[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 88 (Monday, May 7, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20034-20035]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-09631]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
[[Page 20035]]
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Commerce) 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, 2017, through December 31,
2017.
DATES: Comments must be submitted within 30 days after publication of
this notice.
ADDRESSES: See the Submission of Comments section below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Terpstra or Brendan Quinn,
Office III, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-3965 or (202) 482-5848,
respectively.
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
subsidy provided by countries exporting softwood lumber or softwood
lumber products to the United States, including stumpage subsidies.
Commerce submitted its last subsidy report on December 16, 2017. As
part of its newest report, Commerce intends to include a list of
subsidy programs identified with sufficient clarity by the public in
response to this notice.
Request for Comments
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 the exports of which
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, 2017, through December 31, 2017. Official U.S. import
data published by the United States International Trade Commission
Tariff and Trade DataWeb indicate that four countries (Brazil, Canada,
Germany and Sweden) exported softwood lumber to the United States
during that time period in amounts sufficient to account for at least
one percent of U.S. imports of softwood lumber products. 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, 2018 through June 30, 2018, to
select the countries subject to the next report.
Under U.S. trade law, a subsidy exists where an 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.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ See section 771(5)(B) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parties should include in their comments: (1) The country which
provided the subsidy; (2) the name of the subsidy program; (3) a brief
description (no more than 3-4 sentences) of the subsidy program; and
(4) the government body or authority that provided the subsidy.
Submission of Comments
As specified above, to be assured of consideration, comments must
be received no later than 30 days after the publication of this notice
in the Federal Register. All comments must be submitted through the
Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, Docket No.
ITA-2018-0002, unless the commenter does not have access to the
internet. The materials in the docket will not be edited to remove
identifying or contact information, and Commerce cautions against
including any information in an electronic submission that the
submitter does not want publicly disclosed. Attachments to electronic
comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF
formats only.
Commenters who do not have access to the internet may submit the
original and one electronic copy of each set of comments by mail or
hand delivery/courier.
All comments should be addressed to Gary Taverman, Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations performing
the non-exclusive functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for
Enforcement and Compliance, Room 18022, Department of Commerce, 1401
Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20230.
Dated: May 1, 2018.
Gary Taverman,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty
Operations, performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2018-09631 Filed 5-4-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P