President Barack Obama has designated Meredith M. Broadbent, a Republican of Virginia, as Chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) for the term June 17, 2014, through June 16, 2016.

Broadbent was nominated to the USITC by President Barack Obama on November 8, 2011. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in August 2, 2012, and was sworn in on September 10, 2012, for the Commission term expiring on June 16, 2017.

Broadbent held the William M. Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies from October 2010 until her appointment.

From 2003 to 2008, she served as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Industry, Market Access, and Telecommunications. In that position, she was responsible for developing U.S. policy that affected trade in industrial goods, telecommunications, and e-commerce. She led the U.S. negotiating team for the Doha Round negotiations to reduce tariff and nontariff barriers on industrial goods and successfully concluded an innovative plurilateral trade agreement with the European Union, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. She also directed an administration initiative to reform the Generalized System of Preferences program for developing countries.

From 2009 to 2010 she was a Trade Advisor at the Global Business Dialogue, a multinational business association focused on international trade and investment issues.

Earlier in her career, Broadbent served as a senior professional staff member on the Republican staff of the Committee on Ways and Means of the U.S. House of Representatives. In that position, she drafted and managed major portions of the Trade and Development Act of 2000, legislation to authorize normal trade relations with China, and the Trade Act of 2002, which included trade promotion authority and the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act.

Prior to that, she served as professional staff for the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, where she was instrumental in the development and House passage of the implementing bills for the North American Free Trade Agreement and Uruguay Round Agreements.

Broadbent holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from in history from Middlebury College and a Master of Business Administration degree from the George Washington University School of Business and Public Management.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she is married to Charles Riedel, has two sons, Charles and William, and resides in McLean, Virginia.

The USITC is an independent, nonpartisan, quasi-judicial federal agency that provides trade expertise to both the legislative and executive branches of government, determines the impact of imports on U.S. industries, and directs actions against certain unfair trade practices, such as patent, trademark, and copyright infringement. Commissioners are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for nine-year terms, unless they are appointed to fill unexpired terms. The Chairman and the Vice Chairman are designated by the President for two-year terms in those positions.

President Barack Obama has designated Dean A. Pinkert, a Democrat of Virginia, as Vice Chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) for the term June 17, 2014, through June 16, 2016.

Pinkert was nominated to the USITC by President George W. Bush on September 7, 2006; renominated on January 9, 2007; and confirmed by the Senate on February 1, 2007. He was sworn in on February 26, 2007, for the Commission term expiring on December 16, 2015.

Prior to his appointment, Pinkert was a senior attorney in the Office of the Chief Counsel for Import Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. In that position, his work included serving as liaison with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, counsel to the Foreign Trade Zone program, advisor to the U.S. Trade Representative in various trade negotiations (including those leading to the 2006 softwood lumber agreement), and litigation counsel in antidumping and countervailing duty matters before domestic and international tribunals. Pinkert was an Attorney-Advisor in the Office of the Chief Counsel for Import Administration at an earlier stage of his career.

Between his Commerce Department positions, during 2001, Pinkert served as the Trade and Judiciary Counsel to Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV). From 1998 through 2000, Pinkert was a senior associate in the Litigation and Trade group in the Washington, DC, office of King & Spalding, where he represented U.S. companies in antidumping and countervailing duty investigations. He also handled, and supervised, export control matters for the group.

Pinkert holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with high honors from Oberlin College; a Juris Doctor degree with honors from the University of Texas School of Law; and a Master of Laws degree with merit from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The USITC is an independent, nonpartisan, quasi-judicial federal agency that provides trade expertise to both the legislative and executive branches of government, determines the impact of imports on U.S. industries, and directs actions against certain unfair trade practices, such as patent, trademark, and copyright infringement. Commissioners are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for nine-year terms, unless they are appointed to fill unexpired terms. The Chairman and the Vice Chairman are designated by the President for two-year terms in those positions.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has launched an investigation to examine global rice trade.

The investigation, Rice: Global Competitiveness of the U.S. Industry, was requested by the House Committee on Ways and Means. The USITC will deliver the report to the Committee by April 14, 2015.

As requested, the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, will report on factors of competition in major rice producing and exporting countries, including Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Uruguay, and Vietnam, plus the United States. The USITC will examine costs of production, industry structure, input prices and availability, pricing and marketing regimes, and government policies that affect rice production and export in the selected countries.

