This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

4240

Vol. 62, No. 19

Wednesday, January 29, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Office of the Secretary

Secretary of Agriculture’s Special

Cotton Import Quota Announcement

Number 1

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: A special import quota for

upland cotton equal to 44,607,955

kilograms (98,343,787 pounds) is

established in accordance with section

136(b) of the Federal Agriculture

Improvement and Reform Act of 1996

(the 1996 Act) under Presidential

Proclamation 6301 of June 7, 1991. The

quota is referenced as the Secretary of

Agriculture’s Special Cotton Import

Quota Announcement Number 1,

effective January 18, 1997, and is set

forth in subheading 9903.52.01,

subchapter III, chapter 99 of the

Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the

United States (HTS).

DATES: The quota is effective as of

January 18, 1997, and applies to upland

cotton purchased not later than April

17, 1997 (90 days from the date the

quota is established), and entered into

the United States not later than July 16,

1997 (180 days from the date the quota

is established).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Janise Zygmont, Farm Service Agency,

United States Department of

Agriculture, Stop 0515, P.O. Box 2415,

Washington, DC 20013–2415 or call

(202) 720–8841.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 1996

Act requires that a special import quota

for upland cotton be determined and

announced immediately if, for any

consecutive 10-week period, the Friday

through Thursday average price

quotation for the lowest-priced U.S.

growth, as quoted for Middling 1–3/32

inch cotton, C.I.F. northern Europe (U.S.

Northern Europe price), adjusted for the

value of any cotton user marketing

certificates issued, exceeds the Northern

Europe price by more than 1.25 cents

per pound. This condition was met

during the consecutive 10-week period

that ended October 24, 1996. Therefore,

a quota referenced as the Secretary of

Agriculture’s Special Cotton Import

Quota Announcement Number 1,

effective January 18, 1997, is hereby

established.

Because there were only 20

subheadings available for designating

upland cotton special import quotas in

subchapter III of chapter 99 of the HTS

at the time this quota was announced,

only 20 such quotas could be in effect

at one time. Each subheading

corresponds to a Secretary of

Agriculture’s Special Cotton Import

Quota Announcement specifying that a

particular amount of upland cotton may

be imported during a particular 180-day

period. The special import quota

described in this notice cannot take

effect until HTS subheading 9903.52.01

becomes available upon the expiration

of the Secretary of Agriculture’s Special

Cotton Import Quota Announcement

Number 1, effective July 22, 1996,

through January 17, 1997. Therefore, the

special import quota described in this

notice opens on January 18, 1997, the

day after the previous special import

quota 1 ends.

The quota amount, 44,607,955

kilograms (98,343,787 pounds), is equal

to 1 week’s consumption of upland

cotton by domestic mills at the

seasonally-adjusted average rate of the

most recent 3 months for which data are

available—July 1996 through September

1996. The special import quota

identifies a quantity of imports that is

not subject to the over-quota tariff rate

of a tariff-rate quota. The quota is not

divided by staple length or by country

of origin. The quota does not affect

existing tariff rates or phytosanitary

regulations. The quota does not apply to

Extra Long Staple cotton.

Authority: Sec. 136, P.L. 104–127 and U.S.

Note 6(a), Subchapter III, Chapter 99 of the

HTS.

Signed at Washington, D.C., on January 22,

1997.

Dan Glickman,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–2127 Filed 1–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P

Secretary of Agriculture’s Special

Cotton Import Quota Announcement

Number 2

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: A special import quota for

upland cotton equal to 44,607,955

kilograms (98,343,787 pounds) is

established in accordance with section

136(b) of the Federal Agriculture

Improvement and Reform Act of 1996

(the 1996 Act) under Presidential

Proclamation 6301 of June 7, 1991. The

quota is referenced as the Secretary of

Agriculture’s Special Cotton Import

Quota Announcement Number 2,

effective January 25, 1997, and is set

forth in subheading 9903.52.02,

subchapter III, chapter 99 of the

Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the

United States (HTS).

DATES: The quota is effective as of

January 25, 1997, and applies to upland

cotton purchased not later than April

24, 1997 (90 days from the date the

quota is established), and entered into

the United States not later than July 23,

1997 (180 days from the date the quota

is established).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Janise Zygmont, Farm Service Agency,

United States Department of

Agriculture, Stop 0515, P.O. Box 2415,

Washington, DC 20013–2415 or call

(202) 720–8841.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 1996

Act requires that a special import quota

for upland cotton be determined and

announced immediately if, for any

consecutive 10-week period, the Friday

through Thursday average price

quotation for the lowest-priced U.S.

growth, as quoted for Middling 13⁄32

inch cotton, C.I.F. northern Europe (U.S.

Northern Europe price), adjusted for the

value of any cotton user marketing

certificates issued, exceeds the Northern

Europe price by more than 1.25 cents

per pound. This condition was met

during the consecutive 10-week period

that ended October 31, 1996. Therefore,

a quota referenced as the Secretary of

Agriculture’s Special Cotton Import

Quota Announcement Number 2,

effective January 25, 1997, is hereby

established.

Because there were only 20

subheadings available for designating

upland cotton special import quotas in

subchapter III of chapter 99 of the HTS