Notice2021-27537
Notice of Proposed Changes to the Slate of Industry Trade Advisory Committees
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Published
December 21, 2021
Issuing agencies
Trade Representative, Office of United States
Abstract
The U.S. Trade Representative and the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) plan to establish a new four-year charter term for the Industry Trade Advisory Committees (ITACs) beginning in February 2022. As part of the re-chartering process, the U.S. Trade Representative and the Secretary are proposing changes to the current slate of ITACs and invite interested parties to submit their view on these changes.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 242 (Tuesday, December 21, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 242 (Tuesday, December 21, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72303-72304]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-27537]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Notice of Proposed Changes to the Slate of Industry Trade
Advisory Committees
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Trade Representative and the Secretary of Commerce
(Secretary) plan to establish a new four-year charter term for the
Industry Trade Advisory Committees (ITACs) beginning in February 2022.
As part of the re-chartering process, the U.S. Trade Representative and
the Secretary are proposing changes to the current slate of ITACs and
invite interested parties to submit their view on these changes.
DATES: The deadline for submission of written comments is December 30,
2021.
ADDRESSES: We strongly encourage electronic submissions made through
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>
(<a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>). Follow the submission instructions in section II
below. The docket number is USTR-2021-0022. For alternatives to on-line
submissions, please contact Ethan Holmes, Director of Private Sector
Engagement, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b5d0c1ddd4db9bd89bdddad9d8d0c6f5c0c6c1c79bd0dac59bd2dac3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="40253428212e6e2d6e282f2c2d253300353334326e252f306e272f36">[email protected]</span></a>, before transmitting a
comment and in advance of the deadline.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ethan Holmes, Director of Private
Sector Engagement, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#fa9f8e929b94d497d4929596979f89ba8f898e88d49f958ad49d958c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7316071b121d5d1e5d1b1c1f1e160033060007015d161c035d141c05">[email protected]</span></a> or (202) 881-9185.
You can find additional information about the ITACs on the
International Trade Administration website at: <a href="http://www.trade.gov/industry-trade-advisory-center">www.trade.gov/industry-trade-advisory-center</a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Section 135 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2155),
establishes a private-sector trade advisory system to ensure that U.S.
trade policy and trade negotiation objectives adequately reflect U.S.
commercial and economic interests. Section 135(c)(2) (19 U.S.C.
2155(c)(2)) directs the President to establish sectoral or functional
trade advisory committees as appropriate, comprised of representatives
of all industry, labor, agricultural, and services interests (including
small business interests) in the sector or functional area. These
committees provide detailed policy and technical advice, information,
and recommendations regarding trade barriers, negotiation of trade
agreements, and implementation of existing trade agreements affecting
industry sectors, and perform other advisory functions relevant to U.S.
trade policy matters as requested. In organizing these committees, the
U.S. Trade Representative and the relevant Secretary consult with
interested private organizations and consider:
<bullet> Patterns of actual or potential competition between United
States industry and agriculture and foreign enterprise in international
trade.
<bullet> the character of the nontariff barriers and other
distortions affecting such competition.
<bullet> the necessity for reasonable limits on the number and size
of advisory committees.
<bullet> in the case of each sectoral committee, that the product
lines covered by each committee be reasonably related.
Pursuant to this authority, the U.S. Trade Representative and the
Secretary established the ITACs to provide detailed policy and
technical advice, information, and recommendations on trade policy
matters including:
<bullet> Negotiating objectives and bargaining positions before
entering into trade agreements.
<bullet> the impact of the implementation of trade agreements on
the relevant sector.
<bullet> matters concerning the operation of any trade agreement
once entered into.
<bullet> other matters arising in connection with the development,
implementation, and administration of the trade policy of the United
States.
The nonpartisan, industry input provided by the ITACs is important
in developing unified trade policy objectives and positions when the
United States negotiates and implements trade agreements. The ITACs
address market-access problems, trade barriers, tariffs, discriminatory
foreign procurement practices, and information, marketing, and advocacy
needs of their industry sector. With limited statutory exceptions, the
ITACs are subject to the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee
Act.
