[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 98 (Wednesday, May 20, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30736-30737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-10893]
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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
[Investigation No. 332-577]
Raspberries for Processing: Conditions of Competition Between
U.S. and Foreign Suppliers, With a Focus on Washington State
ACTION: Notice of Investigation and Scheduling of a Public Hearing.
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SUMMARY: Following receipt on April 9, 2020, of a request from the U.S.
Trade Representative (USTR), under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of
1930, the U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission) instituted
Investigation No. 332-577, Raspberries for Processing: Conditions of
Competition between U.S. and Foreign Suppliers, with a Focus on
Washington State, for the purpose of providing a report that provides
an overview of the U.S. raspberry industry in Washington state and
assesses the conditions of competition between U.S. and foreign
suppliers of raspberries meant for processing. The USTR requests that
the Commission transmit its report no later than 14 months following
receipt of this request.
DATES:
August 27, 2020: Deadline for filing requests to appear at the
public hearing.
September 8, 2020: Deadline for filing prehearing briefs and
statements.
September 17, 2020: Public hearing.
September 24, 2020: Deadline for filing post-hearing briefs and
statements.
December 6, 2020: Deadline for filing all other written
submissions.
June 9, 2021: Transmittal of Commission report to the Committee.
ADDRESSES: All Commission offices, including the Commission's hearing
rooms, are located in the U.S. International Trade Commission Building,
500 E Street SW, Washington, DC. All written submissions should be
addressed to the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E
Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. The public record for this
investigation may be viewed on the Commission's electronic docket
(EDIS) at https://edis.usitc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project Leader Jessica Pugliese
([email protected]) or Deputy Project Leader Mary Roop (202-
708-2277 or [email protected]) for information specific to this
investigation. For information on the legal aspects of this
investigation, contact William Gearhart of the Commission's Office of
the General Counsel (202-205-3091 or [email protected]). The
media should contact Margaret O'Laughlin, Office of External Relations
(202-205-1819 or [email protected]). Hearing-impaired
individuals may obtain information on this matter by contacting the
Commission's TDD terminal at 202-205-1810. General information
concerning the Commission may also be obtained by accessing its website
(https://www.usitc.gov). Persons with mobility impairments who will
need special assistance in gaining access to the Commission should
contact the Office of the Secretary at 202-205-2000.
Background
As requested by the USTR, the Commission will conduct an
investigation and prepare a report that provides, to the extent
practical, the following information:
(1) An overview of the U.S. raspberry industry in Washington
State--including fresh raspberries for processing, frozen raspberries,
and raspberry juice--as well as an overview of the industries producing
fresh and processed raspberries in major producing and exporting
countries. The overviews should include information on production and
processing volumes and trends, planted acreage, processing capacity,
supply chains, domestic consumption, and imports and exports of fresh
and processed raspberries.
(2) Production, pricing, and consumption trends for fresh and
processed raspberries in the United States and other major producing
and exporting countries over the last five years. Pricing analysis
should include the relationship between prices of domestic products and
imports of fresh and processed raspberries in the U.S. market to the
extent such data is available.
(3) An overview of U.S. imports of fresh and processed raspberries
including information on the main country sources of supply, trade
patterns, and supply chains of major suppliers to the United States, as
well as an overview of country of origin labeling practices in major
U.S. supplier countries.
(4) A description of foreign government policies, financial aid,
and programs that directly or indirectly affect production,
infrastructure, exports, and imports of fresh and processed
raspberries, including product labeling and food safety regulations,
producer support, and tariff and nontariff measures.
(5) A comparison of the competitive strengths and weaknesses of
production and exports of fresh and processed raspberries in the United
States and other major producing and exporting countries, including
such factors as costs of production, industry structure, technology,
product innovation, exchange rates, supply chains and distribution,
pricing, marketing regimes, and government policies.
(6) A qualitative and, to the extent possible, quantitative
assessment of the economic impact of imports from major producing and
exporting countries on production and prices of U.S. fresh and
processed raspberries.
