The Board shall apply the criteria set forth in this section in determining whether to approve an application for authority to conduct production activity pursuant to §400.23. The Board's evaluation shall take into account such factors as market conditions, price sensitivity, degree and nature of foreign competition, intra-industry and intra-firm trade, effect on exports and imports, ability to conduct the proposed activity outside the United States with the same U.S. tariff impact, analyses conducted in connection with prior Board actions, and net effect on U.S. employment and the U.S. economy:

(a) Threshold factors. It is the policy of the Board to authorize zone activity only when it is consistent with public policy and, in regard to activity involving foreign merchandise subject to quotas or inverted tariffs, when zone procedures are not the sole determining cause of imports. Thus, without undertaking a review of the economic factors enumerated in §400.27(b), the Board shall deny or restrict authority for proposed or ongoing activity if it determines that:

(1) The activity is inconsistent with U.S. trade and tariff law, or policy which has been formally adopted by the Executive branch;

(2) Board approval of the activity under review would seriously prejudice U.S. tariff and trade negotiations or other initiatives; or

(3) The activity involves items subject to quantitative import controls or inverted tariffs, and the use of zone procedures would be the direct and sole cause of imports that, but for such procedures, would not likely otherwise have occurred, taking into account imports both as individual items and as components of imported products.

(b) Economic factors. After its review of threshold factors, if there is a basis for further consideration of the application, the Board shall consider the following factors in determining the net economic effect of the proposed activity:

(1) Overall employment impact;

(2) Exports and re-exports;

(3) Retention or creation of value-added activity;

(4) Extent of value-added activity;

(5) Overall effect on import levels of relevant products;

(6) Extent and nature of foreign competition in relevant products;

(7) Impact on related domestic industry, taking into account market conditions; and

(8) Other relevant information relating to the public interest and net economic impact considerations, including technology transfers and investment effects.

(c) The significant public benefit(s) that would result from the production activity, taking into account the factors in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.

(d) Contributory effect. In assessing the significance of the economic effect of the proposed zone activity as part of the consideration of economic factors, and considering whether it would result in a significant public benefit(s), the Board may consider the contributory effect zone savings have as an incremental part of cost-effectiveness programs adopted by companies to improve their international competitiveness.