As requested, the USITC will also perform a qualitative, and to the extent possible, quantitative assessment of the impact of government policies and programs in the highlighted countries on rice production, exports, consumption, and domestic and export prices.

The USITC will hold a public hearing in connection with the investigation on September 10, 2014. Requests to appear at the hearing should be filed no later than 5:15 p.m. on August 26, 2014, with the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street, SW, Washington, DC 20436. For further information, call 202-205-2000.

The USITC also welcomes written submissions for the record. Written submissions should be addressed to the Secretary of the Commission at the above address and should be submitted at the earliest practical date, but no later than 5:15 p.m. on December 9, 2014. All written submissions, except for confidential business information, will be available for public inspection.

Further information on the scope of this investigation and appropriate submissions is available in the USITC's notice of investigation, dated June 17, 2014, which can be obtained from the USITC Internet site (www.usitc.gov) or by contacting the Office of the Secretary at the above address or at 202-205-2000.

USITC general factfinding investigations, such as this one, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means, or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the Commission's objective findings and independent analyses on the subjects investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigation reports are subsequently released to the public unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) today determined that revoking the existing antidumping and countervailing duty orders on welded stainless steel pressure pipe from China would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time.

As a result of the Commission's affirmative determinations, the existing orders on imports of this product from China will remain in place.

All six Commissioners voted in the affirmative.

Today's action comes under the five-year (sunset) review process required by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act. See the attached page for background on these five-year (sunset) reviews.

The Commission's public report Welded Stainless Steel Pressure Pipe from China (Inv. Nos. 701- TA-454 and 731-TA-1144 (Review), USITC Publication 4478, July 2014) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the reviews.

The report will be available after July 28, 2014. After that date, it may be accessed on the USITC website at: http://pubapps.usitc.gov/applications/publogs/qry_publication_loglist.asp.

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BACKGROUND

The Uruguay Round Agreements Act requires the Department of Commerce to revoke an antidumping or countervailing duty order, or terminate a suspension agreement, after five years unless the Department of Commerce and the USITC determine that revoking the order or terminating the suspension agreement would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping or subsidies (Commerce) and of material injury (USITC) within a reasonably foreseeable time.

The Commission's institution notice in five-year reviews requests that interested parties file responses with the Commission concerning the likely effects of revoking the order under review as well as other information. Generally within 95 days from institution, the Commission will determine whether the responses it has received reflect an adequate or inadequate level of interest in a full review. If responses to the USITC's notice of institution are adequate, or if other circumstances warrant a full review, the Commission conducts a full review, which includes a public hearing and issuance of questionnaires.

The Commission generally does not hold a hearing or conduct further investigative activities in expedited reviews. Commissioners base their injury determination in expedited reviews on the facts available, including the Commission's prior injury and review determinations, responses received to its notice of institution, data collected by staff in connection with the review, and information provided by the Department of Commerce.

The five-year (sunset) reviews concerning Welded Stainless Steel Pressure Pipe from China were instituted on February 3, 2014.

On May 9, 2014, the Commission voted to conduct expedited reviews. All six Commissioners concluded that the domestic group response for these reviews was adequate and the respondent group response was inadequate and voted for expedited reviews.

A record of the Commission's vote to conduct expedited reviews is available from the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may be made by telephone by calling 202-205-1802.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted to institute an investigation of certain integrated circuits and products containing the same. The products at issue in this investigation are integrated circuits and products containing the same, including wireless communication devices, wireless phones, televisions, optical disk players, tablets, and other products.

The investigation is based on a complaint filed by Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., of Austin, TX, on May 12, 2014. The complaint, as amended, alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the United States and sale of certain integrated circuits and products containing the same that infringe patents asserted by the complainants. The complainants request that the USITC issue a general exclusion order, or in the alternative a limited exclusion order, and cease and desist orders.

The USITC has identified the following as respondents in this investigation:

