E6-17352. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Article 1904; Binational Panel Reviews: Notice of Withdrawal of Extraordinary Challenge Committee Review

AGENCY:

NAFTA Secretariat, United States Section, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice of Withdrawal of Extraordinary Challenge Committee.

Review of the final affirmative countervailing duty determination filed on April 27, 2006, concerning the decisions of the binational panel that reviewed the final determination and remand determinations made by the United States Department of Commerce in the Matter of Certain Softwood Lumber Products from Canada: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination, Secretariat File No. USA-CDA-2002-1904-03.

SUMMARY:

Pursuant to the negotiated settlement between the United States and the Canadian Governments, the Extraordinary Challenge Committee review of the above noted case is terminated as of October 12, 2006. No Committee has been appointed to this panel review.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Caratina L. Alston, United States Secretary, NAFTA Secretariat, Suite 2061, 14th and Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC 20230, [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Chapter 19 of the North American Free-Trade Agreement (“Agreement”) establishes a mechanism to replace domestic judicial review of final determinations in antidumping and countervailing duty cases involving imports from a NAFTA country with review by independent binational panels. When a Request for Panel Review is filed, a panel is established to act in place of national courts to review expeditiously the final determination to determine whether it conforms with the antidumping or countervailing duty law of the country that made the determination.

Under Article 1904 of the Agreement, which came into force on January 1, 1994, the Government of the United States, the Government of Canada and the Government of Mexico established Rules of Procedure for Article 1904 Extraordinary Challenge Committees (“Rules”). These Rules were published in the Federal Register on February 23, 1994 (59 FR 8686). The panel review in this matter was requested pursuant to these Rules and terminated in accordance with the settlement agreement.

Dated: October 13, 2006.

Caratina L. Alston,

United States Secretary, NAFTA Secretariat.