[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 72 (Tuesday, April 15, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18315-18316]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-9617]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Export Trade Certificate of Review

ACTION: Notice of application to amend certificate.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Office of Export Trading Company Affairs (``OETCA''), 
International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce, has 
received an application to amend an Export Trade Certificate of Review. 
This notice summarizes the proposed amendment and requests comments 
relevant to whether the amended Certificate should be issued. Applicant 
has requested expedited review.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: W. Dawn Busby, Director, Office of 
Export Trading Company Affairs, International Trade Administration, 
(202) 482-5131. This is not a toll-free number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title III of the Export Trading Company Act 
of 1982 (15 U.S.C. 4001-21) authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to 
issue Export Trade Certificates of Review. A Certificate of Review 
protects the holder and the members identified in the Certificate from 
state and federal government antitrust actions and from private, treble 
damage antitrust actions for the export conduct specified in the 
Certificate and compliance with its terms and conditions. Section 
302(b)(1) of the Act and 15 CFR 325.6(a) require the Secretary to 
publish a notice in the Federal Register identifying the applicant and 
summarizing its proposed export conduct.

Request for Public Comments

    Interested parties may submit written comments relevant to the 
determination whether an amended Certificate should be issued. If the 
comments include any privileged or confidential business information, 
it must be clearly marked and a nonconfidential version of the comments 
(identified as such) should be

[[Page 18316]]

included. Any comments not marked privileged or confidential business 
information will be deemed to be nonconfidential. An original and five 
copies, plus two copies of the nonconfidential version, should be 
submitted no later than 20 days after the date of this notice to: 
Office of Export Trading Company Affairs, International Trade 
Administration, Department of Commerce, Room 1800H, Washington, D.C. 
20230. Information submitted by any person is exempt from disclosure 
under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). However, 
nonconfidential versions of the comments will be made available to the 
applicant if necessary for determining whether or not to issue the 
Certificate. Comments should refer to this application as ``Export 
Trade Certificate of Review, application number 96-AE003.'' The Rice 
Millers'' Association's (``RMA'') original Certificate was issued on 
August 16, 1996 (61 FR 43733, August 26, 1996). A summary of the 
application for an amendment is as follows.

Summary of the Application

    Applicant: Rice Millers'' Association, 4301 North Fairfax Drive, 
Suite 305, Arlington, Virginia 22203-1616.
    Contact: Cynthia H. Tough, Vice President of International Affairs 
for the USA Rice Federation, Telephone: (703) 351-8161.
    Application No.: 96-AE003.
    Date Deemed Submitted: March 31, 1997.
    Proposed Amendment: RMA seeks to amend its Certificate to expand 
the eligibility for membership in the RMA Certificate to include both 
mill members and associate members. Associate members include a broad 
range of companies with an interest in the rice industry, including bag 
manufacturers, brokers, equipment manufacturers/suppliers, exporters, 
food processing companies, freight forwarders, grain elevators, grain 
merchandisers, industry associations, inspection companies, management 
companies, port authorities, and stevedoring/shipping companies. Any 
proprietor, partnership, or corporation, whether or not engaged in rice 
milling in the United States, which is not a member of RMA and which 
wishes to participate in the activities covered by the Certificate, may 
join the ETCR upon meeting the qualifications for membership in RMA.
    Therefore, the definition of ``Member'' in RMA's Certificate would 
be amended to read as follows: ``Member'' means a member of the Rice 
Millers' Association which has been certified as a ``Member'' within 
the meaning of Section 325.2(l) of the Regulations and is listed in 
Attachment I. Members must sign the Operating Agreement of the Rice 
Millers'' Association Export Trade Certificate of Review in order to 
participate in the certified activities. Any RMA member, including any 
mill member or associate member, which is not a Member listed in 
Attachment I may join RMA's Export Trade Certificate of Review by 
requesting that RMA file for an amended certificate and by signing the 
Operating Agreement. Any proprietor, partnership, or corporation either 
engaged in rice milling in the United States or not engaged in rice 
milling in the United States, which is not a member of RMA and which 
wishes to participate in the activities covered by this certificate, 
may join RMA's membership upon meeting the qualifications for 
membership and then request that RMA file for an amended certificate. A 
Member may withdraw from coverage under this certificate at any time by 
giving written notice to RMA, a copy of which RMA will promptly 
transmit to the Secretary of Commerce and the Attorney General.''

    Dated: April 9, 1997.
W. Dawn Busby,
Director, Office of Export Trading, Company Affairs.
[FR Doc. 97-9617 Filed 4-14-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-I