Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Interim Procedures For Considering Requests and Comments From the Public for Textile and Apparel Safeguard Actions on Imports from Korea, 4045-4046 [2019-02241]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 31 / Thursday, February 14, 2019 / Notices
Dated: February 8, 2019.
David Mussatt,
Supervisory Chief, Regional Programs Unit.
[FR Doc. 2019–02295 Filed 2–13–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
Proposed Information Collection;
Comment Request; Interim Procedures
For Considering Requests and
Comments From the Public for Textile
and Apparel Safeguard Actions on
Imports from Korea
International Trade
Administration, 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 April 15, 2019.
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 PRAcomments@doc.gov).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection
instrument and instructions should be
directed to Maria D’Andrea-Yothers,
Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S.
Department of Commerce, Tel.(202)
482–1550, Maria.D’Andrea-Yothers@
trade.gov.
SUMMARY:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
Article 4.1 of the U.S.-Korea Free
Trade Agreement (the ‘‘Agreement’’)
provides for a textile and apparel
safeguard mechanism. This safeguard
mechanism applies when, as a result of
the reduction or elimination of a
customs duty under the Agreement, a
Korean textile or apparel article is being
imported into the United States in such
increased quantities, in absolute terms
or relative to the domestic market for
that article, and under such conditions
as to cause serious damage or actual
threat thereof to a U.S. industry
producing a like or directly competitive
article. In these circumstances, Article
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:54 Feb 13, 2019
Jkt 247001
4.1 permits the United States to (a)
suspend any further reduction in the
rate of duty provided for under Annex
2–B of the Agreement in the duty
imposed on the article; or (b) increase
duties on the imported article from
Korea to a level that does not exceed the
lesser of the prevailing U.S. normal
trade relations (‘‘NTR’’)/most-favorednation (‘‘MFN’’) duty rate for the article
or the U.S. NTR/MFN duty rate in effect
on the day before the Agreement enters
into force.
The Statement of Administrative
Action accompanying the U.S.-Korea
Free Trade Agreement Implementation
Act (the ‘‘Act’’) provides that the
Committee for the Implementation of
Textile Agreements (CITA) will issue
procedures for requesting such
safeguard measures, for making its
determinations under section 332(a) of
the Act, and for providing relief under
section 332(b) of the Act.
In Proclamation No. 8783 (77 FR
14265, March 9, 2012), the President
delegated to CITA his authority under
Subtitle C of Title III of the Act with
respect to textile and apparel safeguard
measures.
The textile and apparel safeguard
mechanism will be of considerable
benefit to firms manufacturing textile
and apparel goods in the United States
in the event that an industry finds itself
to be adversely impacted by preferential
duty or duty-free imports of textiles and
apparel from Korea.
CITA must collect information in
order to determine whether a domestic
textile or apparel industry is being
adversely impacted by imports of these
products from Korea, thereby allowing
CITA to take corrective action to protect
the viability of the domestic textile and
apparel industry, subject to section
332(b) of the Act.
An interested party in the U.S.
domestic textile and apparel industry
may file a request for a textile and
apparel safeguard action with CITA.
Consistent with longstanding CITA
practice in considering textile and
apparel safeguard actions, CITA will
consider an interested party to be an
entity (which may be a trade
association, firm, certified or recognized
union, or group of workers) that is
representative of either: (A) A domestic
producer or producers of an article that
is like or directly competitive with the
subject Korean textile or apparel article;
or (B) a domestic producer or producers
of a component used in the production
of an article that is like or directly
competitive with the subject Korean
textile or apparel article.
In order for a request to be
considered, the requestor must provide
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
4045
the following information in support of
a claim that a textile or apparel article
from Korea is being imported into the
United States in such increased
quantities, in absolute terms or relative
to the domestic market for that article,
and under such conditions as to cause
serious damage or actual threat thereof,
to a U.S. industry producing an article
that is like, or directly competitive with,
the imported article: (1) Name and
description of the imported article
concerned; (2) import data
demonstrating that imports of a Korea
origin textile or apparel article that are
like or directly competitive with the
articles produced by the domestic
industry concerned are increasing in
absolute terms or relative to the
domestic market for that article; (3) U.S.
domestic production of the like or
directly competitive articles of U.S.
origin indicating the nature and extent
of the serious damage or actual threat
thereof, along with an affirmation that to
the best of the requester’s knowledge,
the data represent substantially all of
the domestic production of the like or
directly competitive article(s) of U.S.
origin; (4) imports from Korea as a
percentage of the domestic market of the
like or directly competitive article; and
(5) all data available to the requester
showing changes in productivity,
utilization of capacity, inventories,
exports, wages, employment, domestic
prices, profits, and investment, and any
other information, relating to the
existence of serious damage or actual
threat thereof caused by imports from
Korea to the industry producing the like
or directly competitive article that is the
subject of the request. To the extent that
such information is not available, the
requester should provide best estimates
and the basis therefore.
