Request for Comments on Certain Products Exclusions Related to COVID-19: China's Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation, 48280-48281 [2021-18521]

Download as PDF 48280 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 164 / Friday, August 27, 2021 / Notices Picturing Antiquity.’’ Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: I hereby determine that certain additional objects being imported from abroad pursuant to agreements with their foreign owners or custodians for temporary display in the aforesaid exhibition at The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa, Pacific Palisades, California, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, are of cultural significance, and, further, that their temporary exhibition or display within the United States as aforementioned is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these determinations be published in the Federal Register. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chi D. Tran, Program Administrator, Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State (telephone: 202–632–6471; email: section2459@state.gov). The mailing address is U.S. Department of State, L/PD, 2200 C Street NW, (SA–5), Suite 5H03, Washington, DC 20522–0505. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The foregoing determinations were made pursuant to the authority vested in me by the Act of October 19, 1965 (79 Stat. 985; 22 U.S.C. 2459), Executive Order 12047 of March 27, 1978, the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 (112 Stat. 2681, et seq.; 22 U.S.C. 6501 note, et seq.), Delegation of Authority No. 234 of October 1, 1999, and Delegation of Authority No. 236–3 of August 28, 2000. Matthew R. Lussenhop, Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. [FR Doc. 2021–18447 Filed 8–26–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4710–05–P OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE Request for Comments on Certain Products Exclusions Related to COVID–19: China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). ACTION: Notice and request for comments. lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 AGENCY: In prior notices, the U.S. Trade Representative modified the action in the Section 301 investigation of China’s acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation by excluding from additional duties certain SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:52 Aug 26, 2021 Jkt 253001 medical-care products needed to address the COVID–19 pandemic. These exclusions are scheduled to expire on September 30, 2021. In light of developments in the production capacity of the United States in the subject products and continuing efforts in the battle against COVID–19, USTR is requesting public comments on whether to extend particular exclusions past September 30, 2021. DATES: August 27, 2021: The public docket on the web portal at https:// comments.USTR.gov will open for parties to submit comments. September 27, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET: To be assured of consideration, submit written comments on the public docket by this time. ADDRESSES: You must submit all comments through the online portal: https://comments.USTR.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Associate General Counsel Philip Butler or Assistant General Counsel Edward Marcus at (202) 395–5725. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A. Background In the course of this investigation the U.S. Trade Representative has imposed additional duties on products of China in four tranches. See 83 FR 28719 (June 20, 2018); 83 FR 40823 (August 16, 2018); 83 FR 47974 (September 21, 2018) as modified by 83 FR 49153 (September 28, 2018); and 84 FR 43304 (August 20, 2019) as modified by 84 FR 69447 (December 18, 2019) and 85 FR 3741 (January 22, 2020). For each tranche, the U.S. Trade Representative established a process by which U.S. stakeholders could request the exclusion of particular products subject to the action. The U.S. Trade Representative later established a process by which U.S. stakeholders could request the extension of particular exclusions. Additionally, on March 25, 2020, the U.S. Trade Representative requested public comments on possible further modifications to remove Section 301 duties from additional medical-care products to address the COVID–19 pandemic. 