suites Activity—
Update
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:30 Aug 24, 2016
Jkt 238001
B. Ad-hoc to draft words covering
Cyber Security Guidelines—Update
C. Global Aeronautical Distress and
Safety System (GADSS)—
Presentation
D. Updating References to RTCA
Documents Recommendations—
Update
6. DISCUSSION
A. SC–225—Rechargeable Lithium
Batteries and Battery Systems—
Discussion—Update on DO–311
Revision
B. SC–223—Internal Protocol Suite
(IPS) and AeroMACS—
Discussion—Revised TOR Update
C. SC–228—Minimum Performance
Standards for Unmanned Aircraft
Systems—Discussion—Revised
TOR Update
D. NAC—Status Update
E. TOC—Status Update
F. DAC—Status Update
G. FAA Actions Taken on Previously
Published Documents—Report
H. Special Committees—Chairmen’s
Reports and Active Inter-Special
Committee Requirements
Agreements (ISRA)—Review
I. European/EUROCAE
Coordination—Status Update
7. OTHER BUSINESS
8. SCHEDULE for COMMITTEE
DELIVERABLES and NEXT MEETING
DATE
9. NEW ACTION ITEM SUMMARY
Attendance is open to the interested
public but limited to space availability.
With the approval of the chairman,
members of the public may present oral
statements at the meeting. Persons
wishing to present statements or obtain
information should contact the person
listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section. Members of the public
may present a written statement to the
committee at any time.
Issued in Washington, DC, on August 22,
2016.
Mohannad Dawoud,
Management & Program Analyst, Partnership
Contracts Branch, ANG–A17, NextGen,
Procurement Services Division, Federal
Aviation Administration.
[FR Doc. 2016–20373 Filed 8–24–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
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58549
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Requests for Comments;
Clearance of Renewed Approval of
Information Collection: Anti-Drug
Program for Personnel Engaged in
Specific Aviation Activities
Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA
invites public comments about our
intention to request the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB)
approval to renew a previously
approved information collection.
Information is collected to determine
program compliance or non-compliance
of regulated aviation employers,
oversight planning, to determine who
must provide annual Management
Information System testing information,
and to communicate with entities
subject to the program regulations.
DATES: Written comments should be
submitted by October 24, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to the FAA
at the following address: Ronda
Thompson, Room 441, Federal Aviation
Administration, ASP–110, 950 L’Enfant
Plaza SW., Washington, DC 20024.
Public Comments Invited: You are
asked to comment on any aspect of this
information collection, including (a)
Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for FAA’s
performance; (b) the accuracy of the
estimated burden; (c) ways for FAA to
enhance the quality, utility and clarity
of the information collection; and (d)
ways that the burden could be
minimized without reducing the quality
of the collected information. The agency
will summarize and/or include your
comments in the request for OMB’s
clearance of this information collection.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ronda Thompson by email at:
Ronda.Thompson@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
OMB Control Number: 2120–0535.
Title: Anti-Drug Program for
Personnel Engaged in Specified
Aviation Activities.
Form Numbers: There are no FAA
forms associated with this collection.
Type of Review: Renewal of an
information collection.
Background: The FAA mandates
specified aviation entities to conduct
drug and alcohol testing under its
regulations, Drug and Alcohol Testing
SUMMARY:
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 165 (Thursday, August 25, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58547-58549]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-20054]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Notice of Initiation of
the 2016/2017 Annual GSP Product and Country Practices Review; Travel
Goods Supplemental Comment Period and Hearing; Deadlines for Filing
Petitions
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice of public hearing and request for petitions and
comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is
prepared to receive petitions to modify the list of articles that are
eligible for duty-free treatment under the Generalized System of
Preferences (GSP) program and to modify the GSP status of certain GSP
beneficiary developing countries because of country practices. USTR
also is prepared to receive petitions requesting waivers of competitive
need limitations (CNLs). In addition, USTR is seeking public comments
and will convene a public hearing to receive additional information and
stakeholder views regarding the potential addition of travel and
luggage goods products for more economically advanced GSP beneficiary
countries.
DATES: In order to be considered in the 2016/2017 Annual GSP Review,
the GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) must
receive petitions by the following deadlines:
Tuesday, October 4, 2016, 5:00 p.m.: Petitions to modify the list
of articles eligible for duty-free treatment under GSP.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016, 5:00 p.m.: Petitions to review the GSP
status of any beneficiary developing country.
Friday, December 2, 2016, 5:00 p.m.: Petitions requesting waivers
of CNLs.
USTR will not consider petitions submitted after these deadlines.
