Notice2024-06975
Additional Hearings and Extension of Post-Hearing Comment Period: Request for Comments on Promoting Supply Chain Resilience
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Published
April 3, 2024
Issuing agencies
Trade Representative, Office of United States
Abstract
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) will hold additional public hearings to inform objectives and strategies that advance U.S. supply chain resilience in trade negotiations, enforcement, and other initiatives, and is extending the period for submission of post-hearing comments.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 65 (Wednesday, April 3, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 3, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23079-23080]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06975]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket Number USTR-2024-0002]
Additional Hearings and Extension of Post-Hearing Comment Period:
Request for Comments on Promoting Supply Chain Resilience
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice of additional public hearings and extension of post-
hearing comment period.
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SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR)
will hold additional public hearings to inform objectives and
strategies that advance U.S. supply chain resilience in trade
negotiations, enforcement, and other initiatives, and is extending the
period for submission of post-hearing comments.
DATES: You must submit comments and responses in accordance with the
following schedule:
April 24, 2024: Due date for filing requests to appear and a
summary of expected testimony at the additional public hearings.
May 14, 2024: USTR will convene a public hearing at the Minnesota
Department of Employment and Economic Development, Great Northern
Building, Jerome Hill Auditorium, 180 East Fifth Street, St. Paul, MN
55101, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
May 23, 2024: USTR will convene a virtual public hearing beginning
at 10:00 a.m.
May 28, 2024: USTR will convene a public hearing in the Ted Weiss
Federal Office Building, 30th Floor Conference Center, Conference Room
2, 290 Broadway, New York, NY 10007, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
June 4, 2024: Extended due date for submission of post-hearing
written comments in response to testimony provided at any of the four
public hearings in this proceeding.
ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers 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>). The instructions for submitting comments are in
sections IV and V below. The docket number is USTR-2024-0002. For
alternatives to on-line submissions, please contact Sandy McKinzy at
(202) 395-9483 in advance of the deadline.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Special Counsel Victor Ban at (202)
395-5962 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c5b6b0b5b5a9bca6ada4acab85b0b6b1b7eba0aab5eba2aab3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="582b2d282834213b30393136182d2b2c2a763d3728763f372e">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On March 7, 2024, USTR requested comments to inform objectives and
strategies that advance U.S. supply chain resilience in trade
negotiations, enforcement, and other initiatives. In outlining a new
trade policy vision promoting resilience, the notice explained that
resilient supply chains provide a range of sourcing options; adapt,
rebound, and recover with agility following shocks; uphold labor rights
and environmental protections; and strengthen the U.S. manufacturing
base and workforce. To help achieve these objectives, the notice sought
information on developing sector-specific policy tools, strengthening
domestic manufacturing and services, collaborating with like-minded
trading partners and allies, and measuring resilience, among other
topics. The notice also stated that ``USTR may arrange regional
hearings or meetings subsequent to the public hearing'' scheduled to
begin on May 2, 2024, at the U.S. International Trade Commission. See
89 FR 16608.
II. Additional Hearing Participation
USTR invites participation at these additional public hearings:
<bullet> May 14, 2024: USTR will convene a public hearing at the
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Great
Northern Building, Jerome Hill Auditorium, 180 East Fifth Street, St.
Paul, MN 55101, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
<bullet> May 23, 2024: USTR will convene a virtual public hearing
beginning at 10:00 a.m.
<bullet> May 28, 2024: USTR will convene a public hearing in the
Ted Weiss Federal Office Building, 30th Floor Conference Center,
Conference Room 2, 290 Broadway, New York, NY 10007, beginning at 10:00
a.m.
Any person wishing to testify at one of the additional hearings
must submit requests to appear by April 24, 2024. The request to appear
at the additional hearings must specify the starting date of the
relevant hearing and include a summary of testimony, and may be
accompanied by a pre-hearing submission. To allow for possible
questions from USTR staff, remarks at the additional hearings may be
subject to time limits, to be communicated by USTR to witnesses in
advance of the hearings. No witness may offer testimony at more than
one public hearing.
Additionally, USTR will permit members of the public to observe
remotely both the hearing to be convened by USTR at the U.S.
International Trade Commission beginning on May 2, 2024, and the
virtual hearing to be convened by USTR beginning on May 23, 2024. Audio
and video access to both hearings will be provided at <a href="http://www.ustr.gov/live">www.ustr.gov/live</a>. Testimony at the hearing to be held at the U.S. International
Trade Commission must be delivered in-person, in accordance with the
procedures outlined in the initial notice. See 89 FR 16608.