85 FR 16987 (March 25, 2020). On December 29, 2020, USTR announced the extension of 80 product exclusions on medical-care and/or COVID response products; further modifications, in the form of 19 product exclusions, to remove Section 301 duties from additional medical-care and/or COVID response products; and that USTR might consider further extensions and/or modifications as appropriate. See 85 FR 85831 (the PO 00000 Frm 00167 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 December 29 notice). On March 10, 2021, USTR announced the extension of these 99 exclusions to September 30, 2021; and that USTR might consider further extensions and/or modifications as appropriate. See 86 FR 13785. B. Request for Public Comments Subsequent to USTR’s announcement of the extension of the 99 exclusions for COVID–19 response products in March, the spread of COVID–19 in the United States initially declined, and domestic production of certain products covered by these exclusions increased. With the recent spread of the Delta variant, COVID–19 cases in the United States are increasing again. In light of these changing circumstances, including the ability of the United States to obtain certain products domestically or from other sources, USTR is requesting public comments on whether to extend particular exclusions for COVID–19 products for up to six months. USTR will evaluate each exclusion on a case-by-case basis. The evaluation will examine whether it remains appropriate to exclude certain products from the additional Section 301 duties in light of recent developments including the spread of the Delta variant in the United States and increased domestic production of certain products, and taking account of the overall impact of these exclusions on the goal of obtaining the elimination of China’s acts, policies, and practices covered in this Section 301 investigation. C. Procedures To Comment on Particular COVID–19 Exclusions The 99 COVID exclusions can be found in the four annexes (A, B, C, and D) of the December 29 notice. To submit a comment regarding any particular COVID–19 exclusion, a commenter first must register on the portal at https:// comments.USTR.gov. As noted above, the public docket on the portal will be open from August 27, 2021, to September 27, 2021. After registration, the commenter may submit a comment form to the public docket. Fields on the comment form marked with an asterisk (*) are required fields. Fields with a gray (BCI) notation are for business confidential information, which will not be publicly available. Fields with a green (Public) notation will be publicly available. Additionally, parties will be able to upload documents and indicate whether the documents are BCI or public. Commenters will be able to review the public version of their comments before they are posted. Set out below is a summary of the information to be entered on the exclusion comment form. E:\FR\FM\27AUN1.SGM 27AUN1 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 164 / Friday, August 27, 2021 / Notices • Contact information, including the full legal name of the organization making the comment, whether the commenter is a third party (e.g., law firm, trade association, or customs broker) submitting on behalf of an organization or industry, and the name of the third party organization, if applicable. • The annex (annexes A, B, C, or D) of the December 29 notice (85 FR 85831) with the exclusion you are commenting on, the specific exclusion (number for the exclusion on which you are commenting as provided in the annex of the December 29 notice). • Whether you support or oppose extending the exclusion beyond September 30, 2021. • Rationale for supporting or opposing an extension. Commenters also may provide any other information or data that they consider relevant. D. Submission Instructions To be assured of consideration, you must submit your comment when the public docket on the portal is open— from August 27, 2021, to September 27, 2021. Parties seeking to comment on two or more exclusions must submit a separate comment for each exclusion. By submitting a comment, the commenter certifies that the information provided is complete and correct to the best of their knowledge. Greta M. Peisch, General Counsel, Office of the United States Trade Representative. [FR Doc. 2021–18521 Filed 8–26–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3290–F1–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration [Docket No.: FAA–2021–0710; Notice No. 21–01] Noise Certification Standards: Matternet Model M2 Aircraft Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), rule of particular applicability. AGENCY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes noise certification standards that would apply only to the Matternet model M2 quadcopter unmanned aircraft because there are currently no generally applicable noise certification standards for this aircraft. DATES: Send comments on or before September 27, 2021. lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:52 Aug 26, 2021 Jkt 253001 Send comments