Office of the United States Trade Representative 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

A notice was published in the Federal Register dated February 26, 2009, Volume 74 page 8819 and March 4,2009, Volume number 74, Notice 41, page 9438, announcing a meeting of the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Small and Minority Business (ITAC-11), scheduled for March 9, 2009, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The meeting was to be closed to the public from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and open to the public from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. However, the meeting has been cancelled in its entirety.

The correct date for The Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Small and Minority Business (ITAC-11) published in Federal Register Volume 74 page 8819 is Monday, March 9, 2009. The meeting will be closed to the public from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and opened to the public from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

This notice makes rectifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) to reflect that Peru remains a designated beneficiary country for purposes of the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA) and that the President has suspended Bolivia's designation as beneficiary country for the purposes of the ATPDEA.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (``USTR'') is providing notice that the United States received requests for consultations under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning certain mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) requirements from Canada in a letter dated December 1, 2008 and from Mexico in a letter dated December 17, 2008. Those requests may be found at https://www.wto.org contained in documents designated as WT/DS384/1 for Canada and WT/DS386/1 for Mexico. USTR invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised in these disputes.

In compliance with section 203(f) of the ATPA, as amended, 19 U.S.C. 3202(f)(2), the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is requesting the views of interested parties on whether the designated beneficiary countries are meeting the eligibility criteria under the ATPA. (See 19 U.S.C. 3203(b)(6)(B).) This information will be used in the preparation of a report to the Congress on the operation of the program.

Under the United States-Israel Free Trade Area Implementation Act (IFTA Act), articles of qualifying industrial zones encompassing portions of Israel and Jordan or Israel and Egypt are eligible to receive duty-free treatment. Effective upon publication of this notice, the United States Trade Representative, pursuant to authority delegated by the President, is designating Shoubak, Shouneh Wistah, Madaba/ Dalilet, Irbid/Al-Westieyn, and Al-Tafileh as qualifying industrial zones under the IFTA Act.

The United States intends to initiate negotiations on a Trans- Pacific Partnership free trade agreement with Singapore, Chile, New Zealand, Brunei Darussalam, Australia, Peru and Vietnam. The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) will convene a public hearing and seek public comment to assist the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in amplifying and clarifying negotiating objectives for the proposed agreements and to provide advice on how specific goods and services and other matters should be treated under the proposed agreement.

Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (Trade Act) (19 U.S.C. 2242) requires the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to identify countries that deny adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights or deny fair and equitable market access to U.S. persons who rely on intellectual property protection. (The provisions of section 182 are commonly referred to as the ``Special 301'' provisions of the Trade Act.) In addition, the USTR is required to determine which of these countries should be identified as Priority Foreign Countries. USTR requests written submissions from the public concerning foreign countries' acts, policies, and practices that are relevant to the decision of whether particular trading partners should be identified under section 182 of the Trade Act.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) received petitions in connection with the 2008 GSP Annual Review to waive the competitive need limitations (CNLs) on imports of certain products that are eligible for duty-free treatment under the GSP program. This notice announces CNL waiver petitions that are accepted for further review and country practice petitions that continue to be under evaluation for acceptance in the 2008 GSP Annual Review. This notice also sets forth the schedule for comment and public hearings on the CNL waiver petitions, requesting participation in the hearings, submitting pre-hearing and post-hearing briefs, and commenting on the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) report on probable economic effects. The list of accepted petitions to waive CNLs and the list of country practice petitions that continue to be under review for acceptance in the 2008 GSP Annual Review are available at: https:// www.ustr.gov/Trade_Development/Preference_Programs/GSP/GSP_20 08_ Annual_Review/Section_Index.html.