[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 83 (Friday, May 1, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 20289]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-10066]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
Subsidy Programs Provided by Countries Exporting Softwood Lumber
and Softwood Lumber Products to the United States; Request for Comment
AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Department) seeks public comment
on any subsidies, including stumpage subsidies, provided by certain
countries exporting softwood lumber or softwood lumber products to the
United States during the period July 1 through December 31, 2008.
DATES: Comments must be submitted within thirty days after publication
of this notice.
ADDRESSES: Written comments (original and six copies) should be sent to
the Secretary of Commerce, Attn: James Terpstra, Import Administration,
APO/Dockets Unit, Room 1870, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street &
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20230.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Terpstra, Import Administration,
U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-3965.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On June 18, 2008, Section 805 of Title VIII of the Tariff Act of
1930 (the Softwood Lumber Act of 2008) was enacted into law. Under this
provision, the Secretary of Commerce is mandated to submit to the
appropriate Congressional committees a report every 180 days on any
subsidies provided by countries exporting softwood lumber or softwood
lumber products to the United States, including stumpage subsidies.
Commerce submitted its first subsidies report to Congress on December
15, 2008. As part of its report, Commerce intends to include a list of
subsidy programs identified with sufficient clarity by the public in
response to this notice.
Request for Comment
Given the large number of countries that export softwood lumber and
softwood lumber products to the United States, we are soliciting public
comment only on subsidies provided by countries whose exports accounted
for at least one percent of total U.S. imports of softwood lumber by
quantity, as classified under Harmonized Tariff Schedule code 4407.1001
(which accounts for the vast majority of imports), during the period
July 1 through December 31, 2008. Official U.S. import data published
by the United States International Trade Commission Tariff and Trade
DataWeb indicate that exports of softwood lumber from Canada, Chile,
and Germany each account for at least one percent of U.S. imports of
softwood lumber products during that time period. We intend to rely on
similar previous six-month periods to identify the countries subject to
future reports on softwood lumber subsidies. For example, we will rely
on U.S. imports of softwood lumber and softwood lumber products during
the period January 1 through June 30, 2009, to select the countries
subject to the next report.
Under U.S. trade law, a subsidy exists where a government
authority: (i) Provides a financial contribution, (ii) provides any
form of income or price support within the meaning of Article XVI of
the GATT 1994, or (iii) makes a payment to a funding mechanism to
provide a financial contribution to a person, or entrusts or directs a
private entity to make a financial contribution, if providing the
contribution would normally be vested in the government and the
practice does not differ in substance from practices normally followed
by governments, and a benefit is thereby conferred. See section
771(5)(B) of the of the Tariff Act of 1930.
Parties should include in their comments: (1) The country which
provided the subsidy, (2) the name of the subsidy program, (3) a brief
(3-4 sentence) description of the subsidy program, and (4) the
government body or authority that provided the subsidy.
Submission of Comment
Persons wishing to comment should file a signed original and six
copies of each set of comments by the date specified above. The
Department will not accept comments accompanied by a request that a
part or all of the material be treated confidentially due to business
proprietary concerns or for any other reason. The Department will
return such comments and materials to the persons submitting the
comments and will not include them in its report on softwood lumber
subsidies. The Department also requests submission of comments in
electronic form to accompany the required paper copies. Comments filed
in electronic form should be submitted on CD-ROM with the paper copies
or by e-mail to the Webmaster below.
Comments received in electronic form will be made available to the
public in Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Import Administration
Web site at the following address: http://ia.ita.doc.gov. Any questions
concerning file formatting, document conversion, access on the
Internet, or other electronic filing issues should be addressed to
Andrew Lee Beller, Import Administration Webmaster, at (202) 482-0866,
e-mail address: webmaster-support@ita.doc.gov.
All comments and submissions should be mailed to James Terpstra,
Import Administration; Subject: Softwood Lumber Subsidies Bi-Annual
Report: Request for Comment; Room 1870, U.S. Department of Commerce,
14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC, 20230, by no
later than 5 p.m., on the above-referenced deadline date.
Dated: April 27, 2009.
John M. Andersen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing
Duty Operations.
[FR Doc. E9-10066 Filed 4-30-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P