19 U.S.C. § 1677f Access to Information

• Library: United States Statutes
• Edition: prefLabel,label,title,shortLabel
• Currency: Current through P.L. 118-19 (published on www.congress.gov on 10/06/2023)
• Citation: 19 U.S.C. § 1677f

(a) Information generally made available

(1) Public information function

There shall be established a library of information relating to foreign subsidy practices and countervailing measures. Copies of material in the library shall be made available to the public upon payment of the costs of preparing such copies.

(2) Progress of investigation reports

The administering authority and the Commission shall, from time to time upon request, inform the parties to an investigation of the progress of that investigation.

(3) Ex parte meetings

The administering authority and the Commission shall maintain a record of any ex parte meeting between-

(A) interested parties or other persons providing factual information in connection with a proceeding, and

(B) the person charged with making the determination, or any person charged with making a final recommendation to that person, in connection with that proceeding,

if information relating to that proceeding was presented or discussed at such meeting. The record of such an ex parte meeting shall include the identity of the persons present at the meeting, the date, time, and place of the meeting, and a summary of the matters discussed or submitted. The record of the ex parte meeting shall be included in the record of the proceeding.

(4) Summaries; non-proprietary submissions

The administering authority and the Commission shall disclose-

(A) any proprietary information received in the course of a proceeding if it is disclosed in a form which cannot be associated with, or otherwise be used to identify, operations of a particular person, and

(B) any information submitted in connection with a proceeding which is not designated as proprietary by the person submitting it.

(b) Proprietary information

(1) Proprietary status maintained

(A) In general

Except as provided in subsection (a)(4)(A) and subsection (c), information submitted to the administering authority or the Commission which is designated as proprietary by the person submitting the information shall not be disclosed to any person without the consent of the person submitting the information, other than-

(i) to an officer or employee of the administering authority or the Commission who is directly concerned with carrying out the investigation in connection with which the information is submitted or any review under this subtitle covering the same subject merchandise, or

(ii) to an officer or employee of the United States Customs Service who is directly involved in conducting an investigation regarding negligence, gross negligence, or fraud under this subtitle.

(B) Additional requirements

The administering authority and the Commission shall require that information for which proprietary treatment is requested be accompanied by-

(i) either-

(I) a non-proprietary summary in sufficient detail to permit a reasonable understanding of the substance of the information submitted in confidence, or

(II) a statement that the information is not susceptible to summary accompanied by a statement of the reasons in support of the contention, and

(ii) either-

(I) a statement which permits the administering authority or the Commission to release under administrative protective order, in accordance with subsection (c), the information submitted in confidence, or

(II) a statement to the administering authority or the Commission that the business proprietary information is of a type that should not be released under administrative protective order.

(2) Unwarranted designation

If the administering authority of the Commission determines, on the basis of the nature and extent of the information or its availability from public sources, that designation of any information as proprietary is unwarranted, then it shall notify the person who submitted it and ask for an explanation of the reasons for the designation. Unless that person persuades the administering authority or the Commission that the designation is warranted, or withdraws the designation, the administering authority or the Commission, as the case may be, shall return it to the party submitting it. In a case in which the administering authority or the Commission returns the information to the person submitting it, the person may thereafter submit other material concerning the subject matter of the returned information if the submission is made within the time otherwise provided for submitting such material.

(3) Section 1675 reviews

Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1), information submitted to the administering authority or the Commission in connection with a review under section 1675(b) or 1675(c) of this title which is designated as proprietary by the person submitting the information may, if the review results in the revocation of an order or finding (or termination of a suspended investigation) under section 1675(d) of this title, be used by the agency to which the information was originally submitted in any investigation initiated within 2 years after the date of the revocation or termination pursuant to a petition covering the same subject merchandise.

(c) Limited disclosure of certain proprietary information under protective order

(1) Disclosure by administering authority or Commission

(A) In general

Upon receipt of an application (before or after receipt of the information requested) which describes in general terms the information requested and sets forth the reasons for the request, the administering authority or the Commission shall make all business proprietary information presented to, or obtained by it, during a proceeding (except privileged information, classified information, and specific information of a type for which there is a clear and compelling need to withhold from disclosure) available to interested parties who are parties to the proceeding under a protective order described in subparagraph (B), regardless of when the information is submitted during a proceeding. Customer names obtained during any investigation which requires a determination under section 1671d(b) or 1673d(b) of this title may not be disclosed by the administering authority under protective order until either an order is published under section 1671e(a) or 1673e(a) of this title as a result of the investigation or the investigation is suspended or terminated. The Commission may delay disclosure of customer names under protective order during any such investigation until a reasonable time prior to any hearing provided under section 1677c of this title.

(B) Protective order

The protective order under which information is made available shall contain such requirements as the administering authority or the Commission may determine by regulation to be appropriate. The administering authority and the Commission shall provide by regulation for such sanctions as the administering authority and the Commission determine to be appropriate, including disbarment from practice before the agency.

(C) Time limitation on determinations

The administering authority or the Commission, as the case may be, shall determine whether to make information available under this paragraph-

(i) not later than 14 days (7 days if the submission pertains to a proceeding under section 1671b(a) or 1673b(a) of this title) after the date on which the information is submitted, or

(ii) if-

(I) the person that submitted the information raises objection to its release, or

(II) the information is unusually voluminous or complex,

not later than 30 days (10 days if the submission pertains to a proceeding under section 1671b(a) or 1673b(a) of this title) after the date on which the information is submitted.

(D) Availability after determination

If the determination under subparagraph (C) is affirmative, then-

(i) the business proprietary information submitted to the administering authority or the Commission on or before the date of the determination shall be made available, subject to the terms and conditions of the protective order, on such date; and

(ii) the business proprietary information submitted to the administering authority or the Commission after the date of the determination shall be served as required by subsection (d).

(E) Failure to disclose

If a person submitting information to the administering authority refuses to disclose business proprietary information which the administering authority determines should be released under a protective order described in subparagraph (B), the administering authority shall return the information, and any nonconfidential summary thereof, to the person submitting the information and summary and shall not consider either.

(2) Disclosure under court order

If the administering authority denies a request for information under paragraph (1), then application may be made to the United States Customs Court for an order directing the administering authority or the Commission to make the information available. After notification of all parties to the investigation and after an opportunity for a hearing on the record, the court may issue an order, under such conditions as the court deems appropriate, which shall not have the effect of stopping or suspending the investigation, directing the administering authority or the Commission to make all or a portion of the requested information described in the preceding sentence available under a protective order and setting forth sanctions for violation of such order if the court finds that, under the standards applicable in proceedings of the court, such an order is warranted, and that-