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[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 86 (Tuesday, May 5, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25671-25672]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-10425]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[Docket No. 150416372-5372-01]

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Information on Claims Raised About State-Owned Airlines in Qatar 
and the UAE

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce; Transportation Affairs, Bureau for Economic and Business 
Affairs, U.S. Department of State; Office of Aviation and International 
Affairs, U.S. Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces that the Departments of Commerce, State, 
and Transportation are interested in obtaining from interested 
stakeholders information regarding their views on claims that three 
foreign airlines--Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways--
have received and are benefitting from subsidies from their homeland 
governments that are distorting the global aviation market.

DATES: The comment period for this notice is now open and will remain 
open for the foreseeable future. As explained below, however, anyone 
interested in providing input to the Departments before they determine 
what actions should be taken, if any, should submit information as soon 
as practicable.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document via the Federal e-
Rulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. You may submit 
comments in any (or all) of the three docket numbers open for comment:

 DOT-OST-2015-0082
 DOS-2015-0016
 DOC-2015-0001

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eugene Alford, Office of Supply Chain, 
Professional & Business Services, International Trade Administration, 
U.S. Department of Commerce (Phone: (202) 482-5071 or Email: 
Airservices@trade.gov). Robert Newsome, Transportation Affairs, Bureau 
for Economic and Business Affairs, U.S. Department of State (Phone: 
(202) 647-7540 or Email: newsomerc@state.gov). Reese Davidson, Office 
of International Aviation, Office of Aviation and International 
Affairs, U.S. Department of Transportation (Phone: (202) 366-8161 or 
Email: Reese.Davidson@dot.gov). Claire McKenna, Office of Operations, 
Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Department of Transportation 
(Phone: (202) 366-0365 or Email: Claire.McKenna@dot.gov).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: The U.S. Departments of Commerce, State, and 
Transportation are reviewing claims that three foreign airlines--
Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways--have received and 
are benefitting from subsidies from their respective governments of the 
United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar that are distorting the global 
aviation market. The claims, which are asserted in a publicly available 
report, are of significant interest to stakeholders and all three 
Federal agencies. The U.S. government takes seriously the concerns 
raised in the report and is interested in receiving insights and 
feedback from stakeholders before any decisions are made regarding what 
action, if any, should be taken. Accordingly, consistent with the Obama 
Administration's Open Government Initiative and commitment to 
transparency, public participation, and collaboration, the three 
Departments are announcing the establishment of an open forum by which 
any interested stakeholder may submit information regarding their views 
on this subject and have access to such information submitted by other 
interested stakeholders.
    Any interested person or group may submit information, responses to 
existing materials, or any other analysis that they might wish to 
provide the U.S. government on this subject on the www.regulations.gov 
Web site. Each Department will have a corresponding number_listed 
below_on www.regulations.gov, and all submissions will be reviewed 
jointly by the interagency team.
    No provision has been made for submission of confidential material 
to these dockets. The materials in the docket will not be edited to 
remove identifying or contact information. The Departments caution 
against including any information in an electronic submission that one 
does not want publicly disclosed.
    All correspondence on this subject received by the Departments 
after the issuance of this notice will be considered part of this 
submission process and will be posted in www.regulations.gov for the 
benefit of the public, unless the submitter has requested and been 
granted confidential treatment of commercial information by the 
Departments. To the extent allowed

[[Page 25672]]

by law, the Departments will protect trade secrets and confidential 
commercial or financial information from disclosure, and will follow 
their established procedures under the Freedom of Information Act, 
Executive Order 12600, and the relevant Department regulations for 
handling requests that seek disclosure of confidential business 
information.
    Any stakeholder that has previously submitted letters on this 
matter to the Departments can also submit such previous correspondence 
to the www.regulations.gov Web site. All material posted will be deemed 
to be public and freely accessible by any interested person.
    The three Departments encourage submissions to be made as soon as 
practicable, as review of any new material submitted to the joint 
docket is expected to begin by the end of May, to supplement the U.S. 
government's ongoing review and evaluation of this matter.
    To submit a comment, please visit www.regulations.gov and enter one 
of the below docket numbers in the search field:

 DOT-OST-2015-0082
 DOS-2015-0016
 DOC-2015-0001

    Dated: April 27, 2015.
Ted Dean,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Services, Department of Commerce.
     Dated: April 27, 2015.
Thomas Engle,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Affairs, Department of 
State.
    Dated: April 29, 2015.
Brandon M. Belford,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs, 
Department of Transportation.
[FR Doc. 2015-10425 Filed 5-4-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P
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