Increase of a Designated Consultation Level for Certain Wool Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Mexico

AGENCY:

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION:

Issuing a directive to the Commissioner, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection increasing a designated consultation level.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

March 25, 2003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Naomi Freeman, International Trade Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce, (202) 482-4212. For information on the quota status of this limit, refer to the Quota Status Reports posted on the bulletin boards of each Customs port, call (202) 927-5850, or refer to the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection Web site at http://www.customs.gov . For information on embargoes and quota re-openings, refer to the Office of Textiles and Apparel Web site at http://otexa.ita.doc.gov .

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority: Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended.

The unused portion of the 2002 special increase in Category 433 is being recredited to the 2003 limit.

The level does not apply to NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) originating goods, as defined in Annex 300-B, Chapter 4 and Annex 401 of the agreement. In addition, this consultation level does not apply to textile and apparel goods, assembled in Mexico, in which all fabric components were wholly formed and cut in the United States, entered under the United States Harmonized Tariff Schedule heading 9802.00.90.

A description of the textile and apparel categories in terms of HTS numbers is available in the CORRELATION: Textile and Apparel Categories with the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (see Federal Register notice 68 FR 1599, published on January 13, 2003). Also see 67 FR 57408, published on September 10, 2002.

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

March 19, 2003.

Commissioner,

Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, Washington, DC 20229.

Dear Commissioner: This directive amends, but does not cancel, the directive issued to you on September 3, 2002 by the Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. That directive concerns imports of certain wool and man-made fiber textile products, produced or manufactured in Mexico and exported during the period which began on January 1, 2003 and extends through December 31, 2003. The levels established in that directive do not apply to NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) originating goods, as defined in Annex 300-B, Chapter 4 and Annex 401 of NAFTA or to textile and apparel goods, assembled in Mexico, in which all fabric components were wholly formed and cut in the United States, entered under the United States Harmonized Tariff Schedule heading 9802.00.90.

Effective on March 25, 2003, you are directed to increase the current designated consultation level for Category 433 to 10,794 dozen , pursuant to the provisions of the NAFTA.

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has determined that this action falls within the foreign affairs exception of the rulemaking provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1).

Sincerely,

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.