[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 18, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2921-2922]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-865]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA), as Amended: Notice Regarding 
the 2003 and 2004 Annual Reviews

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) 
received petitions in September 2004 to review certain practices in 
certain beneficiary developing countries to determine whether such 
countries are in compliance with the ATPA eligibility criteria. In a 
November 15, 2004 notice, USTR published a list of responsive petitions 
that were accepted for review. This notice specifies the results of the 
preliminary review of those petitions as well as the status of the 
petitions filed in 2003 that have remained under review.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bennett M. Harman, Deputy Assistant 
U.S. Trade Representative for Latin America, at (202) 395-9446.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ATPA (19 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.), as 
renewed and amended by the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication 
Act of 2002 (ATPDEA) in the Trade Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-210), 
provides trade benefits for eligible Andean countries. Pursuant to 
section 3103(d) of the ATPDEA, USTR promulgated regulations (15 CFR 
part 2016) (68 FR 43922) regarding the review of

[[Page 2922]]

eligibility of countries for the benefits of the ATPA, as amended.
    In a Federal Register notice dated August 17, 2004, USTR initiated 
the 2004 ATPA Annual Review and announced a deadline of September 15, 
2004 for the filing of petitions (69 FR 51138). Several of these 
petitions requested the review of certain practices in certain 
beneficiary developing countries regarding compliance with the 
eligibility criteria set forth in sections 203(c) and (d) and section 
204(b)(6)(B) of the ATPA, as amended (19 U.S.C. 3203 (c) and (d); 19 
U.S.C. 3203(b)(6)(B)).
    In a Federal Register notice dated November 15, 2004, USTR 
published a list of the responsive petitions filed pursuant to the 
announcement of the annual review (69 FR 65674). The Trade Policy Staff 
Committee (TPSC) has conducted a preliminary review of these petitions. 
It has determined that the petition filed by the American Cast Iron 
Pipe Company concerning Ecuador does not require action and terminates 
its review.
    With respect to the remaining 2004 petitions, the TPSC is modifying 
the schedule for this review, in accordance with 15 CFR 2016.2(b). The 
results will be announced on or about May 31, 2005. The TPSC is 
similarly modifying the date of the announcement of the results of 
preliminary review for the remaining 2003 petitions to May 31, 2005. 
Following is the list of all petitions that remain under review:

Peru: Engelhard;
Peru: Princeton Dover;
Peru: LeTourneau;
Peru: Duke Energy;
Ecuador: AFL-CIO; Human Rights Watch; and US/LEAP;
Ecuador: Chevron Texaco;
Ecuador: Electrolux Home Products, Inc.;
Peru: Parsons Corporation.

Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 05-865 Filed 1-14-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W5-P