[Ip-health] June 7: Hearing on KORUS FTA at US International Trade Commission

Tue May 1 11:07:15 2007

UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C.
Investigation No. TA-2104-24

U.S. - Korea Free Trade Agreement: Potential Economy-wide and Selected
Sectoral Effects

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission

ACTION: Institution of investigation and scheduling of public hearing

SUMMARY: Following receipt of a request from the United States Trade
Representative (USTR) on April 1, 2007, the Commission instituted
investigation No. TA-2104-24, U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement: Potential
Economy-wide and Selected Sectoral Effects, under section 2104(f) of the
Trade Act of 2002 (19 U.S.C. 3804(f)), for the purpose of assessing the
likely impact of the U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Republic
of Korea (Korea) on the United States economy as a whole and on specific
industry sectors and the interests of U.S. consumers.

DATES:

April 1, 2007: Receipt of request.
May 24, 2007: Deadline for receipt of requests to appear at hearing.
May 24, 2007: Deadline for filing pre-hearing briefs and statements.
June 7, 2007, 9:30 am: Public hearing.
June 21, 2007: Deadline for filing post-hearing briefs and statements
and all other written submissions.
September 20, 2007: Anticipated date for transmitting report to USTR and
the Congress.

ADDRESSES: All Commission offices, including the Commission=92s hearing
rooms, are located in the United States International Trade Commission
Building, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC. All written submissions,
including requests to appear at the hearing, statements, and briefs,
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=92s electronic docket
(EDIS) at http://edis.usitc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project Leader Nannette Christ
(202-205-3263; nannette.christ@usitc.gov) or Deputy Project Leader
Queena Fan (202-205-3055; queena.fan@usitc.gov). For information on
legal aspects, contact William Gearhart of the Office of the General
Counsel (202-205-3091; william.gearhart@usitc.gov). The media should
contact Margaret O=92Laughlin, Office of External Relations (202-205-1819;
margaret.olaughlin@usitc.gov). General information concerning the
Commission may also be obtained by accessing its Internet address
(http://www.usitc.gov). Hearing impaired individuals are advised that
information on this matter can be obtained by contacting the TDD
terminal on 202-205-1810. Persons with mobility impairments who will
need special assistance in gaining access to the Commission should
contact the Secretary at 202-205- 2000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As requested by the USTR, the Commission will
prepare a report as specified in section 2104(f)(2)-(3) of the Trade Act
of 2002 assessing the likely impact of the U.S. FTA with Korea on the
U.S. economy as a whole and on specific industry sectors, including the
impact the agreement will have on the gross domestic product, exports,
and imports; aggregate employment and employment opportunities; the
production, employment, and competitive position of industries likely to
be significantly affected by the agreement; and the interests of U.S.
consumers.

In preparing its assessment, the Commission will review available
economic assessments regarding the agreement, including literature
concerning any substantially equivalent proposed agreement. The
Commission will provide a description of the analyses used and
conclusions drawn in such literature, and a discussion of areas of
consensus and divergence between the Commission=92s analyses and
conclusions and other economic assessments reviewed.

Section 2104(f)(2) requires that the Commission submit its report to the
President and the Congress not later than 90 days after the President
enters into the agreement, which he can do 90 days after he notifies the
Congress of his intent to do so. On April 1, 2007, the President
notified the Congress of his intent to enter into a FTA with Korea. The
USTR requested that the Commission provide the report as soon as
possible after the FTA is signed.

PUBLIC HEARING: A public hearing in connection with the investigation is
scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on June 7, 2007, at the U.S.
International Trade Commission Building, 500 E Street SW, Washington,
DC. All persons shall have the right to appear, by counsel or in person,
to present information and to be heard. Requests to appear at the public
hearing should be filed with the Secretary no later than 5:15 p.m., May
24, 2007. Any pre-hearing briefs or statements should be filed no later
than 5:15 p.m., May 24, 2007, and any post-hearing briefs or statements
should be filed no later than 5:15 p.m., June 21, 2007; all such briefs
and statements must be submitted in accordance with the requirements
below under =93written submissions.=94 In the event that, as of the close o=
f
business on May 24, 2007, 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
Secretary to the Commission (202- 205-2000) after May 24, 2007 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 submit written statements
concerning the matters to be addressed by the Commission in its report
on this investigation. Submissions should be addressed to the Secretary.
To be assured of consideration by the Commission, written statements
related to the Commission=92s report should be submitted to the Commission
at the earliest practical date and should be received no later than 5:15
p.m., June 21, 2007.

All written submissions must conform with the provisions of section
201.8 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 C.F.R.
201.8). Section 201.8 of the rules requires that a signed original (or
copy designated as an original) and fourteen (14) copies of each
document be filed. In the event that confidential treatment of the
document is requested, at least four (4) additional copies must be
filed, in which the confidential business information must be deleted
(see the following paragraph for further information regarding
confidential business information). The Commission=92s rules do not
authorize filing submissions with the Secretary by facsimile or
electronic means, except to the extent permitted by section 201.8 of the
rules (see Handbook for Electronic Filing Procedures,
http://www.usitc.gov/secretary/fed_reg_notices/rules/documents/handbook_on_=
electronic_filing.pdf).
Persons with questions regarding electronic filing should contact the
Secretary (202-205-2000 or edis@usitc.gov).

Any submissions that contain confidential business information must also
conform with the requirements of section 201.6 of the Commission=92s Rules
of Practice and Procedure (19 C.F.R. 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 =93confidential=94 or
=93nonconfidential=94 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 in the Office of the Secretary to the Commission for
inspection by interested parties.

The Commission intends to prepare only a public report in this
investigation. The report that the Commission sends to the President and
the Congress and makes available to the public will not contain
confidential business information. Any confidential business information
received by the Commission in this investigation and used in preparing
the report will not be published in a manner that would reveal the
operations of the firm supplying the information.

By order of the Commission. /s/
Marilyn R. Abbott
Secretary to the Commission
Issued: April 30, 2007

--
Mike Palmedo
Research Coordinator
Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property
American University, Washington College of Law
4910 Massachutsetts Ave., NW Washington, DC 20016
T - 202-274-4442 | F 202-274-0659
mpalmedo@wcl.american.edu