[Federal Register: January 14, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 10)]
[Notices]
[Page 2695-2696]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14ja05-111]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Trade Policy Staff Committee: Public Comments Regarding the
Environmental Review of the WTO DOHA Development Agenda (DDA)
Negotiations
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is requesting written
public comments on the scope of the environmental review of the
multilateral negotiations of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA)
conducted under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The
TPSC is seeking to supplement and further inform its consideration of
reasonably foreseeable significant environmental effects that might
flow from economic changes attributable to the negotiations, in the
light of progress to date in the negotiations, notably, the Decision
Adopted by the WTO General Council on 1 August 2004 on the Doha Work
Program.
DATES: Public comments should be received no later than March 31, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Submissions by electronic mail: FR0515@USTR.EOP.GOV.
Submissions by facsimile: Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade
Policy Staff Committee, at (202) 395-6143. The public is strongly
encouraged to submit documents electronically rather than by facsimile.
(See requirements for submissions below.)
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: General inquiries concerning the
environmental review should be made to the USTR Office of Environment
and Natural Resources at (202) 395-7320. Procedural inquiries
concerning the public comment process should be directed to Gloria
Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the
U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), (202) 395-3475.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Environmental Review: Executive Order 13141--Environmental Review
of Trade Agreements (November 1999)--and the implementing guidelines
(December 2000) formalize the U.S. policy of conducting environmental
reviews for certain major trade agreements. 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. The Order requires environmental reviews of
certain types of agreements, including comprehensive multilateral trade
rounds. See 64 FR 63169. Reviews address potential environmental
impacts that may be associated with projected economic changes expected
to occur as a result of the proposed agreement, and potential
implications for environmental laws and regulations. The focus of the
reviews is on impacts on the United States, although global and
transboundary impacts may be considered, where appropriate and prudent.
Comments are invited on the scope of the environmental review,
including any reasonably foreseeable, potentially significant
environmental effects that might flow from economic changes
attributable to the negotiations, and potential implications for U.S.
environmental laws, regulations and other measures. The TPSC also
welcomes public views on appropriate methodologies for conducting the
review. Comments are particularly invited on potentially significant
environmental effects--both positive and negative--that might flow from
the agriculture, non-agricultural market access (including tariffs and
non-tariff barriers to sectors such as environmental goods, fish and
forestry), services (including environmental services), rules
(including ways to clarify and improve disciplines on environmentally
harmful fish subsidies), trade facilitation, and the Special Session of
the Committee on Trade and Environment negotiations. 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.
This request for comment supplements earlier requests for comments,
and there is no need to resubmit comments previously provided to the
TPSC. Submissions were received and are being considered in response to
the following notices: (1) Notice of Initiation of the Environmental
Review and Request for Comment on Scope of Environmental Review of
Mandated Multilateral Trade Negotiations on Agriculture and Services in
the World Trade Organization, 66 FR 20846 (April 25, 2001); and (2)
Initiation of Environmental Review of Doha Multilateral Trade
Negotiations and Public Comments on the Scope of Environmental Review,
67 FR 34750 (May 15, 2002). Those comments are available for public
inspection in the USTR Reading Room (see below). New or updated
submissions are welcome. The TPSC will review supplemental or new
comments, in conjunction with earlier submissions, in conducting the
environmental review.
DOHA Development Agenda: The next meeting of the WTO at the
ministerial-level will be in December 2005. Work in 2005 is expected to
focus on the technical issues necessary to move the agenda forward,
particularly in the light of the WTO General Council's Decision of 1
August 2004, which contained further direction for the agriculture,
non-agricultural market access and services negotiations, and the
launch of negotiations on trade facilitation. The General Council's
decision also took note of the reports from the Negotiating Group on
Rules and from the Special Session of the Committee on Trade and
Environment. It reaffirmed Members' commitment to progress in these
areas of the negotiations in line with the Doha mandate. Accordingly,
the TPSC seeks to provide a new opportunity for public comment on the
environmental review of the ongoing negotiations.
In a separate notice, the TPSC has requested public views on the
general U.S. negotiating objectives and country and item-specific
priorities for the Doha negotiations, including with respect to
objectives concerning the environmental discussions, 69 FR 71466
(December 9, 2004). That notice contains more detailed information
concerning the scope of the negotiations. Further information on the
WTO, including the declarations and decisions referred to in this
notice or proposals tabled, can be obtained via the Internet at the WTO
Web site, http://www.wto.org, and/or the USTR Web site, http://www.ustr.gov.
The 2004 President's Annual Report on the Trade
Agreements Program, which is available on the USTR Web site, contains
extensive information on the WTO and the status of work in the WTO.
Written Submissions: Persons submitting comments may either send
one copy by fax to Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff
Committee, at (202) 395-6143 or transmit a copy electronically to
FR0515@USTR.EOP.GOV, with ``Doha Environmental Review'' in the subject
line. For documents sent by fax, USTR
[[Page 2696]]
requests that the submitter provide a confirmation copy electronically.
The public is strongly encouraged to submit documents electronically
rather than by facsimile. USTR encourages the use of Adobe PDF format
to submit attachments to an electronic mail. Interested persons who
make submissions by electronic mail should not provide separate cover
letters; information that might appear in a cover letter should be
included in the submission itself. Similarly, 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.
Comments should be submitted no later than March 31, 2005.
Business confidential information will be subject to the
requirements of 15 CFR 2003.6. Any business confidential material must
be clearly marked as such and must be accompanied by a non-confidential
summary thereof. A justification as to why the information contained in
the submission should be treated confidentially should also be
contained in the submission. In addition, any submissions containing
business confidential information must clearly be marked ``Business
Confidential'' at the top and bottom of the cover page (or letter) and
each succeeding page of the submission. The version that does not
contain business confidential information should also be clearly marked
at the top and bottom of each page, ``Public Version'' or ``Non-
Confidential.''
Written comments submitted in connection with this request, except
for information granted ``business confidential'' status pursuant to 15
CFR 2003.6 will be available for public inspection in the USTR Reading
Room, Office of the United States Trade Representative. An appointment
to review the file can be made by calling (202) 395-6186. The Reading
Room is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and from 1 p.m. to 4
p.m. Monday through Friday.
Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 05-772 Filed 1-13-05; 8:45 am]