Rules for Investigations Relating to Global and Bilateral Safeguard Actions, Market Disruption, Trade Diversion, and Review of Relief Actions

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The United States International Trade Commission (Commission) is adopting as a final rule, with changes to correct three typographical errors, the interim rule amending its Rules of Practice and Procedure (Rules) that was published on January 26, 2012. The rule concerns the conduct of safeguard investigations under statutory provisions that implement bilateral safeguard provisions in free trade agreements that the United States has negotiated with Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and five Central American countries (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua), Jordan, Korea, Morocco, Oman, Panama, Peru, and Singapore. With the exception of the free trade agreement with Panama, all of the aforementioned free trade agreements have entered into force. The free trade agreement with Panama is expected to enter into force imminently. The interim rule amended and expanded upon rules previously in effect that pertained to the conduct of bilateral safeguard investigations under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Implementation Act with respect to imports from Canada and Mexico.