Decisions on which petitions are accepted for review, along with a
schedule for any related public hearings and the opportunity for the
public to provide comments, will be announced at a later date.
Travel Goods Supplemental Comment Period and Hearing
A supplemental comment period and hearing will be held to give
stakeholders the opportunity to submit further information with respect
to the possible addition of travel and luggage goods items as eligible
articles for more advanced Beneficiary Developing Countries (BDCs).
This will supplement information collected during the 2015/2016 Annual
Review. The schedule for the hearing and public comments is as follows:
Tuesday, October 4, 2016, 5:00 p.m.: Deadline for submission of
comments, pre-hearing briefs and requests to appear at the hearing.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016, 9:30 a.m.: The GSP Subcommittee of the
TPSC will convene a public hearing on travel and luggage goods in Rooms
1 and 2, 1724 F Street NW., Washington DC 20508.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016, 5:00 p.m.: Deadline for submission of
post-hearing comments or briefs.
ADDRESSES: You should submit written comments through the Federal
eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. The docket number for
the 2016/2017 Annual GSP Review is USTR-2016-0009. The docket number
for the Travel Goods Supplemental Comment Period and Hearing is USTR-
2015-0013. Follow the instructions for submitting comments in section
III below. If an interested party is unable to provide submissions as
requested, please contact Naomi Freeman at (202) 395-2974 to arrange
for an alternative method of transmission.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naomi Freeman at (202) 395-2974 or
GSP@ustr.eop.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GSP program provides for the duty-free
importation of designated articles when imported from designated
beneficiary developing countries. The GSP program is authorized by
Title V of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461, et seq.), as amended
(Trade Act), and is implemented in accordance with Executive Order
11888 of November 24, 1975, as modified by subsequent Executive Orders
and Presidential Proclamations.
I. The 2016/2017 Annual GSP Review
GSP Product Review Petitions: Any interested party, including
foreign governments, may submit petitions to:
(1) Designate additional articles as eligible for GSP benefits,
including to designate articles as eligible for GSP benefits only if
imported from countries designated as least-developed beneficiary
developing countries, or only from countries designated as beneficiary
sub-Saharan African countries under the African Growth and Opportunity
Act (AGOA);
(2) Withdraw, suspend or limit the application of duty-free
treatment accorded under the GSP with respect to any article; and
(3) Otherwise modify GSP coverage.
Petitioners seeking to add products to eligibility for GSP benefits
should note that, as provided in section 503(b) of the Trade Act (19
U.S.C. 2463(b)), certain articles may not be designated as eligible
articles under GSP.
As specified in 15 CFR 2007.1, all petitions must include a
detailed description of the product and the eight-digit subheading of
the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) under which
the product is classified.
Country Practices Review Petitions: Any interested party may submit
a petition to review the GSP eligibility of any beneficiary developing
country with respect to any of the designation criteria listed in
sections 502(b) and 502(c) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2462(b) and
(c)).
Competitive Need Limitations: Any interested party may submit a
petition seeking a waiver of the 2016 CNL for individual beneficiary
developing countries with respect to specific GSP-eligible articles
(these limits do not apply to least-developed beneficiary developing
countries or AGOA beneficiary countries). Before submitting petitions
for CNL waivers, prospective petitioners may wish to review the 2016
year-to-date import trade data for products of interest. This data is
available via the U.S. International Trade Commission's ``Dataweb''
database at https://dataweb.usitc.gov/. For more information on CNLs and
how they apply to the GSP program, please visit the GSP page of the
USTR Web site at https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/trade-development/preference-programs/generalized-system-preference-gsp.
II. Travel Goods Supplemental Comment Period and Hearing
On June 30, 2016, the President designated certain travel and
luggage goods articles as eligible for duty-free treatment to least-
developed beneficiary developing counties (LDBDCs) and AGOA beneficiary
countries. A decision regarding other, generally more advanced,
beneficiary countries was deferred. In making any decision with regard
to the provision of duty-free treatment for any eligible article from
[[Page 58548]]
any beneficiary country, the President under section 501 of the Trade
Act (19 U.S.C. 2461) must have due regard for the following factors:
(1) The effect such action will have on furthering the economic
development of the developing countries through the expansion of their
exports;
(2) The extent to which other major developed countries are
undertaking a comparable effort to assist developing countries by
granting generalized preferences with respect to imports of products of
such countries;
(3) The anticipated impact of such action on U.S producers of like
or directly competitive products; and
(4) The extent of the beneficiary developing countries'
competitiveness with respect to eligible articles.
