Executive Office of the President December 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (``USTR'') is providing notice that on November 26, 2008, Thailand requested consultations with the United States under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning certain issues relating to the imposition of antidumping measures on polyethylene retail carrier bags from Thailand. That request may be found at https://www.wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/DS383/1. USTR invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised in this dispute.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (``USTR'') is providing notice that on December 9, 2008, the People's Republic of China (``China'') requested the establishment of a dispute settlement panel under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning final anti-dumping and countervailing duty determinations and orders by the Department of Commerce on imports of the following products from China: Circular Welded Carbon Quality Steel Pipe (Investigations A-570-910 and C-570- 911); Certain New Pneumatic Off-the-Road Tires (Investigations A-570- 912 and C-570-913); Light-Walled Rectangular Pipe and Tube (Investigations A-570-914 and C-570-915); and Laminated Woven Sacks (Investigations A-570-916 and C-570-917). That request may be found at www.wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/DS379/2. USTR invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised in this dispute.

The Aeronautics RDT&E Infrastructure Interagency Working Group (IIWG) of the Aeronautics Science and Technology Subcommittee (ASTS) of the National Science and Technology Council's (NSTC) Committee on Technology will hold a public meeting to discuss development of the National Aeronautics RDT&E Infrastructure Plan. Executive Order (E.O.) 13419National Aeronautics Research and Developmentsigned December 20, 2006, calls for the development of this plan. The plan is to be guided by both the National Aeronautics Research and Development (R&D) Policy and the National Plan for Aeronautics R&D and Related Infrastructure that were developed by the NSTC and approved by the President in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

In accordance with relevant provisions of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS), the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is providing notice of its determination of the trade surplus in certain sugar and syrup goods and sugar-containing products of Chile, Morocco, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. As described below, the level of a country's trade surplus in these goods relates to the quantity of sugar and syrup goods and sugar-containing products for which the United States grants preferential tariff treatment under (i) the United StatesChile Free Trade Agreement (Chile FTA), in the case of Chile; (ii) the United StatesMorocco Free Trade Agreement (Morocco FTA), in the case of Morocco; and (iii) the Dominican RepublicCentral AmericaUnited States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), in the case of the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.