If CITA determines that the request
provides the information necessary for it
to be considered, CITA will publish a
notice in the Federal Register seeking
public comments regarding the request.
The comment period shall be 30
calendar days. The notice will include
a summary of the request. Any
interested party may submit information
to rebut, clarify, or correct public
comments submitted by any interested
party.
CITA will make a determination on
any request it considers within 60
calendar days of the close of the
comment period. If CITA is unable to
make a determination within 60
calendar days, it will publish a notice in
the Federal Register, including the date
it will make a determination.
If a determination under section
322(b) of the Act is affirmative, CITA
may provide tariff relief to a U.S.
E:\FR\FM\14FEN1.SGM
14FEN1
4046
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 31 / Thursday, February 14, 2019 / Notices
industry to the extent necessary to
remedy or prevent serious damage or
actual threat thereof and to facilitate
adjustment by the domestic industry to
import competition. The import tariff
relief is effective beginning on the date
that CITA’s affirmative determination is
published in the Federal Register.
Entities submitting requests,
responses or rebuttals to CITA may
submit both a public and confidential
version of their submissions. If the
request is accepted, the public version
will be posted on the dedicated Korea
Free Trade Agreement textile safeguards
section of the Office of Textile and
Apparel (OTEXA) website. The
confidential version of the request,
responses or rebuttals will not be shared
with the public as it may contain
business confidential information.
Entities submitting responses or
rebuttals may use the public version of
the request as a basis for responses.
II. Method of Collection
When an interested party files a
request for a textile and apparel
safeguard action with CITA, ten copies
of any such request must be provided in
a paper format. If business confidential
information is provided, two copies of
a non-confidential version must also be
provided. If CITA determines that the
request provides the necessary
information to be considered, it
publishes a Federal Register notice
seeking public comments on the
request. To the extent business
confidential information is provided, a
non-confidential version must also be
provided. Any interested party may
submit information to rebut, clarify, or
correct public comments submitted by
any interested party.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0625–0269.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission.
Affected Public: Individuals or
Business.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 14
(4 for Request; 10 for Comments).
Estimated Time Per Response: 4 hours
(for each Request) 4 hours (for each
Comment).
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 56 hours (16 hours for Requests;
40 hours for Comments).
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $2,800.
IV. Request for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:54 Feb 13, 2019
Jkt 247001
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden
(including hours and cost) of the
proposed collection of information; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, including through the
use of automated collection techniques
or other forms of information
technology.
Comments submitted in response to
this notice will be summarized and/or
included in the request for OMB
approval of this information collection;
they also will become a matter of public
record.
Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the
Chief Information Officer, Commerce
Department.
[FR Doc. 2019–02241 Filed 2–13–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A–580–876]
Welded Line Pipe From the Republic of
Korea: Preliminary Results of
Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review and Preliminary Determination
of No Shipments; 2016–2017
Enforcement and Compliance,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce
(Commerce) preliminarily determines
that producers and/or exporters subject
to this administrative review made sales
of subject merchandise at less than
normal value (NV). Interested parties are
invited to comment on these
preliminary results of review.
DATES: Applicable February 14, 2019.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David Goldberger or Ross Belliveau,
AD/CVD Operations, Office II,
Enforcement and Compliance,
International Trade Administration,
U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401
Constitution Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482–4136 or
(202) 482–4952, respectively.
AGENCY:
Scope of the Order
The merchandise subject to the order
is welded line pipe.1 The product is
1 For a complete description of the Scope of the
Order, see Memorandum, ‘‘Decision Memorandum
for the Preliminary Results of the 2016–2017
Administrative Review of the Antidumping Duty
Order on Welded Line Pipe from Korea,’’ dated
concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, this
notice (Preliminary Decision Memorandum).