In the 2015/2016 GSP Annual Review, the President determined that a
consideration of these factors justified the immediate provision of
duty-free treatment to travel and luggage goods from LDBDCs and AGOA
countries, but that more analysis was needed with respect to such goods
from other, generally more advanced, beneficiary countries. The request
for public comments and hearing announced in this notice are intended
to create an additional formal process to collect supplemental
information relevant to a decision on whether to extend duty-free
treatment to this last category of GSP beneficiaries.
Interested parties need not re-submit information previously
provided. However, interested parties now have an opportunity to
provide any new information or analysis with respect to the possible
further extension of GSP benefits for non-LDBDCs for each of the travel
and luggage tariff lines under consideration in light of the above
mentioned statutory criteria.
USTR aims to conclude its review of luggage and travel goods by
January 2017.
III. Requirements for Submissions
All submissions for the 2016/2017 GSP Annual Review and for the
Travel Goods Supplemental Comment Period and Hearing 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://ustr.gov/issue-areas/trade-development/preference-programs/generalized-system-preference-gsp/gsp-program-inf.
All submissions must be in English and must be submitted
electronically via https://www.regulations.gov, using docket number
USTR-2016-0009 for the 2016/2017 GSP Annual Review, or docket number
USTR-2015-0013 for the Travel Goods Supplemental Comment Period and
Hearing. USTR will not accept hand-delivered submissions. USTR will not
accept submissions for review that do not provide the information
required by Sec. Sec. 2007.0 and 2007.1 of the GSP regulations, except
upon a detailed showing in the submission that the petitioner made a
good faith effort to obtain the information required.
In order to ensure the timely receipt and consideration of
submissions, USTR strongly encourages submitters to make on-line
submissions, using the www.regulations.gov Web site. To submit comments
via www.regulations.gov, enter the docket number for this review--
either USTR-2016-0009 or USTR-2015-0013--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.'' For further information on using the
www.regulations.gov Web site, please consult the resources provided on
the Web site by clicking on ``How to Use Regulations.gov'' on the
bottom of the home page.
The www.regulations.gov Web site allows users to provide comments
by filling in a ``Type Comment'' field or by attaching a document using
the ``Upload file(s)'' field. The GSP Subcommittee prefers that
submissions be provided in an attached document. If a document is
attached, it is sufficient to type ``See attached'' in the ``Type
Comment'' field. USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or
Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If the submission is in an application other than
those two, please indicate the name of the application in the ``Type
Comment'' field.
Submissions must include, at the beginning of the submission or on
the first page (if an attachment), the following text (in bold and
underlined): (1) ``2016/2017 GSP Annual Review'' or ``Travel Goods
Supplemental Comment Period and Hearing'' and (2) the eight-digit HTSUS
subheading number in which the product is classified (for product
petitions) or the name of the country (for country practice petitions).
Interested parties submitting petitions that request action with
respect to specific products also should list at the beginning of the
submission, or on the first page (if an attachment) the following
information: (1) The requested action; and (2) if applicable, the
beneficiary developing country.
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. Please do not attach
separate cover letters to electronic submissions; rather, include any
information that might appear in a cover letter in the comments
themselves. Similarly, to the extent possible, please include any
exhibits, annexes, or other attachments in the same file as the
submission itself, not as separate files.
Each submitter will receive a submission tracking number upon
completion of the submissions procedure at www.regulations.gov that
will be the submitter's confirmation that the submission was received.
Submitters should keep the confirmation for their records. USTR is not
responsible for any delays in a submission due to technical
difficulties, and is not able to provide any technical assistance for
the https://www.regulations.gov Web site.
As noted, USTR strongly urges submitters to use
www.regulations.gov. Any alternative arrangements must be made with
Naomi Freeman in advance of submission. You can contact Ms. Freeman at
(202) 395-2974.
USTR may not consider for review documents that are not submitted
in accordance with these instructions.
Business Confidential Submissions: For any submissions containing
business confidential information, the file name of the business
confidential version should begin with the characters ``BC''. Any page
containing business confidential information must be clearly marked
``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' on the top of that page. Filers of
submissions containing business confidential information must also
submit a public version of their comments. The file name of the public
version should begin with the character ``P''. The ``BC'' and ``P''
should be followed by the name of the person or entity making the
submission. Name submissions that do not contain business confidential
information using the name of the person or entity making the
submission.
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. You can view a submission by entering the docket number
USTR-2016-0009 or
[[Page 58549]]
USTR-2015-0013 in the search field at https://www.regulations.gov.
Erland Herfindahl,
Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Generalized System
of Preferences, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2016-20054 Filed 8-24-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F6-P