[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 141 (Wednesday, July 22, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44354-44355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15891]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket Number USTR-2020-0010]
Hearings Regarding Trade Distorting Policies That May Be
Affecting Seasonal and Perishable Products in U.S. Commerce
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice of public hearing and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR)
and the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture will convene virtual
public hearings to hear firsthand from interested persons on trade
distorting policies that may be causing harm to U.S. seasonal and
perishable producers (namely, of fresh fruits and vegetables) and
contributing to unfair pricing in the U.S. market, and to solicit
feedback on how the Administration can better support these producers
and redress any unfair harm.
DATES:
Virtual hearing dates
August 13, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. EST.
August 20, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. EST.
Submission deadlines
July 27, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EST: Deadline for submission of
requests to provide virtual testimony during either hearing.
August 3, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EST: Deadline for submission of
hearing statements and written comments.
ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through
the Federal eRulemaking portal: http://www.regulations.gov
(Regulations.gov). Follow the instructions for submission in section II
below. The docket number is USTR-2020-0010. For alternatives to online
submissions, please contact Trey Forsyth in advance of the submission
deadline at (202) 395-8583.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Trey Forsyth at (202) 395-8583
or Trey.M.Forsyth@ustr.eop.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
USTR and the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture will convene
public hearings to hear firsthand from interested persons regarding
trade-distorting policies that may be affecting seasonal and perishable
products in U.S. commerce. The public hearings will be viewable online
and USTR will provide information about viewing the hearings before the
hearing dates. USTR invites all interested persons to participate in
the hearings, but slots to participate may be limited due to time
constraints and the number of requests. Unless circumstances warrant
otherwise, USTR will process requests to participate and provide
testimony at the hearing on a first come, first served basis.
Instructions on how to submit a request to participate at the hearing
are in section II below.
USTR invites comments and supporting documentation from interested
persons on the following issues:
Trade distorting policies that may be contributing to
unfair pricing in the U.S. market and causing harm to U.S. seasonal and
perishable producers in U.S. commerce.
How the Administration can better support these producers
and redress unfair harm.
II. Hearing Participation--Submission Requirements
The instructions for submitting requests to participate at the
hearings and to make written submissions are the same as those included
in the March 10, 2020 Federal Register notice (85 FR 13973) (March FRN)
announcing hearing dates that were postponed due to COVID-19. Those
instructions are included below with new deadlines. Please note the
following:
To ensure that USTR has a correct count of requests to
testify, everyone who wants to participate in the virtual hearings in
August must submit a request to testify by the July 27, 2020, 11:59
p.m. EST deadline. This applies to those who submitted a request to
participate pursuant to the March FRN. If you submitted a request to
testify pursuant to the March FRN but do not want to testify virtually
at an August hearing, you do not need to take any further action.
You do not have to resubmit written submissions that you
submitted in response to the March FRN. You can update or supplement a
prior submission, by following the instructions for written statements
below.
All parties who would like to provide testimony during
either hearing
[[Page 44355]]
must submit a request to do so by the July 27, 2020, 11:59 p.m. EST
deadline.
All parties who wish to testify also must submit the
statement they intend to present at the hearing by the August 3, 2020,
11:59 p.m. EST deadline. Remarks at the hearing will be limited to five
minutes, and might be further limited if circumstances warrant, to
allow adequate time for questions from the panel.
As noted above, USTR will process requests to participate
and provide testimony at the hearing on a first come, first served
basis unless circumstances warrant otherwise. If you submit a request
to participate by the July 27, 2020 deadline, USTR will notify you as
soon as practicable whether or not you have been selected to
participate in the virtual hearings. If selected, USTR will provide
further details and instructions on procedures for participating
virtually. USTR will consider all written statements submitted by the
August 3, 2020 deadline.
Interested parties who do not want to testify virtually at
either hearing may still submit written comments for consideration by
the August 3, 2020 deadline.
To submit a request to provide testimony virtually, go to
www.regulations.gov. To make a submission via Regulations.gov, enter
docket number USTR-2020-0010 in the `search for' field on the home page
and click `search.' The site will provide a search-results page listing
all documents associated with this docket. Find a reference to this
notice by selecting `notice' under `document type' in the `filter
results by' section on the left side of the screen and click on the
link entitled `comment now.' In the ``comment'' field on the next page,
identify the hearing at which you would like to testify and provide the
full name, address, email address, and telephone number of the person
who wishes to present the testimony. Parties who submit requests to
testify without identifying a preferred date will be assigned a date to
the extent there is availability and unless circumstances warrant
otherwise.
To submit a written statement, the Regulations.gov website allows
users to provide comments by filling in a `type comment' field or by
attaching a document using the `upload file(s)' field. USTR prefers
that you provide submissions in an attached document. The file name
should include the name of the person who will be presenting the
testimony, or if not testifying, the name of the person submitting the
statement. The name of the presenter also should be clear in the
content of the file itself. All submissions must be in English and be
prepared in (or be compatible with) Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe
Acrobat (.pdf) formats. Include any data attachments to the submission
in the same file as the submission itself, and not as separate files.
For additional information on using the Regulations.gov website,
please consult the resources provided on the website by clicking on
`how to use this site' on the left side of the home page.
You must clearly designate business confidential information (BCI)
by marking the submission `BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL' at the top and bottom
of the cover page and each succeeding page, and indicating, via
brackets, the specific information that is confidential. A submitter
requesting that USTR treat information in a submission as BCI must
certify that the information is business confidential and would not
customarily be released to the public by the submitter. You must
include `business confidential' in the `type comment' field, and must
add `business confidential' to the end of your file name for any
attachments. For any submission containing BCI, you also must attach a
separate non-confidential version (i.e., not as part of the same
submission with the BCI version), indicating where confidential
information has been redacted. USTR will place the non-confidential
version in the docket and it will be available for public inspection.
USTR may not accept BCI submissions that do not have the required
markings, or are not accompanied by a properly marked non-confidential
version, and may consider the submission to be a public document.
Submissions responding to this notice, except for information
granted BCI status, will be available for public viewing at
Regulations.gov upon completion of processing. You can view submissions
by entering docket number USTR-2020-0010 in the search field at
Regulations.gov.
Joseph Barloon,
General Counsel, Office of the United States Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2020-15891 Filed 7-21-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F0-P