[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 27, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22121-22122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-9650]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[Docket Number: 100416189-0189-01]
Request for Public Comment on the Scope of Viewpoints Represented
on the Industry Trade Advisory Committees
AGENCIES: Office of the United States Trade Representative and U.S.
Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration.
ACTION: Notice, request for public comment.
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SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR)
and the Department of Commerce have initiated a joint review of the
Industry Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC) component of the trade
advisory committee system. As part of this joint review, USTR and
Commerce are seeking comments and suggestions from the public on the
appropriate scope of representation on the ITACs.
DATES: Written comments are due by 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
on May 25, 2010.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments identified by Docket Number ITA-2010-
0001, using any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Please see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for more
information and instructions for sending your comments electronically.
For alternatives to online submission please contact
Ingrid Mitchem, Director, Industry Trade Advisory Center, at (202) 482-
3268.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding this request for
comments should be directed to Ingrid Mitchem, Director, Industry Trade
Advisory Center, at (202) 482-3268.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 135 of the 1974 Trade Act, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2155),
directed the President to obtain information and advice from
representative elements of the private sector and the non-Federal
government sector regarding U.S. trade policy and trade negotiation
objectives. Among other mechanisms, Section 135(c)(2) of the 1974 Trade
Act provides:
(2) The President shall establish such sectoral or functional
advisory committees as may be appropriate. Such committees shall,
insofar as is practicable, be representative of all industry, labor,
agricultural, or service interests (including small business
interests) in the sector or functional areas concerned. In
organizing such committees, the United States Trade Representative
and the Secretaries of Commerce, Labor, Agriculture, the Treasury,
or other executive departments, as appropriate, shall--
(A) Consult with interested private organizations; and
(B) Take into account such factors as--
(i) Patterns of actual and potential competition between United
States industry and agriculture and foreign enterprise in
international trade,
(ii) The character of the non-tariff barriers and other
distortions affecting such competition,
(iii) The necessity for reasonable limits on the number of such
advisory committees,
(iv) The necessity that each committee be reasonably limited in
size, and
(v) In the case of each sectoral committee, that the product
lines covered by each committee be reasonably related.
The accompanying legislative history indicated that the sectoral
and functional committees were to ``be representative of the producing
sectors of our economy'' to ``strengthen the hand of U.S. negotiators
by improving their knowledge and familiarity with the problems domestic
producers face in obtaining access to foreign markets.'' S. Rep. 1298,
93d Cong., 2d Sess. 102 (1974).
Pursuant to Presidential delegation of this authority, USTR and
Commerce have established and co-chair sixteen ITACs, plus an ITAC
Committee of Chairs. The ITACs provide information and advice
addressing the concerns of specific industry sectors for use by the
USTR and the Secretary of Commerce in developing U.S. trade policy and
negotiating positions.
To date, USTR and Commerce, with minor exceptions, have limited the
viewpoints represented on the ITACs to those of industry stakeholders
based on the need to obtain technical and detailed sectoral advice from
the representatives of the producing sectors and the existence of other
fora within the USTR-administered trade advisory committee system which
provide for advice from representatives of other viewpoints, such as
the Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee, the
Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee on Trade, the Labor
Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations and Trade Policy, and the
Trade Advisory Committee on Africa. USTR and Commerce both have
received multiple inquiries recently regarding the appropriate
viewpoints to be represented on the ITACs. As a result of those
inquiries, in accordance with Section 135(c)(2)(A) of the 1974 Trade
Act, USTR and Commerce have decided to seek comments from the public on
the appropriate scope of viewpoints represented on the ITACs.
In submitting comments regarding what viewpoints should be
represented, please address: How the proposed viewpoint would improve
the quality of information and advice provided to the Secretary and the
USTR through the ITACs; how the proposed specific perspective would add
value and contribute to the ITACs' mission to provide information and
advice addressing the concerns of specific industry sectors to assist
the USTR and the Secretary in developing U.S. trade policy and
negotiating positions; how such viewpoints could be effectively
incorporated into the existing ITAC structure (i.e., on which specific
ITAC would that viewpoint be appropriate); and whether such viewpoints
may be more effectively incorporated into other fora within the trade
advisory system. (Further information on trade advisory committees is
available at http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/intergovernmental-affairs/advisory-committees/).
General information concerning the Industry Trade Advisory
Committees, including a list of the subject areas of the sixteen ITACs,
is available at http://www.trade.gov/itac/.
Requirements for Submission
Written comments must be received by 5 p.m. EST on May 25, 2010. In
order to ensure the most timely and expeditious receipt and
consideration of comments, USTR and Commerce have arranged to accept
on-line submissions via www.regulations.gov. To submit comments via
www.regulations.gov, enter docket number ITA-2010-0001 on the home page
and click ``go''. 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'' on the left side
of the search results page, and click on the link entitled ``Send a
Comment or Submission.'' For further information on using the http://www.regulations.gov/ Web site, please consult the resources provided on
the Web site by clicking on ``How to Use This Site'' on the left side
of the home page.
[[Page 22122]]
The www.regulations.gov Web site provides the option of making
submissions by filling in a ``General Comments'' field, or by attaching
a document. We expect that most submissions will be provided in an
attached document. If a document is attached, it is sufficient to type
``See attached'' in the ``General Comments'' field.
We strongly urge submitters to avail themselves of the electronic
filing, if at all possible. If an on-line submission is impossible,
alternative arrangements must be made with Ms. Mitchem, Director,
Industry Trade Advisory Center, at (202) 482-3268, prior to delivery
for the receipt of such submissions. General information concerning the
Office of the United States Trade Representative may be obtained by
accessing its Internet Web site (http://www.ustr.gov). General
information concerning the Department of Commerce may be obtained by
accessing its Internet Web site (http://www.commerce.gov).
Dated: April 20, 2010.
Nicole Y. Lamb-Hale,
Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services, U.S. Department of
Commerce.
Dated: April 19, 2010.
Myesha Ward,
Acting Assistant United States Trade Representative, Intergovernmental
Affairs and Public Engagement.
[FR Doc. 2010-9650 Filed 4-26-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-DR-P