2860 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 14 / Tuesday, January 23, 2007 / Notices 

period to 365 days and the 120-day 

period to 180 days. 

We determine that it is not practicable 

to complete this administrative review 

by February 16, 2007. The Department 

requires additional time to review the 

recent comments regarding the Sansico 

Group’s claim of no shipments in the 

instant review. Therefore, in accordance 

with section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act and 

19 CFR 351.213(h)(2), the Department is 

extending the time limit for the 

completion of these preliminary results 

by an additional 43 days to April 2, 

2007, which is the first business day 

after the additional 43-day extension. 

The final results, in turn, will be due 

120 days after the date of issuance of the 

preliminary results, unless extended. 

This notice is issued and published in 

accordance with sections 751(a)(3)(A) 

and 777(i)(1) of the Act. 

Dated: January 12, 2007. 

Stephen J. Claeys, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. E7–869 Filed 1–22–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration 

Textile and Apparel Products from 

Vietnam: Import Monitoring Program; 

Request for Comments 

AGENCY: Import Administration, 

International Trade Administration, 

Department of Commerce. 

ACTION: Request for Public Comment –

Import Monitoring of Textile and 

Apparel Products from Vietnam. 

SUMMARY: As a follow–up to its 

December 4, 2006 request for public 

comment, the Department of Commerce 

(the Department) is providing an 

additional opportunity for the public to 

comment on the development and 

implementation of a monitoring 

program covering imports of textile and 

apparel products from Vietnam. This 

monitoring program will remain in 

place for the duration of this 

Administration. To help the Department 

implement the program and, at the same 

time, be advised of the concerns of all 

interested stakeholders, the Department 

is inviting the public to provide further 

input on the monitoring program and 

identify issues or considerations that 

submitters believe are deserving of the 

Department’s attention as the program 

proceeds. Responses to comments 

already received by the Department as 

part of its December 4, 2006 request are 

also welcome. 

DATES: To be most useful, the 

Department requests that comments be 

submitted by close of business, January 

31, 2007. However, the Department will 

continue to welcome and solicit 

additional views and input from all 

parties on an ongoing basis. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be 

submitted in writing or electronically. 

Persons wishing to comment in writing 

should file, by the date specified above, 

a signed original and four copies of each 

set of comments. Written comments 

should be addressed to David M. 

Spooner, Assistant Secretary for Import 

Administration, Room 1870, 

Department of Commerce, 14th Street 

and Constitution Ave., NW, 

Washington, DC 20230. Electronic 

comments should be submitted to 

vietnam–texapp-monitor–

FRcomments@mail.doc.gov. Comments 

should be limited to 25 pages or less. 

All comments will be available for 

public inspection at Import 

Administration’s Central Records Unit, 

Room B–099, between the hours of 8:30 

a.m. and 5 p.m. on business days. The 

Department will not accept nor consider 

comments accompanied by a request 

that a part or all of the material be 

treated confidentially because of its 

business proprietary nature or for any 

other reason. In addition, all comments 

will be made available to the public in 

Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 

Internet at the Import Administration 

Web site at the following address: 

http://ia.ita.doc.gov. To the extent 

possible, all comments will be posted 

within 48 hours. Any questions 

concerning file formatting, document 

conversion, access on the Internet, or 

other electronic filing issues should be 

addressed to Andrew Lee Beller, Import 

Administration Webmaster, at (202) 

482–0866, e–mail address: webmaster–

support@ita.doc.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kelly Parkhill at (202) 482–3791. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Department is instituting an import 

monitoring program for textile and 

apparel products from Vietnam. The 

Department currently monitors imports 

of textile and apparel products from 

Vietnam and all other textile and 

apparel producing countries as part of 

the regular monitoring and reporting 

conducted by Import Administration’s 

Office of Textiles and Apparel. This 

program, which is not meant to inhibit 

legitimate trade, will supplement those 

monitoring activities already 

undertaken by that office and help 

ensure compliance with the trade 

remedy laws. 

