Commerce slates hearing on auto imports

The agency is collecting comments, data for review of the national security impacts of car, parts imports.    The Commerce Department will hold a public hearing July 19 and 20 on its investigation into the national security impacts of automobile imports initiated May 23, pursuant to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended.
   Commerce, which announced the hearing Wednesday, is accepting comments, data, analyses, other pertinent information and requests to testify at the hearing through June 22 and “rebuttal comments” through July 6, the agency said.
   The hearings will be conducted from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
   “If the [Commerce] secretary finds that automobiles and/or automotive parts are being imported into the United States in such quantities or under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security, the secretary shall recommend actions and steps that should be taken to adjust automobile and/or automotive parts imports so that they will not threaten to impair the national security,” Commerce said.
   The Section 232 statute allows the use of trade remedies if reviewed imports are found to impair U.S. national security.
   Specifically, the agency is interested in comments on the “quantity and nature” of automotive imports, including cars, SUVs, vans, light trucks, parts and “other circumstances related to the importation of automobiles and automotive parts;” domestic production needed for projected national defense requirements; production and productive capacity needed for automobiles and parts to meet those projected requirements; and the growth requirements of the automotive and automobile parts industries to meet national defense requirements “and/or requirements to assure such growth, particularly with respect to investment and research and development,” among other things, Commerce said.