MediaTek Inc. of Hsinchu City, Taiwan;
MediaTek USA Inc. of San Jose, CA;
Acer Inc. of New Taipei City, Taiwan;
AmTRAN Technology Co. Ltd. of Chung Ho City, New Taipei I, Taiwan;
AmTRAN Logistics, Inc., of Irvine, CA;
ASUSTek Computer Inc. of Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan;
ASUS Computer International, Inc., of Fremont, CA;
BLU Products, Inc., of Doral, FL;
Sharp Corporation of Osaka, Japan;
Sharp Electronics Corporation of Mahwah, NJ;
Sharp Electronics Manufacturing Company of America Inc. of San Diego, CA;
Sony Corporation of Tokyo, Japan;
Sony Corporation of America of New York, NY;
Sony Electronics, Inc. of San Diego, CA;
Sony EMCS (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd of Penang, Malaysia;
Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., of Irvine, CA;
Toshiba Logistics America, Inc., of Irvine, CA;
TPV Display Technology (Xiamen) Co., Ltd., of Xiamen, Fujian, China;
Trend Smart America, Ltd., Lake Forest, CA;
Trend Smart Ce M�xico, S.r.l. de C.V., of Tijuana, Mexico;
Vizio, Inc. of Irvine, CA;
Yamaha Corporation of Shizuoka, Japan;
Yamaha Corporation of America of Buena Park, CA;
Lenovo Group Ltd. of Beijing, China;
Lenovo (United States) Inc. of Morrisville, NC;
Best Buy Co., Inc., of Richfield, MN;
Newegg Inc. of City of Industry, CA;
Buy.com Inc. d/b/a Rakuten.com Shopping of Aliso Viejo, CA;
Walmart Stores, Inc., of Bentonville, AR;
Amazon.com, Inc., of Seattle, WA;
B & H Foto & Electronics Corp. of New York, NY;
Costco Wholesale Corporation of Issaquah, WA.

By instituting this investigation (337-TA-920), the USITC has not yet made any decision on the merits of the case. The USITC's Chief Administrative Law Judge will assign the case to one of the USITC's administrative law judges (ALJ), who will schedule and hold an evidentiary hearing. The ALJ will make an initial determination as to whether there is a violation of section 337; that initial determination is subject to review by the Commission.

The USITC will make a final determination in the investigation at the earliest practicable time. Within 45 days after institution of the investigation, the USITC will set a target date for completing the investigation. USITC remedial orders in section 337 cases are effective when issued and become final 60 days after issuance unless disapproved for policy reasons by the U.S. Trade Representative within that 60-day period.

The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) today determined that a U.S. industry is materially injured or threatened with material injury by reason of imports of diffusion-annealed, nickel-plated flat-rolled steel products from Japan that the U.S. Department of Commerce has determined are sold in the United States at less than fair value.

Chairman Irving A. Williamson and Commissioners Dean A. Pinkert, David S. Johanson, Meredith M. Broadbent, and F. Scott Kieff voted in the affirmative. Commissioner Rhonda K. Schmidtlein did not participate in this investigation.

As a result of the USITC's affirmative determination, an antidumping duty order will be issued on imports of this product from Japan.

The Commission's public report Diffusion-Annealed, Nickel-Plated Flat-Rolled Steel Products from Japan (Investigation No. 731-TA-1206 (Final), USITC Publication 4466, May 2014) will contain the views of the Commissioners and information developed during the investigation.

The report will be available after June 6, 2014. After that date, it may be accessed on the USITC website at: http://pubapps.usitc.gov/applications/publogs/qry_publication_loglist.asp. Copies also may be requested after that date by emailing pubrequest@usitc.gov, calling 202-205-2000, or writing to the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may be made by fax at 202-205-2104.

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UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
Office of Industries
Washington, DC 20436

FACTUAL HIGHLIGHTS

Diffusion-Annealed, Nickel-Plated Flat-Rolled Steel Products from Japan
Investigation No. 731-TA-1206 (Final)

Product Description: Diffusion-annealed, nickel-plated steel is a flat-rolled steel product, plated or coated with nickel or with a nickel-based alloy and subsequently annealed. Annealing after nickel-plating causes the formation of a thin layer of iron-nickel alloy between the steel substrate and the nickel coating, which prevents the nickel coating from flaking or separating from the substrate during fabrication operations. The principal application for diffusion-annealed, nickel-plated steel is for the fabrication of cans and end caps of alkaline and lithium batteries. Diffusion-annealed, nickel-plated steel is also used for the manufacture of fuel, power-steering, and other automotive fluid lines.

Status of Proceeding:

1. Type of investigation:  Final antidumping.
2. Petitioner:  Thomas Steel Strip Corporation, Warren, Ohio. 
3. Investigation instituted by the USITC:  March 27, 2013.
4. USITC hearing:  April 1, 2014.
5. USITC vote:  May 2, 2014.
6. Scheduled date for USITC views:  May 16, 2014.


