[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 194 (Friday, October 5, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61026-61027]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-24529]
[[Page 61026]]
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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
[Investigation No. 332-537]
Olive Oil: Conditions of Competition Between U.S. and Major
Foreign Supplier Industries
AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.
ACTION: Institution of investigation and scheduling of hearing.
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SUMMARY: Following receipt on September 12, 2012, of a request from the
Committee on Ways and Means (Committee) of the House of Representatives
under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1332(g)), the
U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission) instituted
investigation No. 332-537, Olive Oil: Conditions of Competition between
U.S. and Major Foreign Supplier Industries.
DATES:
November 14, 2012: Deadline for filing requests to appear at the
public hearing.
November 21, 2012: Deadline for filing prehearing briefs and
statements.
December 5, 2012: Public hearing.
December 12, 2012: Deadline for filing posthearing briefs and
statements.
February 12, 2013: Deadline for filing all other written
submissions.
August 12, 2013: Transmittal of Commission report to the Committee.
ADDRESSES: All Commission offices, including the Commission's hearing
rooms, are located in the United States International Trade Commission
Building, 500 E Street SW., Washington, DC. All written submissions
should be addressed to the Secretary, United States International Trade
Commission, 500 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20436. The public record
for this investigation may be viewed on the Commission's electronic
docket (EDIS) at http://www.usitc.gov/secretary/edis.htm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project leader Brendan Lynch (202-205-
3313 or brendan.lynch@usitc.gov) or deputy project leader Alison Rozema
(202-205-3458 or alison.rozema@usitc.gov) for information specific to
this investigation. For information on the legal aspects of this
investigation, contact William Gearhart of the Commission's Office of
the General Counsel (202-205-3091 or william.gearhart@usitc.gov). The
media should contact Margaret O'Laughlin, Office of External Relations
(202-205-1819 or margaret.olaughlin@usitc.gov). Hearing-impaired
individuals may obtain information on this matter by contacting the
Commission's TDD terminal at 202-205-1810. General information
concerning the Commission may also be obtained by accessing its
Internet server (http://www.usitc.gov). Persons with mobility
impairments who will need special assistance in gaining access to the
Commission should contact the Office of the Secretary at 202-205-2000.
Background: As requested by the Committee, the Commission will
conduct an investigation and prepare a report on the conditions of
competition between U.S. and major foreign supplier industries. As
requested and to the extent that information is publicly available, the
report will include the following--
1. An overview of the commercial olive oil industry in the United
States and major supplier countries, including production of olives for
olive oil processing, planted acreage and new plantings, processing
volumes, processing capacity, carry-over inventory, and consumption;
2. Information on the international market for olive oil, including
U.S. and foreign supplier imports and exports of olive oil in its
various forms, olive oil trade between the European Union and North
African countries, and a history of the tariff treatment and
classification of olive oil in the United States and major supplier
countries;
3. A qualitative and, to the extent possible, quantitative
assessment of the role of imports, standards and grading, prices, and
other factors on olive oil consumption in the U.S. market; and
4. A comparison of the competitive strengths and weaknesses of the
commercial olive production and olive oil processing industries in the
major producing countries and the United States, including factors such
as industry structure, input production costs and availability,
processing technology, product innovation, government support and other
government intervention, exchange rates, and pricing and marketing
regimes, plus the steps each respective industry is taking to increase
its competitiveness.
The Committee asked that the report focus primarily on the period
2008-2012 and that the Commission deliver its report by August 12,
2013. The Committee also stated that it intends to make the
Commission's report public.
Public Hearing: The Commission will hold a public hearing in
connection with this investigation at the U.S. International Trade
Commission Building, 500 E Street SW., Washington, DC, beginning at
10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 5, 2012. Requests to appear at the
public hearing should be filed with the Secretary not later than 5:15
p.m., November 14, 2012, in accordance with the requirements in the
``Submissions'' section below. All prehearing briefs and statements
should be filed with the Secretary not later than 5:15 p.m., November
21, 2012; and all posthearing briefs and statements responding to
matters raised at the hearing should be filed with the Secretary not
later than 5:15 p.m., December 12, 2012. All hearing-related briefs and
statements should be filed in accordance with the requirements for
filing written submissions set out below. In the event that, as of the
close of business on November 14, 2012, no witnesses are scheduled to
appear at the hearing, the hearing will be canceled. Any person
interested in attending the hearing as an observer or nonparticipant
may call the Office of the Secretary (202-205-2000) after November 14,
2012, for information concerning whether the hearing will be held.
Written Submissions: In lieu of or in addition to participating in
the hearing, interested parties are invited to file written submissions
concerning this investigation. All written submissions should be
addressed to the Secretary, and all such submissions (other than
prehearing and posthearing briefs and statements) should be received
not later than 5:15 p.m., February 12, 2013. All written submissions
must conform with the provisions of section 201.8 of the Commission's
Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.8). Section 201.8 and the
Commission's Handbook on Filing Procedures require that interested
parties file documents electronically on or before the filing deadline
and submit eight (8) true paper copies by 12:00 p.m. eastern time on
the next business day. In the event that confidential treatment of a
document is requested, interested parties must file, at the same time
as the eight paper copies, at least four (4) additional true paper
copies in which the confidential information must be deleted (see the
following paragraph for further information regarding confidential
business information). Persons with questions regarding electronic
filing should contact the Secretary (202-205-2000).
Any submissions that contain confidential business information must
also conform with the requirements of section 201.6 of the Commission's
Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.6). Section 201.6 of the
rules requires that the cover of the document and the individual pages
be clearly marked as to whether they are the ``confidential'' or
``nonconfidential''
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version, and that the confidential business information be clearly
identified by means of brackets. All written submissions, except for
confidential business information, will be made available for
inspection by interested parties.
In the request letter, the Committee stated that it intends to make
the Commission's report available to the public in its entirety, and
asked that the Commission not include any confidential business
information in the report it sends to the Committee. Any confidential
business information received by the Commission in this investigation
and used in preparing this report will not be published in a manner
that would reveal the operations of the firm supplying the information.
By order of the Commission.
Issued: October 1, 2012.
William R. Bishop,
Hearings and Meetings Coordinator.
[FR Doc. 2012-24529 Filed 10-4-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P