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Federal
Register Watch by Mike Powers July
14 - 18, 2003
The Federal
Register is the official daily publication for Rules, Proposed Rules,
and Notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as Executive
Orders and other Presidential Documents.
This column attempts to summarize the highlights (or lowlights)
of the Federal Register during the preceding week. Instructions
for subscribing to the Federal Register can be found at the end of the
column. JULY
17, 2003: INTERNATIONAL TRADE ADMINISTRATION (ITA) – In
a “preliminary determination,” the ITA has imposed tariffs
ranging from 11% to 118% on future imports of prestressed concrete
steel wire strand (PC strand) from several countries.
PC strand is steel strand produced from wire of non-stainless,
non-galvanized steel, which is suitable for use in prestressed concrete
applications. The
beneficiaries of the tariffs – American
Spring Wire Corp., Insteel Wire Products Company, and Sumiden Wire
Products Corp. – petitioned the Department of Commerce to conduct
the Antidumping Duty Investigation.
As a result, the ITA determined that the imports were being sold
at “less than fair value” (LTFV). As
is the case with most federal regulations, some groups benefit from the
new rules while others are harmed.
In this case, the construction industry will pay higher costs for
the steel wire strand used in the structures they build.
Taxpayers will suffer as
well. Since the material
is widely used in civil engineering projects, state and local
governments will be forced to pay higher prices for PC strand due to the
protectionist tariffs. The
LTFV designation stems from Section 733 of the Tariff Act of 1930 that allows domestic manufacturers to reduce competition by lobbying the
federal government to impose protectionist tariffs on foreign
imports. Ironically,
the Tariff Act of 1930 is widely blamed for worsening the Great Depression.
It brought U.S. tariffs to the highest protective level yet in
the history of the United States, and this led to retaliatory tariffs
from foreign countries. U.S.
foreign trade suffered a sharp decline, and the depression
intensified. Brazil
(118% tariff): http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-18131.htm
India (102% tariff): http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-18132.htm Korea (54% tariff): http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-18133.htm Mexico (77% tariff): http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-18130.htm
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-18129.htm NATIONAL
TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION (NTIA) – Billed
as “the first and only
‘youth-friendly’ Web space to be established by the United States
government”, it features “advanced technical, policy and
operational mechanisms that keep young people informed, entertained and
protected online.” Information?
Or indoctrination? http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-18107.htm POSTAL SERVICE (USPS) – This
notice sets forth changes to the Domestic Mail Classification Schedule. Since
1872, when Congress outlawed the low-priced, rapid delivery of the Pony
Express, the Postal Service has
maintained a legal monopoly on the delivery of letter mail.
Yet, even a government monopoly cannot preserve the USPS’s
dwindling customer base. The
electronic age has adversely impacted their bottom line, as the
proliferation of e-mail and online bill paying has significantly reduced
letter mail volume. As
a result, the US Postal Service
relies more and more on the huge amount of income it derives from bulk
rate mail (direct mail advertisers), or “junk mail.”
Unfortunately, postal customers cannot request that the US Post
Office cease delivery of bulk rate mail to their residence.
Well, they can, but the request will not be honored.
How’s that for customer “service”? The
Postal Service lost $1.7 billion
in 2001 and another $1.5 billion
in 2002. FY 2003 losses are
projected at $1 billion.
It’s
time to decriminalize private letter mail service! http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-18109.htm JULY
18, 2003: CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY DIVISION (CPSD) – This
notice declares that the CPSD received a petition from V. Patteson
Lombardi, Ph.D., a human physiology instructor at the University of
Oregon. The petition
requests that the Commission require
labeling of weightlifting bench press benches to prevent deaths from
asphyxia due to being trapped beneath a bench press barbell! I
don’t mean to be callous, but how do you legislate against stupidity?
What’s next – warning
labels on toilet seats to warn users about the dangers of slipping into
the bowl? An
affirmative decision by the government agency on this critical matter
would not be a surprise, considering the source.
I’ll keep you posted on the Commission’s decision.
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-18170.htm To
subscribe to the Federal Register Table of Contents LISTSERV electronic
mailing list, go to http://listserv.access.gpo.gov
and select Online mailing list archives, FEDREGTOC-L, Join or leave the
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