U.S. Industry:

1. Number of producers in 2013:  One.
2. Location of producer's plant:  Ohio.
3. Employment of production and related workers in 2013: (1)
4. Apparent U.S. consumption in 2013: (1)
5. Ratio of the value of total U.S. imports to total U.S. consumption in 2013: (1)

U.S. Imports:

1. From the subject country during 2013: (1)
2. From other countries during 2013: (1)
3. Sources during 2013:  Japan, Germany, and Korea. 

(1) Withheld to avoid disclosure of business proprietary information.

The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) today determined that there is a reasonable indication that a U.S. industry is materially injured by reason of imports of sugar from Mexico that are allegedly subsidized and sold in the United States at less than fair value.

Chairman Irving A. Williamson and Commissioners Dean A. Pinkert, David S. Johanson, Meredith M. Broadbent, and F. Scott Kieff voted in the affirmative. Commissioner Rhonda K. Schmidtlein did not participate in these investigations.

As a result of the Commission's affirmative determinations, the U.S. Department of Commerce will continue to conduct its investigations on imports of these products, with its preliminary countervailing duty determination due on or about June 23, 2014, and its antidumping duty determinations due on or about September 4, 2014.

The Commission's public report Sugar from Mexico (Investigation Nos. 701-TA-513 and 731- TA-1249 (Preliminary), USITC Publication 4467, May 2014) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigations.

The report will be available after June 9, 2014. After that date, it may be accessed on the USITC website at: http://pubapps.usitc.gov/applications/publogs/qry_publication_loglist.asp. Copies also may be requested after that date by emailing pubrequest@usitc.gov, calling 202-205-2000, or writing to the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may be made by fax at 202-205-2104.

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UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
Office of Industries
Washington, DC 20436

FACTUAL HIGHLIGHTS

Sugar from Mexico
Investigation Nos. 701-TA-513 and 731-TA-1249 (Preliminary)

Product Description: Sugar, or sucrose, is a natural sweetener derived from sugarcane and sugar beets. Sugar is primarily used for human consumption as a caloric sweetening agent in food and beverages such as bakery products, cereals, confectionery, dairy products, coffee, tea, and cocoa. The products covered by these investigations include sugar in raw, refined, and liquid forms, including organic sugar.

Status of Proceedings:

1. Type of investigations:  Preliminary antidumping and countervailing duty.
2. Petitioners: American Sugar Cane League, Thibodaux, LA; American Sugarbeet Growers
      Association, Washington, DC; American Sugar Refining, Inc., West Palm Beach, FL;
      Florida Sugar Cane League, Washington, DC; Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar
      Company, Puunene, HI; Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, Inc., Santa Rosa, TX;
      Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida, Belle Glade, FL; and United States Beet
      Sugar Association, Washington, DC. 
3. Preliminary investigations instituted by the USITC: March 28, 2014.
4. Commission's conference: April 18, 2014.
5. USITC vote: May 9, 2014.
6. USITC determinations to the U.S. Department of Commerce: May 12, 2014.
7. USITC views to the U.S. Department of Commerce: May 19, 2014.

U.S. Industry:

1. Number of producers in 2013:  Thirteen sugarcane millers; six sugarcane refiners; seven
      sugar beet processors.
2. Location of producers' plants:  Sugarcane millers:  Hawaii, Florida, Louisiana, Texas;
      sugarcane refiners: California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New York;
      sugar beet processors:  California, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, North Dakota,
      Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming.
3. Employment of production and related workers in 2012/13 (2), (1). 
4. Apparent U.S. consumption in 2012/13 (2): $7.7 billion
5. Ratio of the value of total U.S. imports to total U.S. consumption in 2012/13 (2): 19.9 percent.

U.S. Imports:
1. From the subject countries during 2012/13 (2):  $1.0 billion.
2. From other countries during 2012/13 (2):  $ 497.8 million.
3. Leading sources during 2012/13 (2): Mexico, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Philippines,
      Guatemala (in terms of total value).

(1) Withheld to avoid disclosure of business proprietary information.
(2) October 2012 through September 2013.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC or Commission) has voted to conduct a full five- year ("sunset") review concerning the antidumping duty order on barium carbonate from China (Inv. No. 731-TA-1020 (Second Review)).

As a result of this vote, the Commission will conduct a full review to determine whether revocation of this order would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time.

The Uruguay Round Agreements Act requires the Department of Commerce to revoke an antidumping or countervailing duty order, or terminate a suspension agreement, after five years unless the Department of Commerce and the USITC determine that revoking the order or terminating the suspension agreement would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping or subsidies (Commerce) and of material injury (USITC) within a reasonably foreseeable time.

