The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC or Commission) has launched an investigation into the competitive conditions affecting the U.S. wood flooring and hardwood plywood industries.

The investigation, Wood Flooring and Hardwood Plywood: Competitive Conditions Affecting the U.S. Industries, was requested by the Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate, in a letter received on March 6, 2007.

As requested, the ITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, will provide an overview of the U.S. markets for solid and engineered wood flooring (both unfinished and factory finished products) and hardwood plywood; a description of the U.S. industries for wood flooring and hardwood plywood and those of the principal countries that supply the U.S. market; an examination of U.S. trade patterns and the factors affecting trade patterns, including tariffs and other border measures; an analysis of the factors affecting the competitive position of U.S. producers and the principal foreign suppliers to the U.S. market; and the views of industry, homebuilders, importers, and other interested parties on developments in the supply of and the demand for wood flooring and hardwood plywood, including the effect of imports and substitutes for each product.

The ITC will submit its report to the Committee by June 6, 2008.

The ITC will hold a public hearing in connection with the investigation at 9:30 a.m. on September 13, 2007. Requests to appear at the public hearing should be filed with the Secretary, United States International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436, and must be received no later than 5:15 p.m. on August 22, 2007.

The ITC also welcomes written submissions for the record. Written submissions (one original and 14 copies) should be addressed to the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, at the above address and should be filed at the earliest practical date, but no later than 5:15 p.m. on December 28, 2007. All written submissions, except for confidential business information, will be available for public inspection.

Further information on the scope of this investigation and appropriate submissions is available in the ITC’s notice of investigation, dated April 16, 2007, which may be obtained from the ITC Internet site (www.usitc.gov) or by contacting the Office of the Secretary at 202-205-2000.

ITC general factfinding investigations, such as this one, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Senate Committee on Finance, or the House Committee on Ways and Means. The resulting reports convey the Commission’s objective findings and independent analyses on the subject investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the ITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigations reports are subsequently released to the public, unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.