[Federal Register: December 14, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 240)]
[Notices]
[Page 75281-75282]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14de06-109]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Trade Policy Staff Committee; Notice of Availability and Request
for Public Comment on Interim Environmental Review of United States-
Korea Free Trade Agreement
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for public comment.
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SUMMARY: The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), on behalf
of the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC), seeks comment on the
interim environmental review of the proposed United States-Korea Free
Trade Agreement (FTA). The interim environmental review is available at
http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Sectors/Environment/Environmental_Reviews/Section_Index.html.
Copies of the review will also be sent to
interested members of the public by mail upon request.
DATES: Comments on the draft environmental review are requested by
January 16, 2007 to inform the negotiations and the environmental
review of the final agreement.
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, or requests
for copies, should be addressed to David Brooks, Environment and
Natural Resources Section, Office of the USTR, telephone 202-395-7320.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Trade Act of 2002, signed by the
President on August 6, 2002, provides that the President shall conduct
environmental reviews of [certain] trade agreements consistent with
Executive Order 13121--(Environmental Review of Trade Agreements (64
Fed. Reg. 63,169, Nov. 18, 1999) and its implementing guidelines (65
Fed. Reg. 79,442, Dec. 19, 2000) and report on such reviews to the
Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Finance of the Senate. The Order and guidelines are
available at http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Sectors/Environment/Section_Index.html
.
The purpose of environmental reviews is to ensure that policymakers
and the public are informed about reasonably foreseeable environmental
impacts of trade agreements (both positive and negative), to identify
complementarities between trade and environmental objectives, and to
help shape appropriate responses if environmental impacts are
identified. Reviews are intended to be one tool, among others, for
integrating environmental information and analysis into the fluid,
dynamic process of trade negotiations. USTR and the Council on
Environmental Quality jointly oversee implementation of the Order and
Guidelines. USTR, through the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC), is
responsible for conducting the individual reviews.
Written Comments
In order to facilitate prompt processing of submissions of
comments, the Office of the United States Trade Representative strongly
urges and prefers e-mail submissions in response to this notice.
Persons submitting comments by e-mail should use the
[[Page 75282]]
following e-mail address: FR0610@ustr.eop.gov with the subject line:
``Korea Interim Environmental Review.'' Documents should be submitted
as a Word Perfect, MSWord, or text (.TXT) file. 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. If submission by e-mail is
impossible, comments should be made by facsimile to (202) 395-6143,
attention: Gloria Blue.
Written comments will be placed in a file open to public inspection
in the USTR Reading Room at 1724 F Street, NW., Washington DC. An
appointment to review the file may be made by calling (202) 395-6186.
The Reading Room is open to the public from 10-12 a.m. and from 1-4
p.m., Monday through Friday.
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. E6-21316 Filed 12-13-06; 8:45 am]
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