identified by docket number FAA–2021–0710 using any of the following methods: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for sending your comments electronically. • Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M–30; U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room W12–140, West Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590–0001. • Hand Delivery or Courier: Take comments to Docket Operations in Room W12–140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. • Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at 202–493–2251. Privacy: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments from the public to better inform its rulemaking process. DOT posts these comments, without edit, including any personal information the commenter provides, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the system of records notice (DOT/ALL– 14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at www.dot.gov/privacy. Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at https://www.regulations.gov at any time. Follow the online instructions for accessing the docket or go to the Docket Operations in Room W12–140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical questions concerning this action, contact Hua (Bill) He, Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Environment and Energy, 800 Independence Ave. SW, Room 900 West, Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267–3565; email hua.he@faa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ADDRESSES: I. Authority for This Rulemaking The FAA’s authority to issue rules on aviation safety is found in Title 49 of the United States Code. Subtitle I, section 106 describes the authority of the FAA Administrator. Subtitle VII, Aviation Programs, describes in more detail the scope of the agency’s authority. This rulemaking is issued under the authority described in subtitle VII, chapter 447, section 44715. Section 44715(a)(3) states that an original type certificate for an aircraft may be issued only after the Administrator of the FAA prescribes noise standards and regulations under that section that apply PO 00000 Frm 00168 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 48281 to the aircraft. This regulation is within the scope of that authority. II. Need for This Rulemaking Section 44704 of Title 49 of the United States Code requires that the FAA issue a type certificate to an applicant that presents a qualified design. Section 44715(a)(3) requires the FAA to prescribe noise standards for an aircraft before a type certificate may be issued. The current noise standards are contained in 14 CFR part 36. Within part 36, aircraft are distinguished by type, including jet airplanes, large turboprop airplanes, small airplanes, helicopters, and tiltrotors. When the FAA began issuing type certificates for unmanned aircraft (UA) several years ago, it used the noise standards for the type of manned aircraft that was most like the UA seeking type certification and that were compatible with the type classification. In the first two certifications, the FAA applied the small airplane standards under subpart F and appendix G. The small helicopter standards of subpart H and appendix J might also be found as applicable based on the design of an aircraft presented for certification. The increase of low-altitude UA operations, and the increased demand for commercial operation using them, has caused the FAA to re-evaluate whether the requirements for certain categories of aircraft (e.g., helicopters, tilt-rotors, small propeller-driven fixed wing) described in part 36 remain appropriate for the noise certification of particular UA designs like the Matternet M2. The FAA has recently begun to consider not only the means of propulsion and flight, but the amount and type of noise generated by UA, which in many cases are small in size, electrically (battery) powered, and may include distributed propulsion features or vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. As a result, it is possible that these aircraft generate less noise than was contemplated when part 36 was promulgated. A significant consideration is the expected operating environment for UA. Manned airplanes and helicopters normally operate from airports or helipads that include property that serves as a primary buffer from the general population. The methods of testing and determining proper noise limits used these proximities to the population as their bases, with testing done at large airport test locations and at altitudes representative of takeoff and landing. The UA addressed in this proposal, however, is an aircraft that is intended to operate in closer proximity E:\FR\FM\27AUN1.SGM 27AUN1