III. Post-Hearing Comments
In light of the additional public hearings, USTR will extend the
due date for submission of post-hearing written comments from May 16,
2024, to June 4, 2024.\1\ Additionally, although the March 7, 2024
notice (89 FR 16608), specified that only ``persons who testified at
the public hearing'' beginning on May 2, 2024, could submit post-
hearing written comments, USTR will permit any person to submit post-
hearing comments, so long as the comments respond to testimony provided
at any of the four public hearings in this proceeding.
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\1\ Except for this extension, this notice does not modify any
of the deadlines established in the initial notice of March 7, 2024.
See 89 FR 16608.
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IV. Requirements for Submissions
To be assured of consideration, submit any request to appear at the
[[Page 23080]]
additional hearings by the April 24, 2024 deadline, and any post-
hearing written comments by the June 4, 2024 deadline. All submissions
must be in English. USTR strongly encourages submissions via
<a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>. The docket number is USTR-2024-0002.
To submit via <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>, use Docket Number USTR-2024-0002 in
the `search for' field on the home page and click `search.' 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' in the `refine documents results' section on the
left side of the screen and click on the link entitled `comment.'
<a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> allows users to make submissions by filling in a `type
comment' field, or by attaching a document using the `upload file'
field. USTR prefers that you provide submissions in an attached
document named according to the following protocol, as appropriate:
Commenter Name or Organization_Supply Chain Resilience. If you provide
submissions in an attached document, please type `see attached
comments' in the `comment' field on the online submission form.
Requests to appear at an additional hearing must include the name,
address, email address, and telephone number of the person presenting
the testimony in the `type comment' field. Attach a summary of the
testimony specifying the relevant additional hearing, and a pre-hearing
submission if provided, by attaching a document using the `upload file'
field. The file name should include the name of the person who will be
presenting the testimony. In addition, please submit a request to
appear by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#85f6f0f5f5e9fce6ede4ecebc5f0f6f1f7abe0eaf5abe2eaf3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="51222421213d28323930383f11242225237f343e217f363e27">[email protected]</span></a>. The subject line of the
email must begin with the starting date of the relevant additional
hearing in the format `May 14' followed by the name of the person who
will be presenting the testimony, and then `Request to Appear'. In the
body of the email, include the name, address, email address, and
telephone number of the person presenting testimony.
USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat
(.pdf). If you use an application other than those two, please indicate
the name of the application in the `type comment' field.
Please include any information that might appear in a cover letter,
exhibits, annexes, or other attachments in the same file as the comment
itself, rather than submitting them as separate files.
Please include the name, email address, and telephone number of an
individual USTR can contact if there are issues or questions with the
submission.
You will receive a tracking number upon completion of the
submission procedure at <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>. The tracking number is
confirmation that <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> received your submission. Keep the
confirmation for your records. USTR is not able to provide technical
assistance for <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>.
For further information on using <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>, please consult
the resources provided on the website by clicking on `How to Use
<a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>' on the bottom of the home page. You can contact the
<a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> help desk at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1f6d7a786a737e6b7670716c777a736f7b7a6c745f786c7e31787069"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="01736466746d6075686e6f7269646d716564726a416672602f666e77">[email protected]</span></a> or 1-866-498-
2945 for help with technical questions on submitting comments on
<a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>.
If you are unable to submit through <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> after seeking
assistance from the help desk, please contact Sandy McKinzy at (202)
395-9483 before transmitting your document and in advance of the
deadline to arrange for an alternative method of transmission. USTR
will not accept hand-delivered submissions. USTR may not consider
submissions that you do not make in accordance with these instructions.
General information concerning USTR is available at <a href="https://www.ustr.gov">https://www.ustr.gov</a>.
V. Business Confidential Information (BCI) Submissions
If you ask USTR to treat information you submit as BCI, you must
certify that the information is business confidential and that you
would not customarily release it to the public. For any comments
submitted electronically containing BCI, the file name of the business
confidential version should begin with the characters `BCI.' You must
clearly mark any page containing BCI with `BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL' on
the top of that page. Filers of submissions containing BCI also must
submit a public version that will be placed in the docket for public
inspection. The file name of the public version should begin with the
character `P.' Follow the `BCI' and `P' with the name of the individual
or organization submitting the comments.
VI. Public Viewing of Review Submissions
USTR will post written submissions in the docket for public
inspection, except properly designated BCI. You can view comments on
<a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> by entering Docket Number USTR-2024-0002 in the search
field on the home page.
Juan Millan,
Acting General Counsel, Office of the United States Trade
Representative.
[FR Doc. 2024-06975 Filed 4-2-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3390-F4-P
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