Implementation of the program began 

on January 11, 2007 when Vietnam 

became a Member of the World Trade 

Organization (WTO) and will cease at 

the end of the current Administration. 

Five product groups – trousers, shirts, 

underwear, swimwear and sweaters –

have been identified as being of special 

sensitivity for monitoring purposes and 

specific products from these broad 

categories will constitute the initial 

focus of Import Administration’s 

monitoring efforts. Outreach to 

interested parties, including domestic 

textile and apparel producers, workers, 

retailers, importers and the Government 

of Vietnam, will continue throughout 

the monitoring process and products 

may be added or removed from 

monitoring as appropriate. 

OUTREACH PROCESS: As noted, the 

outreach process will be ongoing and 

continue throughout the life of the 

program. All parties are welcome to 

meet with or otherwise provide input to 

the Department There will be no 

restrictions on access to the Department 

or preconditions for comment on the 

monitoring program. In addition, the 

Department will establish an electronic 

hotline – vietnam–texapp-monitor–

hotline@mail.doc.gov – to make it easier 

for parties to provide input, raise 

questions or submit suggestions to the 

Department about the program. The 

Department fully anticipates that input 

from this outreach process will lead to 

improvements in the monitoring 

program, as the need arises. 

The Department intends to hold a 

public hearing on the program in 

Washington, D.C. within the next three 

months. A separate notice in the 

Federal Register announcing the 

hearing and providing guidance on 

participation will be issued no later 

than 30 days in advance of the hearing. 

The Department is also considering the 

possibility of holding a series of field 

hearings. If held, the Department 

intends to ensure that the locations of 

these hearings will be convenient to the 

broad array of parties that have 

expressed interest in the monitoring 

program including domestic textile and 

apparel producers, workers, retailers 

and importers. The Department is also 

examining ways in which access to the 

hearing(s) may be extended to those 

unable to attend in person. 

The Department also intends to 

develop an email notification system to 

provide parties notice of upcoming 

developments. Those interested in being 

included in the email notification 

system should provide the Department 

with their email address. Email 

addresses may be submitted in writing 

mstockstill on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 14 / Tuesday, January 23, 2007 / Notices 2861 

1 In this announcement, the term ‘‘has function’’

and ‘‘hash algorithm’’ are used interchangeably. 

or through the email hotline – vietnam–

texapp-monitor–hotline@mail.doc.gov. 

PRODUCT COVERAGE: The 

Department intends to monitor five 

product groups – trousers, shirts, 

underwear, swimwear and sweaters. 

However, the Department recognizes 

that these five product groups are too 

broad for effective monitoring. Within 

these five groups, the Department 

intends to focus on those traditional 

three–digit textile and apparel 

categories of greatest significance based 

on trade trends, composition of the U.S. 

industry and input from parties, as 

appropriate. In addition to gathering 

aggregate value data for each of the 

monitored three–digit categories, the 

Department intends to gather volume, 

value and average unit value data for 

selected products within those 

categories that will be collected and 

examined on a 10–digit Harmonized 

Tariff System (HTS) code basis. All data 

will be updated monthly and made 

available to the public on the Import 

Administration’s Office of Textile and 

Apparel website – http:// 

www.otexa.ita.doc.gov/. 

Product coverage is not intended by 

the Department necessarily to be static. 

Changes in product coverage may occur 

in response to input received from 

interested parties, changes in the trade, 

or as the Department broadens its 

understanding of the composition and 

structure of the domestic textile and 

apparel industry. Further, as the 

Department’s extends its knowledge of 

the domestic industry and the products 

it produces, as part of its monitoring, 

biannual evaluation and like product 

analysis, it intends to continue its 

interaction with stakeholders to allow 

for full comment and input. As part of 

this process, products may be added or 

removed from monitoring, as 

appropriate. 

