Notice2022-23442
Subsidy Programs Provided by Countries Exporting Softwood Lumber and Softwood Lumber Products to the United States; Request for Comment
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
October 27, 2022
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentInternational Trade Administration
Abstract
The U.S. 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 January 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 207 (Thursday, October 27, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 207 (Thursday, October 27, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65031-65032]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-23442]
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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: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The U.S. 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 January 1, 2022, through June
30, 2022.
DATES: Comments must be submitted within 30 days after publication of
this notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristen Johnson, AD/CVD Operations,
Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S.
Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20230; telephone: (202) 482-4793.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Pursuant to section 805 of title VIII of the Tariff Act of 1930
(the Softwood Lumber Act of 2008), 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 to the
Congress on June 30, 2022.
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 which had exports
accounting for at least one percent of total U.S. imports of softwood
lumber by quantity, as classified under Harmonized Tariff Schedule of
the United States (HTSUS) codes 4407.1100, 4407.1200, 4407.1300,
4407.1400, and 4407.1900, during the period January 1, 2022, through
June 30, 2022.\1\ Official U.S. import data, published by the United
States International Trade Commission's DataWeb, indicate that six
countries (Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Romania, 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 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 July 1,
2022, through December 31, 2022, to select the countries subject for
the next report.
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\1\ We previously queried HTSUS codes 4407.1001, 4407.1905,
4407.1906, 4407.1910. However, those codes were deactivated and
replaced by codes included in the import data query for the period
January 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022.
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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.\2\
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\2\ See section 771(5)(B) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended.
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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 <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>, Docket No.
ITA-2022-0011. 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
[[Page 65032]]
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF formats only.
All comments should be addressed to Ryan Majerus, Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Policy and Negotiations, at U.S. Department of Commerce,
1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230.
Dated: October 24, 2022.
Abdelali Elouaradia,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2022-23442 Filed 10-26-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P
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