PROCLAMATION 7273—FEB. 16, 2000 114 STAT. 3253 either group of commissioners may be considered by the President as the determination of the USITC. Having reviewed the determinations of both groups of commissioners, I have decided to consider the determination of the group of commissioners voting in the affirmative to be the determination of the USITC. 3. Pursuant to section 311(a) of the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the "NAFTA Implementation Act") (19 U.S.C. 3371(a)), the USITC made negative findings with respect to imports of steel wire rod from Mexico and Canada. The USITCommissioners voting in the affirmative also transmitted to the President their recommendations made pursuant to section 202(e) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2252(e)) with respect to the action that would address the serious injury or threat thereof to the domestic industry and be most effective in facilitating the efforts of the domestic industry to make a positive adjustment to import competition. 4. Pursuant to section 203 of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2253), and after taking into account the considerations specified in section 203(a)(2) of the Trade Act, I have determined to implement action of a type described in section 203(a)(3) and to provide exclusions for enumerated steel wire rod products ("excluded products"). Piusuant to section 312(a) of the NAFTA Implementation Act (19 U.S.C. 3372(a)), I have determined that imports of steel wire rod from Mexico, considered individually, do not account for a substantial share of total imports and do not contribute importantly to the serious injury, or threat of serious injury, found by the USITC, and that imports from Canada, considered individually, do not contribute importantly to such injury or threat. Accordingly, pursuant to section 312(b) of ihe NAFTA Implementation Act (19 U.S.C. 3372(b)), I have excluded steel wire rod the product of Mexico or Canada from the action I am taking under section 203 of the Trade Act. 5. Such action shall take the form of a tariff-rate quota on imports of steel wire rod (other than excluded products), provided for in HTS subheadings 7213.91, 7213.99, 7227,20 and 7227.90.60, imposed for a period of 3 years plus 1 day, with annual increases in the within-quota quantities and aimual reductions in the rate of duty applicable to goods entered in excess of those quantities in the second and thfrd years, as provided for in the Annex to this proclamation. 6. Except for products of Mexico and of Canada, which shall all be excluded from this restriction, such tariff-rate quota shall apply to imports of steel wire rod from all countries. Pursuant to section 203(a)(1)(A) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2253(a)(1)(A)), I have further determined that this action will facilitate efforts by the domestic industry to make a positive adjustment to import competition and provide greater economic and social benefits than costs. 7. Section 604 of the Trade Act, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2483), authorizes the President to embody in the HTS the substance of the relevant provisions of that Act, and of other acts affecting import treatment, and actions thereunder, including the removal, modification, continuance, or imposition of any rate of duty or other import restriction. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, acting under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including but not limited to sections 203 and 604 of the Trade Act, do proclaim that:
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