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
currently classified under the following
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
United States (HTSUS) item numbers:
7305.11.1030, 7305.11.1060,
7305.11.5000, 7305.12.1030,
7305.12.1060, 7305.12.5000,
7305.19.1030, 7305.19.5000,
7306.19.1010, 7306.19.1050,
7306.19.5110, and 7306.19.5150.
Although the HTSUS numbers are
provided for convenience and for
customs purposes, the written product
description remains dispositive.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Commerce is conducting this review
in accordance with section 751(a) of the
Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act).
On February 23, 2018, based on timely
requests for review, in accordance with
19 CFR 351.221(c)(1)(i), we initiated an
administrative review on welded line
pipe from Korea.2 In August 2018, we
extended the preliminary results of this
review to no later than January 3, 2019.3
Commerce exercised its discretion to
toll all deadlines affected by the partial
federal government closure from
December 22, 2018, through the
resumption of operations on January 28,
2019.4 If the new deadline falls on a
non-business day, in accordance with
Commerce’s practice, the deadline will
become the next business day. The
revised deadline for the preliminary
results of this review is now February
12, 2019. For a complete description of
the events that followed the initiation of
this review, see the Preliminary
Decision Memorandum.
Export price and constructed export
price are calculated in accordance with
section 772 of the Act. NV is calculated
in accordance with section 773 of the
Act. For a full description of the
methodology underlying our
conclusions, see the Preliminary
Decision Memorandum. The
Preliminary Decision Memorandum is a
public document and is on file
electronically via Enforcement and
Compliance’s Antidumping and
Countervailing Duty Centralized
Electronic Service System (ACCESS).
ACCESS is available to registered users
at https://access.trade.gov, and to all
2 See Initiation of Antidumping and
Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews, 83 FR
8058 (February 23, 2018) (Initiation Notice).
3 See Memorandum, ‘‘Welded Line Pipe from the
Republic of Korea: Extension of Deadline for
Preliminary Results of 2016–2017 Antidumping
Duty Administrative Review,’’ dated August 9,
2018.
4 See Memorandum, ‘‘Deadlines Affected by the
Partial Shutdown of the Federal Government,’’
dated January 28, 2019. All deadlines in this
segment of the proceeding have been extended by
40 days.
E:\FR\FM\14FEN1.SGM
14FEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 31 (Thursday, February 14, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4045-4046]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-02241]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Interim
Procedures For Considering Requests and Comments From the Public for
Textile and Apparel Safeguard Actions on Imports from Korea
AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: 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 April 15, 2019.
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 PRAcomments@doc.gov).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should
be directed to Maria D'Andrea-Yothers, Office of Textiles and Apparel,
U.S. Department of Commerce, Tel.(202) 482-1550, Maria.D'Andrea-Yothers@trade.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
Article 4.1 of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (the
``Agreement'') provides for a textile and apparel safeguard mechanism.
This safeguard mechanism applies when, as a result of the reduction or
elimination of a customs duty under the Agreement, a Korean textile or
apparel article is being imported into the United States in such
increased quantities, in absolute terms or relative to the domestic
market for that article, and under such conditions as to cause serious
damage or actual threat thereof to a U.S. industry producing a like or
directly competitive article. In these circumstances, Article 4.1
permits the United States to (a) suspend any further reduction in the
rate of duty provided for under Annex 2-B of the Agreement in the duty
imposed on the article; or (b) increase duties on the imported article
from Korea to a level that does not exceed the lesser of the prevailing
U.S. normal trade relations (``NTR'')/most-favored-nation (``MFN'')
duty rate for the article or the U.S. NTR/MFN duty rate in effect on
the day before the Agreement enters into force.
The Statement of Administrative Action accompanying the U.S.-Korea
Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the ``Act'') provides that the
Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) will
issue procedures for requesting such safeguard measures, for making its
determinations under section 332(a) of the Act, and for providing
relief under section 332(b) of the Act.
In Proclamation No. 8783 (77 FR 14265, March 9, 2012), the
President delegated to CITA his authority under Subtitle C of Title III
of the Act with respect to textile and apparel safeguard measures.
The textile and apparel safeguard mechanism will be of considerable
benefit to firms manufacturing textile and apparel goods in the United
States in the event that an industry finds itself to be adversely
impacted by preferential duty or duty-free imports of textiles and
apparel from Korea.