The Commission's notice of institution in five-year reviews requests that interested parties file with the Commission responses that discuss the likely effects of revoking the order under review and provide other pertinent information. Generally within 95 days from institution, the Commission will determine whether the responses it has received reflect an adequate or inadequate level of interest in a full review. If responses to the USITC's notice of institution are adequate, or if other circumstances warrant a full review, the Commission conducts a full review, which includes a public hearing and issuance of questionnaires.

Chairman Irving A. Williamson and Commissioners Dean A. Pinkert concluded that the domestic group response for this review was adequate and that the respondent group response was inadequate, and voted for an expedited review.

Commissioners David S. Johanson, Meredith M. Broadbent, F. Scott Kieff, and Rhonda K. Schmidtlein concluded that the domestic group response for this review was adequate and that the respondent group response was inadequate, but that circumstances warranted a full review.

A record of the Commission's vote on this matter is available from the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may be made by telephone by calling 202-205-1802.

The record of the Commission's votes is also posted on the USITC's Internet site at http://pubapps2.usitc.gov/sunset/caseProf/list?sort=caseTitle&order=asc. From this page, search "barium carbonate" using the search box in the upper right corner.

The Federal Register notice will indicate whether any further information or statements will be available. The Commission will issue a report after it completes its review.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC or Commission) has voted to expedite its five-year ("sunset") reviews concerning the countervailing and antidumping duty orders on welded stainless steel pressure pipe from China (Inv. Nos. 701-TA-454 and 731-TA-1144 (Review)).

As a result of these votes, the Commission will conduct expedited reviews to determine whether revocation of these orders would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time.

The Uruguay Round Agreements Act requires the Department of Commerce to revoke an antidumping or countervailing duty order, or terminate a suspension agreement, after five years unless the Department of Commerce and the USITC determine that revoking the order or terminating the suspension agreement would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping or subsidies (Commerce) and of material injury (USITC) within a reasonably foreseeable time.

The Commission's notice of institution in five-year reviews requests that interested parties file with the Commission responses that discuss the likely effects of revoking the order under review and provide other pertinent information. Generally within 95 days from institution, the Commission will determine whether the responses it has received reflect an adequate or inadequate level of interest in a full review. If responses to the USITC's notice of institution are adequate, or if other circumstances warrant a full review, the Commission conducts a full review, which includes a public hearing and issuance of questionnaires.

The Commission generally does not hold a hearing or conduct further investigative activities in expedited reviews. Commissioners base their injury determinations in expedited reviews on the facts available, including the Commission's prior injury and review determinations, responses received to its notice of institution, data collected by staff in connection with the reviews, and information provided by the Department of Commerce.

All six Commissioners concluded that the domestic group response for these reviews was adequate and the respondent group response was inadequate and voted for expedited reviews.

A record of the Commission's votes on these matters is available from the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may be made by telephone by calling 202-205-1802.

The record of the Commission's votes is also posted on the USITC's Internet site at http://pubapps2.usitc.gov/sunset/caseProf/list?sort=caseTitle&order=asc. From this page, search "welded stainless steel pressure pipe" using the search box in the upper right corner.

The Federal Register notice will indicate whether any further information or statements will be available. Only parties that filed adequate responses and filed timely notices of appearance are eligible to participate further in these reviews. The Commission will issue a report after it completes its reviews.

The USITC Wants to Hear from YOU!

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) is exploring the types of trade and tariff data that the trade community wants and how users prefer to get it.

The USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, quasi-judicial federal agency, has issued a survey to identify the kinds of trade and tariff data users seek, the formats they prefer, and the methods of delivery they want.

Among the topics the USITC is seeking user input on are:

• WHO you go to when you need trade or tariff data (government? trade associations?)


• HOW you prefer to get trade and tariff data (computer? tablets? smart phone?)


• HOW you prefer to see trade and tariff data (tables? graphs?)


• WHY you don't use trade and tariff data, if you don't (too hard to find? too complex?)

"The data world is changing fast, and we know we need to keep up," said David Lundy, who manages the distribution of certain trade and tariff information for the USITC. "This survey will give us the information we need to better meet the needs and expectations of the trade community when it comes to us for trade and tariff data."

The survey can be found at: http://www.usitc.gov/tradesurvey

Responses will be accepted until June 30, 2014.

Questions about the survey should be directed to David Lundy at david.lundy@usitc.gov.

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