[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 94 (Wednesday, May 15, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34750-34751]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-12120]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Trade Policy Staff Committee; Initiation of Environmental Review 
of Doha Multilateral 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: Pursuant to Executive Order 13141, 64 FR 63169 (Nov. 18, 
1999), and implementing guidelines, 65 FR 79442 (Dec. 19, 2000), the 
Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), through the 
Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC), is initiating an environmental 
review of the multilateral negotiations launched in November 2001 at 
the World Trade Organization's Fourth Ministerial Meeting in Doha, 
Qatar. The negotiations are to be concluded within three years (not 
later than January 1, 2005).
    The TPSC requests written public comments on the scope of the 
environmental review, including any reasonably foreseeable significant 
positive and negative environmental effects that might flow from 
economic changes attributable to the prospective agreements, and 
potential implications for environmental laws, regulations and other 
measures. The TPSC also welcomes public views on appropriate 
methodologies for conducting the review and the appropriate time to 
perform the environmental analysis, given the three-year time frame for 
the negotiations.

DATES: Public comments should be received no later than July 26, 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning 
public comments, contact Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, TPSC, Office 
of the

[[Page 34751]]

USTR, 1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508, telephone (202) 395-
3475. Questions concerning the environmental review should be addressed 
to the Environment and Natural Resources Section, USTR, telephone (202) 
395-7320.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: At the Fourth WTO Ministerial Meeting in 
Doha, Qatar, trade ministers representing more than 140 countries 
launched new multilateral trade negotiations. The agenda calls for a 
comprehensive 3-year negotiation, covering a variety of areas such as 
agriculture, services, industrial tariffs, WTO rules (including ways to 
clarify and improve disciplines on environmentally harmful fish 
subsidies), reduction in trade barriers to environmental goods and 
services, and limited aspects of the relationship between the WTO and 
multilateral environmental agreements. 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 environmental objectives. 67 FR 12637 (March 
19, 2002). That notice contains more detailed information concerning 
the scope of the negotiations. The Doha Ministerial Declaration and 
further information about the negotiations are available on USTR's 
website at www.ustr.gov. or on the WTO's website at www.wto.org.
    Executive Order 13141-Environmental Review of Trade Agreements 
(November 1999) and 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.
    In April 2001, USTR initiated an environmental review of the 
mandated WTO negotiations on agriculture and services, known as the 
``built-in agenda'' negotiations. 66 FR 20846 (April 25, 2001). The 
``built-in agenda'' review will be consolidated with this review of the 
Doha negotiations. It is not necessary to repeat comments submitted in 
response to the April 25, 2001 notice; those comments are being 
considered and are available for public inspection in the USTR Reading 
Room (see below). However, supplemental comments on the agriculture and 
services negotiations are welcome.
    The TPSC recognizes that the Doha negotiations are at an early 
stage. As developments in the negotiations further clarify the scope of 
potential agreements, the TPSC anticipates that there will be other 
opportunities for the public to provide additional input as 
appropriate.

Written Comments

    Persons submitting written comments should provide twenty (20) 
copies no later than July 26, 2002, to Gloria Blue at the above 
address. Where possible, respondents should also submit comments in 
electronic form by providing a disk together with the required twenty 
hard copies. The disk should be labeled and should clearly identify the 
software used and the respondent.
    Written comments submitted in response to this request will be 
available for public inspection in the USTR Reading Room, in Room 3 of 
the USTR Annex, 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. 02-12120 Filed 5-14-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-P