Emergency Relief from Duties Act

To provide a temporary waiver of countervailing and antidumping duties relating to fertilizer or fertilizer ingredients if an emergency situation impacts the domestic production or supply of merchandise subject to those duties, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Emergency Relief from Duties Act 2. Emergency waiver of countervailing and antidumping duties relating to fertilizer or fertilizer ingredients (a) Petition Any covered party may petition the Commission to waive countervailing duties or antidumping duties assessed for covered merchandise under title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930 ( 19 U.S.C. 1671 et seq. (1) limits the production in the United States of that merchandise in a manner that causes economic hardship for users of that merchandise or merchandise made from that merchandise; or (2) would result in a supply and demand disruption that substantially increases the price of that merchandise or merchandise made from that merchandise. (b) Public comment The Commission shall permit the public to submit comments concerning any petition for a waiver or renewal under subsection (a) for a period of not less than 30 days. (c) Final decision on waiver or renewal Not later than 30 days after the close of a public comment period under subsection (b) concerning a petition for a waiver or renewal under subsection (a), the Commission shall issue a final decision concerning that waiver or renewal. (d) Period of waiver Any waiver or renewal under this section shall be for a period of one year. (e) Definitions In this section: (1) Commission The term Commission (2) Covered merchandise The term covered merchandise (3) Covered party The term covered party (A) An interested party, as that term is defined in section 771(9) of the Tariff Act of 1930 ( 19 U.S.C. 1677(9) (B) A coalition or trade association representative of agricultural producers or growers in the United States if those producers or growers utilize covered merchandise subject to countervailing duties or antidumping duties assessed under title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930 ( 19 U.S.C. 1671 et seq. (4) Emergency situation The term emergency situation (A) Acts of God, such as severe acts of nature or weather events including floods, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, and explosions. (B) War, acts of terrorism, and epidemics. (C) Acts of governmental authorities such as expropriation, condemnation, and changes in laws and regulations. (D) Strikes and labor disputes. (E) Major accidents.

Summary: Emergency Relief from Duties Act This bill provides for a temporary waiver of countervailing and antidumping duties relating to fertilizer or fertilizer ingredients in emergency situations. Specifically, a covered party (e.g., a manufacturer, trade association, or other interested party) may petition the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) to waive countervailing or antidumping duties assessed for fertilizer or fertilizer ingredients (or renew such a waiver) in emergency situations that limit the production or supply of fertilizer or fertilizer ingredients. The bill requires the USITC to (1) allow the public to submit comments on any petition for a waiver or renewal; and (2) issue, within 30 days after the close of the public comment period, a final decision concerning the waiver or renewal. Any waiver or renewal shall be for a period of one year.