[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 38 (Tuesday, February 26, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8833-8834]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-4522]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Trade Policy Staff Committee; Request for Supplemental Public 
Comment on Scope of Environmental Review of United States-Singapore 
Free Trade Agreement

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Request for supplemental comments.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Executive Order 13141, 64 FR 63,169 (Nov. 18, 
1999), and implementing guidelines, 65 FR 79442 (Dec. 19, 2000), this 
notice requests supplemental comments on the scope of the environmental 
review of the proposed United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement 
(FTA) currently under negotiation. In November 2000, the Office of the 
United States Trade Representative (USTR), through the Trade Policy 
Staff Committee (TPSC), previously initiated an environmental review of 
the proposed U.S.-Singapore FTA and requested public comments on the 
environmental implications of the negotiations and the scope of the 
review. 65 FR 71197 (Nov. 29, 2000). At that time, the parties 
anticipated that the negotiating schedule would be very compressed. 
Because the schedule has since been extended, the TPSC wishes to 
provide the public with an opportunity to provide any additional 
information or analysis concerning relevant environmental issues that 
should be addressed in the review. It is not necessary to repeat 
comments submitted in response to the November 29 notice; those 
comments are being considered and are available for public inspection 
in USTR's reading room (see below).

DATES: Public comments should be received no later than March 29, 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning 
public comments, contact Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, TPSC, Office 
of the USTR, 600 1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508, telephone 
(202) 395-3475. Questions concerning the environmental review should be 
addressed to Alice Mattice or Darci Vetter, Environment and Natural 
Resources Section, telephone 202-395-7320.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In November 2000, Singapore's Prime Minister 
Goh and President Clinton announced that the governments of the United 
States and Singapore would enter into negotiations on a bilateral free 
trade agreement (FTA). Negotiations were launched in December 2000. In 
early 2001, the Bush Administration reaffirmed the United States' 
commitment to the negotiations. The parties have made good progress, 
and expect that negotiations will intensify in the coming months.
    As described in the previous notice, see 65 FR 71197, the United 
States and Singapore are seeking to eliminate duties and commercial 
barriers to bilateral trade in U.S. and Singaporean-origin goods. The 
agreement is also expected to include provisions on trade in services, 
investment, trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights, 
competition, government procurement, electronic commerce, trade-related 
environmental and labor matters, and other issues.
    The TPSC has taken comments received in response to the previous 
notice into account in developing U.S. negotiating positions and in 
determining the scope of the environmental review. However, in light of 
the revised negotiating schedule, the TPSC believes that provision of 
an opportunity for the public to provide supplemental comments would be 
useful in the review process. The TPSC anticipates that a draft review 
should be available for public comment in the spring of 2002.
    Executive Order 13141 and implementing guidelines 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 bilateral free trade agreements such as the 
Singapore FTA. See 64 FR 63169. Reviews address potential environmental 
impacts that may be associated with projected economic changes 
associated with the proposed agreement, and potential implications for 
U.S. environmental laws and regulations. The focus of the reviews is on 
impacts on the United States, although global and transboundary impacts 
will be considered, where appropriate and prudent.

Written Comments

    To ensure prompt consideration of responses, the TPSC strongly 
encourages interested persons to submit comments by electronic mail to 
the following e-mail address: [email protected]. Documents may also

[[Page 8834]]

be submitted by fax to (202) 395-5141, attention: Gloria Blue.
    Comments submitted by electronic mail and comments submitted by fax 
will be available for public inspection in the USTR Reading Room, in 
Room 3 of the annex of the Office of the United States Trade 
Representative, 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.

Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 02-4522 Filed 2-25-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-P