Andean Trade Preference Act: Effect on the U.S. Economy and on Andean Drug Crop Eradication

AGENCY:

International Trade Commission.

ACTION:

Notice of opportunity to submit comments in connection with the 2003 ATPA report.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

March 17, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Joanne Guth (202-205-3264 or joanne.guth@usitc.gov), Country and Regional Analysis Division, Office of Economics, U.S. International Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20436. General information concerning the Commission may be obtained by accessing its Internet server ( http://www.usitc.gov ).

Background

Section 206 of the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) (19 U.S.C. 3204) requires that the Commission submit annual reports to the Congress regarding the economic impact of the Act on U.S. industries and consumers and, in conjunction with other agencies, the effectiveness of the Act in promoting drug-related crop eradication and crop substitution efforts of the beneficiary countries. Section 206(b) of the Act requires that each report include:

(1) The actual effect of ATPA on the U.S. economy generally as well as on specific domestic industries which produce articles that are like, or directly competitive with, articles being imported under the Act;

(2) The probable future effect that ATPA will have on the U.S. economy generally and on domestic industries affected by the Act; and

(3) The estimated effect that ATPA has had on drug-related crop eradication and crop substitution efforts of beneficiary countries.

Notice of institution of the investigation and the schedule for such reports under section 206 of ATPA was published in the Federal Register of March 10, 1994 (59 FR 11308). The 10th report, covering calendar year 2003, is to be submitted by September 30, 2004.

Written Submissions

The Commission does not plan to hold a public hearing in connection with the preparation of this tenth report. However, interested persons are invited to submit written statements concerning the matters to be addressed in the report. All written submissions should be addressed to the Secretary, United States International Trade Commission, 500 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20436. All written submissions must conform with the provisions of section 201.8 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.8); any submissions that contain confidential business information must also conform with the requirements of section 201.6 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.6). Section 201.8 of the rules require that a signed original (or a copy designated as an original) and fourteen (14) copies of each document be filed. In the event that confidential treatment of the document is requested, at least four (4) additional copies must be filed, in which the confidential information must be deleted. Section 201.6 of the rules require that the cover of the document and the individual pages clearly be marked as to whether they are the “confidential” or “nonconfidential” version, and that the confidential business information be clearly identified by means of brackets.

All written submissions, except for confidential business information, will be made available in the Office of the Secretary to the Commission for inspection by interested parties. The Commission intends to publish only a public report in this investigation. Accordingly, any confidential business information received by the Commission in this investigation will not be published in a manner that could reveal the operations of the firm supplying the information. To be assured of consideration by the Commission, written statements relating to the Commission's report should be submitted to the Commission at the earliest practical date and should be received no later than the close of business on June 11, 2004.

The Commission's rules do not authorize filing submissions with the Secretary by facsimile or electronic means, except to the extent permitted by section 201.8 of the Commission's Rules (19 CFR 201.8) (see Handbook for Electronic Filing Procedures, ftp://ftp.usitc.gov/pub/reports/electronic_filing_handbook.pdf). Persons with questions regarding electronic filing should contact the Secretary (202-205-2000 or edis@usitc.gov).

The public record for this investigation may be viewed on the Commission's electronic docket (EDIS) at http://edis.usitc.gov . Hearing-impaired individuals can obtain information on this matter by contacting the Commission's TDD terminal on 202-205-1810. 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.