The charters of the current ITACs expire in February 2022, and the
U.S. Trade Representative and Secretary intend to renew the ITACs for
new four-year charter terms beginning in February 2022 and ending in
February 2026. The list of ITACs for the current 2018-2022 charter term
is as follows:
ITAC 1: Aerospace Equipment
ITAC 2: Automotive Equipment and Capital Goods
ITAC 3: Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Health/Science Products and
Services
ITAC 4: Consumer Goods
ITAC 5: Forest Products, Building Materials, Construction, and
Nonferrous Metals
ITAC 6: Energy and Energy Services
ITAC 7: Steel
ITAC 8: Digital Economy
ITAC 9: Small and Minority Business
ITAC 10: Services
ITAC 11: Textiles and Clothing
ITAC 12: Customs Matters and Trade Facilitation
ITAC 13: Intellectual Property Rights
ITAC 14: Standards and Technical Trade Barriers
For the 2022-2026 charter term, the U.S. Trade Representative and
the Secretary propose to restructure the ITACs as follows based on the
nature of the U.S. industry in various sectors, the level of interest
in serving on an ITAC (using the number of members and applications for
appointment during the 2018-2022 charter terms), the level of activity
of each ITAC (using the number of meetings and recommendations
[[Page 72304]]
submitted during the 2018-2022 charter terms), and constraints on the
resources to support and engage with the ITACs:
<bullet> Dividing the current Industry Trade Advisory on Forest
Products, Building Materials, Construction, and Nonferrous Metals into
two separate committees with amended names: Industry Trade Advisory
Committee on Critical Minerals and Nonferrous Metals (ITAC 5), and
Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Forest Products and Building
Materials (new ITAC 8).
<bullet> Changing the name of the ITAC on Small and Minority
Business (ITAC 8) to the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Small,
Minority, and Woman-led Business to more accurately reflect the full
scope of the ITAC's work.
<bullet> Establishing a Committee of Chairs of the ITACs to
facilitate cross-sharing of information and provide a powerful tool to
gather timely cross-cutting input across sectors.
This restructuring would result in 12 sectoral ITACs and 3
functional ITACs for the new four-year charter term, and an ITAC
Committee of Chairs. The proposed slate of ITACs:
Committee of Chairs of the Industry Trade Advisory Committees
ITAC 1: Aerospace Equipment
ITAC 2: Automotive Equipment and Capital Goods
ITAC 3: Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Health/Science Products and
Services
ITAC 4: Consumer Goods
ITAC 5: Critical Minerals and Nonferrous Metals
ITAC 6: Digital Economy
ITAC 7: Energy and Energy Services
ITAC 8: Forest Products and Building Materials
ITAC 9: Small, Minority, and Woman-led Business
ITAC 10: Services
ITAC 11: Steel
ITAC 12: Textiles and Clothing
ITAC 13: Customs Matters and Trade Facilitation
ITAC 14: Intellectual Property Rights
ITAC 15: Standards and Technical Trade Barriers
II. Request for Comments/Submission Instructions
In accordance with Section 135(c)(2)(A) (19 U.S.C. 2155(c)(2)) of
the Trade Act, we invite written comments on the proposed changes to
the slate of ITACs for the 2022-2026 charter term. The deadline for
submitting comments is December 29, 2021.
All submissions must be in English and sent electronically via
<a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> using docket number USTR-2021-0022. To submit comments,
locate the docket (folder) by entering the number USTR-2021-0022 in the
`enter keyword or ID' window at the <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> home page and click
`search.' The site will provide a search-results page listing all
documents associated with this docket. Locate the 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 `comment'.
Please provide comments in an attached document prepared in (or
compatible with) Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) formats.
If you prepare the submission in a compatible format, please indicate
the name of the relevant software application in the `type comment'
field. You should name the file using the name of the person or entity
submitting the comments. For further information on using
<a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>, please select `how to use <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>' on the
bottom of any page.
Please do not attach separate cover letters to electronic
submissions; rather, include any information that might appear in a
cover letter in the comments themselves. Similarly, to the extent
possible, please include any exhibits, annexes, or other attachments in
the same file as the comment itself, rather than submitting them as
separate files.
As noted, USTR strongly urges commenters to submit comments through
<a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>. You must make any alternative arrangements before
transmitting a document and in advance of the relevant deadline by
contacting Ethan Holmes, Director of Private Sector Engagement, at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#086d7c606966266526606764656d7b487d7b7c7a266d6778266f677e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="197c6d717877377437717675747c6a596c6a6d6b377c7669377e766f">[email protected]</span></a>.
USTR will place comments in the docket and they will be open to
public inspection, except properly designated BCI. You can view
comments on <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> by entering Docket Number USTR-2021-0022 in
the `search' field on the home page.
Sirat Attapit,
Assistant United States Trade Representative for Intergovernmental
Affairs and Public Engagement, Office of the United States Trade
Representative.
[FR Doc. 2021-27537 Filed 12-20-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F2-P
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