The USTR requested that the report primarily focus on the 2015 to
2019 time period. The USTR requested that the Commission transmit its
report no later than 14 months following receipt of this request. In
his request letter, the USTR stated that his office intends to make the
Commission's report available to the public in its entirety and asked
that the Commission not include any confidential business information.
Public Hearing
A public hearing in connection with this investigation will be held
at the U.S. International Trade Commission Building, 500 E Street SW,
Washington, DC, beginning at 9:30 a.m. on September 17, 2020. Requests
to appear at the public hearing should be filed with the Secretary no
later than 5:15 p.m., August 27, 2020, in accordance with the
requirements in the ``Written Submissions'' section below. All
prehearing briefs and statements should be filed not later than 5:15
p.m., September 8, 2020, and all post-hearing briefs and statements
should be filed not later than 5:15 p.m., September 24, 2020. Post-
hearing briefs and statements should address matters raised at the
hearing. In the event that, as of the close of business on September 8,
2020, no witnesses are scheduled to appear at the hearing, the hearing
will be canceled. Any person interested in attending the hearing as an
observer or nonparticipant should contact the Office of the Secretary
at 202-205-2000 after September 8, 2020, for information concerning
whether the hearing will be held.
Written Submissions
In lieu of or in addition to participating in the hearing,
interested parties are invited to file written submissions concerning
this investigation. All written submissions
[[Page 30737]]
should be addressed to the Secretary, and should be received not later
than 5:15 p.m., December 6, 2020. All written submissions must conform
to the provisions of section 201.8 of the Commission's Rules of
Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.8), as temporarily amended by 85 FR
15798 (March 19, 2020). Under that rule waiver, the Office of the
Secretary will accept only electronic filings at this time. Filings
must be made through the Commission's Electronic Document Information
System (EDIS, https://edis.usitc.gov). No in-person paper-based filings
or paper copies of any electronic filings will be accepted until
further notice. Persons with questions regarding electronic filing
should contact the Office of the Secretary, Docket Services Division
(202-205-1802) or consult the Commission's Handbook on Filing
Procedures.
Confidential Business Information
Any submissions that contain confidential business information must
also conform to the requirements of section 201.6 of the Commission's
Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.6). Section 201.6 of the
rules requires that the cover of the document and the individual pages
be clearly marked as to whether they are the ``confidential'' or ``non-
confidential'' version, and that the confidential business information
is clearly identified by means of brackets. All written submissions,
except for confidential business information, will be made available
for inspection by interested parties.
As requested by the USTR, the Commission will not include any
confidential business information in its report. However, all
information, including confidential business information, submitted in
this investigation may be disclosed to and used: (i) By the Commission,
its employees and Offices, and contract personnel (a) for developing or
maintaining the records of this or a related proceeding, or (b) in
internal investigations, audits, reviews, and evaluations relating to
the programs, personnel, and operations of the Commission including
under 5 U.S.C. Appendix 3; or (ii) by U.S. government employees and
contract personnel for cybersecurity purposes. The Commission will not
otherwise disclose any confidential business information in a way that
would reveal the operations of the firm supplying the information.
Summaries of Written Submissions
Persons wishing to have a summary of their position included in the
report should include a summary with their written submission and
should mark the summary as having been provided for that purpose. The
summary should be clearly marked as ``summary for inclusion in the
report'' at the top of the page. The summary may not exceed 500 words,
should be in MS Word format or a format that can be easily converted to
MS Word, and should not include any confidential business information.
The summary will be published as provided if it meets these
requirements and is germane to the subject matter of the investigation.
The Commission will list the name of the organization furnishing the
summary and will include a link to the Commission's Electronic Document
Information System (EDIS) where the full written submission can be
found.
By order of the Commission.
Issued: May 15, 2020.
Lisa Barton,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2020-10893 Filed 5-19-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P