CITA must collect information in order to determine whether a
domestic textile or apparel industry is being adversely impacted by
imports of these products from Korea, thereby allowing CITA to take
corrective action to protect the viability of the domestic textile and
apparel industry, subject to section 332(b) of the Act.
An interested party in the U.S. domestic textile and apparel
industry may file a request for a textile and apparel safeguard action
with CITA. Consistent with longstanding CITA practice in considering
textile and apparel safeguard actions, CITA will consider an interested
party to be an entity (which may be a trade association, firm,
certified or recognized union, or group of workers) that is
representative of either: (A) A domestic producer or producers of an
article that is like or directly competitive with the subject Korean
textile or apparel article; or (B) a domestic producer or producers of
a component used in the production of an article that is like or
directly competitive with the subject Korean textile or apparel
article.
In order for a request to be considered, the requestor must provide
the following information in support of a claim that a textile or
apparel article from Korea is being imported into the United States in
such increased quantities, in absolute terms or relative to the
domestic market for that article, and under such conditions as to cause
serious damage or actual threat thereof, to a U.S. industry producing
an article that is like, or directly competitive with, the imported
article: (1) Name and description of the imported article concerned;
(2) import data demonstrating that imports of a Korea origin textile or
apparel article that are like or directly competitive with the articles
produced by the domestic industry concerned are increasing in absolute
terms or relative to the domestic market for that article; (3) U.S.
domestic production of the like or directly competitive articles of
U.S. origin indicating the nature and extent of the serious damage or
actual threat thereof, along with an affirmation that to the best of
the requester's knowledge, the data represent substantially all of the
domestic production of the like or directly competitive article(s) of
U.S. origin; (4) imports from Korea as a percentage of the domestic
market of the like or directly competitive article; and (5) all data
available to the requester showing changes in productivity, utilization
of capacity, inventories, exports, wages, employment, domestic prices,
profits, and investment, and any other information, relating to the
existence of serious damage or actual threat thereof caused by imports
from Korea to the industry producing the like or directly competitive
article that is the subject of the request. To the extent that such
information is not available, the requester should provide best
estimates and the basis therefore.
If CITA determines that the request provides the information
necessary for it to be considered, CITA will publish a notice in the
Federal Register seeking public comments regarding the request. The
comment period shall be 30 calendar days. The notice will include a
summary of the request. Any interested party may submit information to
rebut, clarify, or correct public comments submitted by any interested
party.
CITA will make a determination on any request it considers within
60 calendar days of the close of the comment period. If CITA is unable
to make a determination within 60 calendar days, it will publish a
notice in the Federal Register, including the date it will make a
determination.
If a determination under section 322(b) of the Act is affirmative,
CITA may provide tariff relief to a U.S.
[[Page 4046]]
industry to the extent necessary to remedy or prevent serious damage or
actual threat thereof and to facilitate adjustment by the domestic
industry to import competition. The import tariff relief is effective
beginning on the date that CITA's affirmative determination is
published in the Federal Register.
Entities submitting requests, responses or rebuttals to CITA may
submit both a public and confidential version of their submissions. If
the request is accepted, the public version will be posted on the
dedicated Korea Free Trade Agreement textile safeguards section of the
Office of Textile and Apparel (OTEXA) website. The confidential version
of the request, responses or rebuttals will not be shared with the
public as it may contain business confidential information. Entities
submitting responses or rebuttals may use the public version of the
request as a basis for responses.
II. Method of Collection
When an interested party files a request for a textile and apparel
safeguard action with CITA, ten copies of any such request must be
provided in a paper format. If business confidential information is
provided, two copies of a non-confidential version must also be
provided. If CITA determines that the request provides the necessary
information to be considered, it publishes a Federal Register notice
seeking public comments on the request. To the extent business
confidential information is provided, a non-confidential version must
also be provided. Any interested party may submit information to rebut,
clarify, or correct public comments submitted by any interested party.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0625-0269.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission.
Affected Public: Individuals or Business.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 14 (4 for Request; 10 for
Comments).
Estimated Time Per Response: 4 hours (for each Request) 4 hours
(for each Comment).
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 56 hours (16 hours for
Requests; 40 hours for Comments).
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $2,800.
IV. Request for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information;
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.
Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer,
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2019-02241 Filed 2-13-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P