PRODUCTION TEMPLATES: 

Production templates will be developed 

on an as–needed basis, as merited by the 

Department’s analysis of the monitored 

imports, and their impact on, and 

relation to, the domestic industry. In 

developing these templates, the 

Department intends to gather input from 

parties knowledgeable about the 

production process. Proxy countries, 

appropriate for the product being 

examined, will not be selected until that 

time. 

BIANNUAL EVALUATION: The 

Department intends to conduct its 

formal evaluation of the information 

gathered under the monitoring program 

on a biannual basis. Interim reviews are 

not expected to be conducted unless 

warranted by unforeseen developments. 

As explained above, public import 

data gathered by the Department as part 

of its monitoring program will be posted 

on the Import Administration website 

and updated monthly. Data will be 

reviewed at the 10–digit HTS level and 

shifts in product mix and seasonality 

will be considered when evaluating 

price and volume trends, as appropriate. 

In addition to analyzing import data as 

part of this review process, the 

Department will consider domestic 

industry information including 

production, employment and other 

indicators of industry health, to the 

extent relevant to the biannual 

evaluation process. 

SELF–INITIATION: Any self–initiation 

of an antidumping investigation arising 

from this program will be fully 

consistent with U.S. law as set forth in 

the statute and the Department’s 

regulations, and with the applicable 

WTO rules. 

CRITICAL CIRCUMSTANCES: Any 

application of critical circumstances in 

the context of a self–initiated 

investigation will be fully consistent 

with U.S. law, and with the applicable 

WTO rules. Should the Department find 

critical circumstances, suspension of 

liquidation would apply to unliquidated 

entries of merchandise entered, or 

withdrawn from warehouse, for 

consumption on or after the later of: 1) 

90 days before the date on which 

suspension of liquidation is first 

ordered; or 2) the date on which notice 

of the initiation of the investigation is 

published in the Federal Register 

(section 733(e)(2) of the Tariff Act of 

1930, as amended). 

NEW REPORTING REQUIREMENTS: 

There are no new paperwork or 

reporting requirements as a result of the 

Department’s monitoring program. 

Furthermore, all responses to the 

Department’s Federal Register notice 

requests for information, including this 

request, are strictly voluntary. 

Dated: January 17, 2007. 

David M. Spooner, 

Assistant Secretary for Import 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. E7–928 Filed 1–22–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology 

[Docket No.: 061213336–6336–01] 

Announcing the Development of New 

Hash Algorithm(s) for the Revision of 

Federal Information Processing 

Standard (FIPS) 180–2, Secure Hash 

Standard 

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards 

and Technology, Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: A process to develop and 

standardize one or more new hash 

algorithms to augment and revise FIPS 

180–2, Secure Hash Standard, is being 

initiated by the National Institute of 

Standards and Technology (NIST). As a 

first step in this process, NIST is 

publishing draft minimum acceptability 

requirements, submission requirements, 

and evaluation criteria for candidate 

algorithms to solicit public comment. It 

is intended that the revised hash 

function standard will specify one or 

more additional unclassified, publicly 

disclosed hash algorithms that are 

available royalty-free worldwide, and 

are capable of protecting sensitive 

government information well into the 

foreseeable future. 

The purpose of this notice is to solicit 

comments on the draft minimum 

acceptability requirements, submission 

requirements, and evaluation criteria of 

candidate algorithms from the public, 

the cryptographic community, 

academic/research communities, 

manufacturers, voluntary standards 

organizations, and Federal, state, and 

local government organizations so that 

their needs can be considered in the 

process of developing the augmented 

and revised hash function standard. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before April 27, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments should 

be sent to Mr. William Burr, Attn: Hash 

Algorithm Requirements and Evaluation 

Criteria, National Institute of Standards 

and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 

8930, Gaithersburg, MD 20899–8930. 

Electronic comments should be sent 

to hash-function@nist.gov with a subject 

line of ‘‘Hash Algorithm Requirements 

and Evaluation Criteria’’. 

Comments received in response to 

this notice will be made part of the 

public record and will be available for 

inspection on the Web site: http:// 

www.nist.gov/hash-function. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES