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S u m m a r y o f I m p o r t A d m i n i s t r a t i o n P r o g r a m s a n d O f f i c e s |
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Administrative Protective Orders (APO) and Dockets Unit |
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The APO/Dockets Unit administers administrative protective
orders ("APOs") in antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings ("AD/CVD")
and provides guidance to the treatment of business proprietary information
under the terms of the APO. The APO is the mechanism under which the Department
regulates and insures the security of proprietary information released to APO
authorized representatives involved in AD/CVD proceedings.
The APO/Dockets Unit officially receives all documents filed
with the Import Administration in AD/CVD proceedings. The APO/Dockets Unit
is located in Room 1870 of the Herbert C. Hoover Building and is open to the
public from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on business days."
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Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations
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Import Administration's Operations Unit is responsible for enforcing the
antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) laws through the conduct
of AD and CVD investigations and reviews (including administrative, changed
circumstance, sunset and new shipper reviews). This Unit, which is headed
by the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations, is comprised of nine offices,
each of which is staffed by a cadre of analysts who are tasked with conducting
comprehensive analyses and making recommendations to the Assistant Secretary
for Import Administration (IA). Two of those offices work exclusively on cases
involving China and other non-market economy countries.
AD proceedings focus on whether foreign producers/exporters are selling their
merchandise in the United States at less than fair value. CVD proceedings
focus on whether foreign producers/exporters are benefitting from subsidies
provided by their governments. Operations also supports negotiations regarding
possible suspension of AD/CVD investigations, and coordinates with the
International Trade Commission on matters pertaining to administration of
AD/CVD investigations. In addition, the Operations' Customs Unit serves as
the IA liaison with the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border
Protection Agency and is responsible for ensuring that the results of the AD
and CVD proceedings are communicated to CBP for implementation.
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Office of China/ Non-Market Economy (NME) Compliance
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The Office of China/NME Compliance is a specialized AD/CVD
enforcement office that is dedicated exclusively to cases involving China
and other non-market economy (NME) countries. The Office was established
pursuant to a congressional recommendation (H.R. 108-221, 2004) and became
legally operational on August 9, 2004.
This office specializes in enforcing the U.S. unfair trade
laws with regard to imports from China and other NME countries. Enforcement
of such trade laws ensures a level playing field for U.S. manufacturers, in
particular small and medium enterprises, when competing against imports from
China and other NME countries. Through this specialized and focused office,
IA is cultivating the expertise necessary to address the unique issues that
arise in NME cases.
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Central Records Unit / Public File Room
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The Central Records Unit (CRU) is the processing center and repository
for a all officially filed documents, information, and data related to
antidumping, countervailing duty, and related proceedings. The CRU
operates a public reading room which is location of all public
information relating to Import Administration proceedings. The CRU is
located in room 7046 and operates during the hours of 8:30a.m. -
5:00p.m. Monday thru Friday.
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Foreign-Trade Zones Board
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Foreign-trade zones are designated sites licensed by the Foreign-Trade Zones
(FTZ) Board (Commerce Secretary is Chairperson) at which special Customs procedures may be
used. These procedures allow domestic activity involving foreign items to take place prior
to formal Customs entry. Duty-free treatment is accorded items that are reexported and duty
payment is deferred on items sold in the U.S. market. When merchandise is manufactured in
zones, users have the option of paying duties at the finished product rate. Thus, zones
can help offset Customs advantages available to overseas producers who compete with
producers located in the United States. Subzones are special-purpose zones, usually at
manufacturing plants. A site which has been granted zone status may be used for zone
activity if the site or a section thereof has been separately approved for FTZ
activation by local U.S. Customs officials, and the zone activity remains under the
supervision of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland
Security. FTZ sites and facilities remain within the jurisdiction of local, state or
federal governments or agencies.
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Information Technology
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The Information Technology (IT) Unit provides technical support to
Import Administration offices and staff, oversees the dissemination of
information to the public through IA’s website, and facilitates the
development of new technologies to better serve IA’s customers
throughout the world. In the near future, the IT Unit will be working
closely with the APO and CRU units to develop an electronic filing and
release system available through IA’s website.
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Petition Counseling and Analysis Unit (PCAU)
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The PCAU helps U.S. Businesses understand U.S. unfair trade laws dealing with
dumping and unfair foreign government subsidies, and the process of filing a
petition requesting the initiation of an investigation.
It Provides guidance to potential petitioners to assist them in determining what
types of information will be required in order to pursue action against an
industry suspected of unfair trade practices.
The PCAU also assists potential petitioners in ensuring their petition is in
compliance with statutory initiation standards and provides small businesses
with publicly available tariff and trade data from the U.S. Department of
Commerce, the U.S. Treasury, and the U.S. International Trade Commission.
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Statutory Import Programs
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Statutory Import Programs Staff (SIPS) has responsibility for administering
several specific import laws of the United States. The Departments of Commerce and the
Interior jointly administer the Insular Possessions Watch and Jewelry Programs governing
watch duty-exemption allocations and watch and jewelry duty-refund benefits for producers
in the United States insular possessions (the Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa
and the Northern Mariana Islands).
Under the Florence Agreement Program scientific instruments may be imported
into the United States by non-profit institutions free of duty if no equivalent instrument
is available in the United States. Under Annex E of the Nairobi Protocol, articles for
physically and mentally handicapped persons are allowed into the United States free of
duty if the importer completes Form ITA-362P. SIPS maintains a database of the entries
which would be needed if the safeguard provision in the legislation was invoked.
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Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis
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The steel import licensing system includes both the
online registration system and the automatic steel import license
issuance system. All imports of steel products listed in the
President's March 5, 2002, section 201 relief determination, including
those products subject to country exemptions or product exclusions, are
subject to the import licensing requirements. Information gathered from
these licenses will be used to ensure that the purpose of the 201
relief is not undermined, with certain aggregate information reported
publicly under the surge monitoring program.
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Subsidies Enforcement
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The Subsidies Enforcement Office (SEO) assists the private sector by monitoring
and confronting foreign government subsidies that can be remedied under the WTO
Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures ("Subsidies Agreement"). The
SEO focuses its research not only on the effects of foreign subsidized competition
in the United States, which can be addressed under the U.S. countervailing duty law,
but also on those subsidies that adversely affect U.S. industries in markets other
than the United States, such as the subsidizing government’s market and third country
markets. Those foreign government subsidies can be remedied through WTO dispute
settlement action under the GATT 1994 and the WTO Subsidies Agreement. Through its
counseling and advocacy services, the SEO assists U.S. parties harmed by such
trade-distorting practices. The main activities of the SEO are mandated under
law, specifically section 281 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA). As part of
its monitoring efforts, the SEO has created a Subsidies Library, which is available
to the public via the internet, and provides easily accessible information on foreign
government subsidy practices.
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Textiles and Apparel
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The Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Textiles, Apparel
and Consumer Goods Industries oversees programs and strategies to improve
the domestic and international competitiveness of the U.S.fiber, textile,
and apparel industries, as well as industries which manufacture a wide
range of consumer products. The DAS also serves as Chairman of the Committee
for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA), which determines when
market disrupting factors exist in the domestic fiber, textile, and apparel
marketplace. The DAS also administers U.S. textile quota agreements,
formulates trade policy, performs research and analysis, compiles industry
data, and promotes U.S. trade events for a whole spectrum of textile, apparel,
and consumer goods
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Trade Remedy Compliance
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The Trade Remedy Compliance Staff (TRCS) provides assistance
to U.S. businesses which feel that their trade problems may stem from unfair
practices or the improper application of foreign unfair trade laws. For key
countries, TRCS personnel in Washington, D.C. and abroad track foreign
government policies and market developments that might contribute to unfairly
traded imports. TRCS also keeps watch on all our trading partners’ antidumping
and countervailing activity to identify potential difficulties for U.S. exporters
and/or conflicts with World Trade Organization obligations.
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