§ 9.7 Conduct of investigation.
(a) The investigation by the Assistant Secretary or by such official or agency as he may designate, shall be such as to enable the Secretary to arrive at a fully informed opinion as to the effect on the national security of imports of the article in question.
(b) If the Assistant Secretary determines that it is appropriate to hold public hearings or otherwise afford interested parties an opportunity to present information and advice relevant to an investigation, he shall issue a public notice which shall be published in the Federal Register. Such notice shall include a statement of the time, place and nature of any public hearing or shall solicit from any interested party written comments, opinions, or data relative to the investigation, to be submitted to the Assistant Secretary within the time period specified in the notice. Rebuttal to material so submitted may be filed with the Assistant Secretary within such time as is specified in the public notice. All data, comments and opinions shall be submitted with 25 copies.