Agencies

Office of the United States Trade Representative

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 164 (Friday, August 27, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48280-48281]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-18521]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Request for Comments on Certain Products Exclusions Related to 
COVID-19: China's Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology 
Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: In prior notices, the U.S. Trade Representative modified the 
action in the Section 301 investigation of China's acts, policies, and 
practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and 
innovation by excluding from additional duties certain medical-care 
products needed to address the COVID-19 pandemic. These exclusions are 
scheduled to expire on September 30, 2021. In light of developments in 
the production capacity of the United States in the subject products 
and continuing efforts in the battle against COVID-19, USTR is 
requesting public comments on whether to extend particular exclusions 
past September 30, 2021.

DATES: 
    August 27, 2021: The public docket on the web portal at https://comments.USTR.gov will open for parties to submit comments.
    September 27, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET: To be assured of 
consideration, submit written comments on the public docket by this 
time.

ADDRESSES: You must submit all comments through the online portal: 
https://comments.USTR.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Associate General Counsel Philip 
Butler or Assistant General Counsel Edward Marcus at (202) 395-5725.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Background

    In the course of this investigation the U.S. Trade Representative 
has imposed additional duties on products of China in four tranches. 
See 83 FR 28719 (June 20, 2018); 83 FR 40823 (August 16, 2018); 83 FR 
47974 (September 21, 2018) as modified by 83 FR 49153 (September 28, 
2018); and 84 FR 43304 (August 20, 2019) as modified by 84 FR 69447 
(December 18, 2019) and 85 FR 3741 (January 22, 2020).
    For each tranche, the U.S. Trade Representative established a 
process by which U.S. stakeholders could request the exclusion of 
particular products subject to the action. The U.S. Trade 
Representative later established a process by which U.S. stakeholders 
could request the extension of particular exclusions. Additionally, on 
March 25, 2020, the U.S. Trade Representative requested public comments 
on possible further modifications to remove Section 301 duties from 
additional medical-care products to address the COVID-19 pandemic. 85 
FR 16987 (March 25, 2020).
    On December 29, 2020, USTR announced the extension of 80 product 
exclusions on medical-care and/or COVID response products; further 
modifications, in the form of 19 product exclusions, to remove Section 
301 duties from additional medical-care and/or COVID response products; 
and that USTR might consider further extensions and/or modifications as 
appropriate. See 85 FR 85831 (the December 29 notice). On March 10, 
2021, USTR announced the extension of these 99 exclusions to September 
30, 2021; and that USTR might consider further extensions and/or 
modifications as appropriate. See 86 FR 13785.

B. Request for Public Comments

    Subsequent to USTR's announcement of the extension of the 99 
exclusions for COVID-19 response products in March, the spread of 
COVID-19 in the United States initially declined, and domestic 
production of certain products covered by these exclusions increased. 
With the recent spread of the Delta variant, COVID-19 cases in the 
United States are increasing again. In light of these changing 
circumstances, including the ability of the United States to obtain 
certain products domestically or from other sources, USTR is requesting 
public comments on whether to extend particular exclusions for COVID-19 
products for up to six months.
    USTR will evaluate each exclusion on a case-by-case basis. The 
evaluation will examine whether it remains appropriate to exclude 
certain products from the additional Section 301 duties in light of 
recent developments including the spread of the Delta variant in the 
United States and increased domestic production of certain products, 
and taking account of the overall impact of these exclusions on the 
goal of obtaining the elimination of China's acts, policies, and 
practices covered in this Section 301 investigation.

C. Procedures To Comment on Particular COVID-19 Exclusions

    The 99 COVID exclusions can be found in the four annexes (A, B, C, 
and D) of the December 29 notice. To submit a comment regarding any 
particular COVID-19 exclusion, a commenter first must register on the 
portal at https://comments.USTR.gov. As noted above, the public docket 
on the portal will be open from August 27, 2021, to September 27, 2021. 
After registration, the commenter may submit a comment form to the 
public docket. Fields on the comment form marked with an asterisk (*) 
are required fields. Fields with a gray (BCI) notation are for business 
confidential information, which will not be publicly available. Fields 
with a green (Public) notation will be publicly available. 
Additionally, parties will be able to upload documents and indicate 
whether the documents are BCI or public. Commenters will be able to 
review the public version of their comments before they are posted.
    Set out below is a summary of the information to be entered on the 
exclusion comment form.

[[Page 48281]]

     Contact information, including the full legal name of the 
organization making the comment, whether the commenter is a third party 
(e.g., law firm, trade association, or customs broker) submitting on 
behalf of an organization or industry, and the name of the third party 
organization, if applicable.
     The annex (annexes A, B, C, or D) of the December 29 
notice (85 FR 85831) with the exclusion you are commenting on, the 
specific exclusion (number for the exclusion on which you are 
commenting as provided in the annex of the December 29 notice).
     Whether you support or oppose extending the exclusion 
beyond September 30, 2021.
     Rationale for supporting or opposing an extension.
    Commenters also may provide any other information or data that they 
consider relevant.

D. Submission Instructions

    To be assured of consideration, you must submit your comment when 
the public docket on the portal is open--from August 27, 2021, to 
September 27, 2021. Parties seeking to comment on two or more 
exclusions must submit a separate comment for each exclusion. By 
submitting a comment, the commenter certifies that the information 
provided is complete and correct to the best of their knowledge.

Greta M. Peisch,
General Counsel, Office of the United States Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2021-18521 Filed 8-26-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F1-P

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