Market Conditions for Certain Wool Articles in 2002-04

AGENCY:

International Trade Commission.

ACTION:

Notice of second report, scheduling of public hearing, and request for public comments.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

December 19, 2003.

SUMMARY:

The Commission has announced the schedule for its second (and final) report on investigation No. 332-449, U.S. Market Conditions for Certain Wool Articles in 2002-04, instituted under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1332(g)) on January 24, 2003, at the request of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For general information, contact Jackie W. Jones (202-205-3466; jones@usitc.gov) of the Office of Industries; for information on legal aspects, contact William Gearhart (202-205-3091; wgearhart@usitc.gov) of the Office of the General Counsel. The media should contact Margaret O'Laughlin, Public Affairs Officer (202-205-1819). Hearing impaired individuals may 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. General information about the Commission may be obtained by accessing its Internet server ( http://www.usitc.gov ). The public record for this investigation may be viewed on the Commission's electronic docket (EDIS) at http://edis.usitc.gov.

Background: As requested by the USTR, the Commission will provide information for 2003 and year-to-date 2003-04 on U.S. market conditions, including domestic demand, domestic supply, and domestic production for men's and boys' worsted wool suits, suit-type jackets, and trousers; worsted wool fabrics and yarn used in the manufacture of such clothing; and wool fibers used in the manufacture of such fabrics and yarn. Also, as requested by the USTR, the Commission will provide, to the extent possible, data on:

(1) Increases or decreases in sales and production of the subject domestically-produced worsted wool fabrics;

(2) Increases or decreases in domestic production and consumption of the subject apparel items;

(3) The ability of domestic producers of the subject worsted wool fabrics to meet the needs of domestic manufacturers of the subject apparel items in terms of quantity and ability to meet market demands for the apparel items;

(4) Sales of the subject worsted wool fabrics lost by domestic manufacturers to imports benefiting from the temporary duty reductions on certain worsted wool fabrics under the tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) provided for in headings 9902.51.11 and 9902.51.12 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS);

(5) Loss of sales by domestic manufacturers of the subject apparel items related to the inability to purchase adequate supplies of the subject worsted wool fabrics on a cost competitive basis; and

(6) The price per square meter of imports and domestic sales of the subject worsted wool fabrics.

The USTR requested that the Commission submit the information in a confidential report by September 15, 2004. The USTR requested that the Commission issue a public version of the report as soon as possible thereafter, with any confidential business information deleted. The Commission's first report on this investigation was submitted to the USTR in October 2003.

Public Hearing: A public hearing in connection with the 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 March 25, 2004. Requests to appear at the public hearing should be filed with the Secretary, no later than 5:15 p.m., March 9, 2004, in accordance with the requirements in the “Submissions” section below. In the event that, as of the close of business on March 9, 2004, 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 non-participant may call the Secretary (202-205-2000) after March 9, 2004, to determine whether the hearing will be held.

Statements and Briefs: In lieu of or in addition to participating in the hearing, interested parties are invited to submit written statements or briefs concerning the investigation in accordance with the requirements in the “Submissions” section below. Any prehearing briefs or statements should be filed not later than 5:15 p.m., March 11, 2004; the deadline for filing post-hearing briefs or statements is 5:15 p.m., April 11, 2004. To be assured of consideration by the Commission, written statements relating to the Commission's second report on this investigation should be submitted to the Commission at the earliest practical date and should be received no later than the close of business on April 11, 2004.

Written Submissions: All written submissions including requests to appear at the hearing, statements, and briefs 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 § 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 § 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 be clearly marked as to whether they are the “confidential” or “nonconfidential” version, and that the confidential business information be clearly identified by means of brackets.

The Commission's rules do not authorize filing submissions with the Secretary by facsimile or electronic means, except to the extent permitted by § 201.8 of the Commission's Rules (1 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).

All written submissions, except for confidential business information, will be made available for inspection by interested parties. Accordingly, any confidential information received by the Commission in these investigations and used in preparing the report will not be published in a manner that would reveal the operations of the firm supplying the information.

The public record for these investigations may be viewed on the Commission's electronic docket (EDIS) at http://edis.usitc.gov. Hearing-impaired individuals are advised that information on this matter can be obtained by contacting our 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.

List of Subjects

• Tariffs, imports, wool, fabric, and suits