Interim Procedures for Considering Requests and Comments from the Public under the Textile and Apparel Safeguard Provision of the U.S.Korea Free Trade Agreement
Interim Procedures for
Considering Requests and Comments from the Public under the Textile
and Apparel Safeguard Provision of the U.S.Korea Free Trade
Agreement
Extension without change of a currently approved collection
The United States and Korea negotiated
the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (the Agreement), effective
March 15, 2012. Article 4.1 of the Agreement provides for a textile
and apparel safeguard mechanism. This safeguard mechanism applies
when, as a result of the reduction or elimination of a customs duty
under the Agreement, a Korean textile or apparel article is being
imported into the United States in such increased quantities, in
absolute terms or relative to the domestic market for that article,
and under such conditions as to cause serious damage or actual
threat thereof to a U.S. industry producing a like or directly
competitive article. In these circumstances, Article 4.1 permits
the United States to (a) suspend any further reduction in the rate
of duty provided for under Annex 2-B of the Agreement in the duty
imposed on the article; or (b) increase duties on the imported
article from Korea to a level that does not exceed the lesser of
the prevailing U.S. normal trade relations
(“NTR")/most-favored-nation ("MFN") duty rate for the article or
the U.S. NTR/MFN duty rate in effect on the day before the
Agreement enters into force. This right becomes effective when the
Agreement enters into force on March 15, 2012. The Statement of
Administrative Action accompanying the U.S.-Korea Free Trade
Agreement Implementation Act (the “Act”) provides that the
Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) will
issue procedures for requesting such safeguard measures, for making
its determinations under section 332(a) of the Act, and for
providing relief under section 332(b) of the Act. In Proclamation
No. 8783 (77 FR 14265, March 9, 2012), the President delegated to
CITA his authority under Subtitle C of Title III of the Act with
respect to textile and apparel safeguard measures.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.