[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 246 (Friday, December 23, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-31584]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: December 23, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. 94-86; Notice 1]

 

Request for Comments on Incompatibilities in Automotive Standards 
That Apply in Canada, Mexico, and the United States

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA), DOT.

ACTION: Request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) established an 
Automotive Standards Council consisting of representatives of Canada, 
Mexico, and the United States. The Automotive Standards Council is a 
forum for trilateral consultations on standards-related matters that 
apply to automotive goods. At its initial meeting, the Automotive 
Standards Council discussed development of a work plan to try to attain 
compatibility among the safety and environmental standards in the three 
countries that apply to motor vehicles, motor vehicle equipment, and 
non-road engines. This notice solicits public comments to identify 
instances of incompatibility among the motor vehicle standards of 
Canada, Mexico, and the United States, and their respective political 
subdivisions, that have resulted in barriers to trade.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by NHTSA no later than 
February 6, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to the docket and notice number shown 
in the heading of this notice and be submitted to: NHTSA Docket 
Section, Room 5109, 400 Seventh Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20590. 
Docket hours are 9:30 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Francis J. Turpin, Director, Office of International Harmonization, 
NHTSA, Room 5220, 400 Seventh Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20590. Mr. 
Turpin can be reached by telephone at (202) 366-2114; or
Mr. Thomas M. Baines, Senior Technical Advisor, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, 2565 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105. Mr. Baines 
can be reached by telephone at (313) 668-4366.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The North American Free Trade Agreement 
(NAFTA) is a trilateral trade agreement among the Governments of 
Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Article 913 of NAFTA establishes 
a Committee on Standards-Related Measures, comprising representatives 
of each of the three parties. Paragraph 5 of Article 913 requires the 
Committee on Standards-Related Measures to establish four 
subcommittees, one of which is the Automotive Standards Council. The 
purposes of the Automotive Standards Council is ``to the extent 
practicable, to facilitate the attainment of compatibility among, and 
review the implementation of, national standards-related measures of 
the [three Nations] that apply to automotive goods, and to address 
other related matters.'' See NAFTA Annex 913.a-3. The NAFTA includes 
non-road engines as well. Thus, the term ``automotive,'' as used in 
this notice, includes non-road engines.
    The initial meeting of the Automotive Standards Council was held on 
September 1, 1994 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. NAFTA Annex 913.5.a-3.3 
gives the Automotive Standards Council authority to establish 
consultation procedures and appropriate operational mechanisms. 
Pursuant to this authority, the representatives of the three 
governments agreed to solicit input from interested parties in their 
respective countries to identify incompatibilities that have created or 
could create needless barriers to trade.
    In accordance with this decision, this notice solicits comments and 
information from all interested parties regarding incompatibilities in 
automotive standards between at least two of the three NAFTA countries 
that the United States delegation should seek to have the Automotive 
Standards Council address in its initial work plan. Commenters should 
provide as much detail as possible and should rank the 
incompatibilities they have identified in order of priority, using the 
following criteria for prioritizing identified incompatibilities:
    (a) the impact on industry integration;
    (b) the extent of the barriers to trade;
    (c) the level of trade affected;
    (d) the extent of the disparity; and
    (e) the impact on vehicle safety and the environment.
    The United States delegation to the Automotive Standards Council 
will take the information it receives in comments on this notice to the 
next meeting of the Automotive Standards Council. The next meeting is 
tentatively scheduled to be held in Mexico City, Mexico, in February 
1995. The Canadian and Mexican delegations are expected to bring their 
countries' identification of incompatibilities to that meeting. After 
evaluating the problems identified by each country, the Automotive 
Standards Council will then select some or all of them for inclusion in 
its initial work plan for addressing incompatibilities.
    The United States delegation to the Automotive Standards Council 
invites written comments from all interested parties. Commenters are 
asked to provide as much detail as possible about barriers to trade 
posed by incompatibilities and to address the criteria listed above in 
their comments.

    Issued on December 19, 1994.
Francis J. Turpin,
Director, Office of International Harmonization.
[FR Doc. 94-31584 Filed 12-20-94; 12:57 pm]
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