[Federal Register: December 24, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 247)]
[Notices]
[Page 74693-74694]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24de03-157]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Trade Policy Staff Committee; Initiation of Environmental Review
of Dominican Republic Free Trade Negotiations; Public Comments on Scope
of Environmental Review
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: This publication gives notice that, pursuant to the Trade Act
of 2002, and consistent with Executive order 13141 (64 FR 63169) (Nov.
18, 1999) and its implementing guidelines (65 FR 79442), the Office of
the United States Trade Representative (USTR), through the Trade Policy
Staff Committee (TPSC), is initiating an environmental review of the
proposed United States-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
The TPSC is requesting written comments from the public on what should
be included in the scope of the environmental review, including the
potential environmental effects that might flow from the free trade
agreement and the potential implications for our environmental laws and
regulations. The TPSC also welcomes public views on appropriate
methodologies and sources of data for conducting the review. Persons
submitting written comments should provide as much detail as possible
on the degree to which the subject matter they propose for inclusion in
the review may raise significant environmental issues in the context of
the negotiation.
DATES: Public comments should be received no later than January 30,
2004.
ADDRESSES: Submissions by electronic mail: FR0406@ustr.gov.
Submissions by facsimile: Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade
Policy Staff Committee, at (202) 395-6143.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning
public comments, contact Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, TPSC, Office
of the USTR, 1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508, telephone (202)
395-3475. Questions concerning the environmental review should be
addressed to David Brooks, Environment and Natural Resources Section,
USTR, telephone (202) 395-7320.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background Information
On August 4, 2003, in accordance with section 2104(a)(1) of the
Trade Act of 2002, the United States Trade Representative, Ambassador
Robert B. Zoellick, notified Congress of the President's intent to
enter into trade negotiations with the Dominican Republic. Ambassador
Zoellick outlined the specific U.S. objectives for the FTA in the
notification letters to Congress. The letters to House Speaker Dennis
Hastert and Senate President Pro Tempore Ted Stevens can be found on
the USTR Web site at http://www.ustr.gov/new/fta/Dr/2003-08-04-notification-senate.pdf
and www.ustr.gov/new/fta/Dr/2003-08-04-notification-
house.pdf.
Since 1984, U.S. unilateral trade preferences through the Caribbean
Basin Initiative (CBI) have defined the U.S. trade relationship with
the Dominican Republic. An FTA with the Dominican Republic will respond
to direction from the Congress in the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership
Act to conclude comprehensive, mutually advantageous trade agreements
with CBI countries. The Dominican Republic is the largest economy in
the Caribbean Basin region and is the largest beneficiary of CBI
preferences, accounting for more than one quarter of U.S. imports under
the program. An FTA will build on the success of the CBI and expand
U.S. access to the Dominican Republic's market, which already receives
$4.3 billion in U.S. exports annually and approximately $1.4 billion in
U.S. investment. In 2002, U.S. imports from the Dominican Republic
totaled $4.2 billion.
Recognizing the benefits of strengthening the ties among the
Dominican Republic, Central America, and the United States, we expect
to apply essentially the same disciplines with the Dominican Republic
as those we are currently negotiating with the five member countries of
the Central American Economic Integration System
[[Page 74694]]
(Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua,
hereinafter ``Central America''), and to negotiate specific market
access commitments with the Dominican Republic. Therefore, persons
wishing to comment on the scope of the environmental review for the
proposed FTA with the Dominican Republic are encouraged to make
reference to the recently-released interim environmental review of the
U.S.-Central America FTA, available at http://www.ustr.gov/new/fta/Cafta/2003-08-22-cafta-env_review.pdf
(see 68 FR 51822) (August 28, 2003).
2. Environmental Review
USTR, through the TPSC, will perform an environmental review of the
proposed agreement pursuant to the Trade Act of 2002 and consistent
with Executive Order 13141 (64 FR 63,169) and its implementing
guidelines (65 FR 79,442). Environmental reviews are used to identify
potentially significant, reasonably foreseeable environmental impacts
(both positive and negative), and information from the review can help
facilitate consideration of appropriate responses where impacts are
identified. Reviews address potential environmental impacts of the
proposed agreement and potential implications for environmental laws
and regulations. The focus of the review is on impacts in the United
States, although global and transboundary impacts may be considered,
where appropriate and prudent.
The TPSC currently expects that the environmental review of the
proposed FTA with the Dominican Republic is likely to reach preliminary
conclusions that are similar to those presented in the Interim
Environmental Review of the US-CAFTA. In their comments on the scope
for the review of the proposed FTA with the Dominican Republic, the
public is requested to focus particular attention on environmental
concerns other than those already addressed in the CAFTA Interim
Review.
Given the current timetable for negotiations and the relevance of
information and analysis contained in the CAFTA Interim Review, the
TPSC may not prepare an interim environmental review of the proposed
FTA with the Dominican Republic. If no interim review is prepared, all
public comments submitted in response to this notice will be taken into
account in the course of the negotiations and in the Final Review that
will be prepared and published at the conclusion of the negotiations.
3. Requirements for Submissions
In order to facilitate prompt processing of submissions, USTR
strongly urges and prefers electronic (e-mail) submissions in response
to this notice.
Persons making submissions by e-mail should use the following
subject line: ``United States--Dominican Republic Environmental
Review'' followed by ``Written Comments.'' Documents should be
submitted as either WordPerfect, MSWord, or text (.txt) files.
Supporting documentation submitted as spreadsheets are acceptable as
Quattro Pro or Excel. For any document containing business confidential
information submitted electronically, the file name of the business
confidential version should begin with the characters ``BC-'', and the
file name of the public version should begin with the characters ``P-
''. The ``P-'' or ``BC-'' should be followed by the name of the
submitter. Persons who make submissions by e-mail should not provide
separate cover letters; information that might appear in a cover letter
should be included in the submission itself. To the extent possible,
any attachments to the submission should be included in the same file
as the submission itself, and not as separate files.
Written comments submitted in response to this request will be
placed in a file open to public inspection pursuant to 15 CFR 2003.5,
except business confidential information exempt from public inspection
in accordance with 15 CFR 2003.6. Business confidential information
submitted in accordance with 15 CFR 2003.6 must be clearly marked
``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' at the top of each page, including any cover
letter or cover page, and must be accompanied by a nonconfidential
summary of the confidential information. All public documents and
nonconfidential summaries shall be available for public inspection in
the USTR Reading Room. The USTR Reading Room is open to the public, by
appointment only, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday
through Friday. An appointment to review the file must be scheduled at
least 48 hours in advance and may be made by calling (202) 395-6186.
USTR will take into account the public comments on environmental
issues submitted in response to a previous notice--dated August 28,
2003 (68 FR 51,823)--requesting comments from the public to assist USTR
in formulating positions and proposals with respect to all aspects of
the negotiations, including environmental issues. These comments will
also be made available for public inspection.
General information concerning the Office of the United States
Trade Representative may be obtained by accessing its Internet Web site
(http://www.ustr.gov).
Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 03-31618 Filed 12-23-03; 8:45 am]