[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 189 (Tuesday, September 30, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56373-56374]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-24633]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Trade Policy Staff Committee; Initiation of Environmental Review 
of Bahrain Free 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: This publication gives notice that, pursuant to the Trade Act 
of 2002, and consistent with Executive Order 13141 (64 FR 63169) (Nov. 
18, 1999) and its implementing guidelines (65 FR 79442), the Office of 
the United States Trade Representative (USTR), through the Trade Policy 
Staff Committee (TPSC), is initiating an environmental review of the 
proposed United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement. The TPSC is 
requesting written comments from the public on what should be included 
in the scope of the environmental review, including the potential 
environmental effects that might flow from the free trade agreement and 
the potential implications for U.S. environmental laws and regulations, 
and identification of complementarities between trade and environmental 
objectives such as the promotion of sustainable development. The TPSC 
also welcomes public views on appropriate methodologies and sources of 
data for conducting the review. 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.

DATES: Public comments should be received no later than December 1, 
2003.

ADDRESSES: Submissions by electronic mail: [email protected].
    Submissions by facsimile: Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade 
Policy Staff Committee, at (202) 395-6143.

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 should be 
addressed to David J. Brooks, Environment and Natural Resources 
Section, USTR, telephone (202) 395-7320.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background Information

    On August 4, 2003, in accordance with section 2104(a)(1) of the 
Trade Act of 2002, the United States Trade Representative, Ambassador 
Robert B. Zoellick, notified Congress of the President's intent to 
enter into trade negotiations with Bahrain. Ambassador Zoellick 
outlined specific U.S. objectives for these negotiations in the 
notification letters to Congress. Copies of the letters are available 
at http://www.ustr.gov/new/fta/Bahrain/2003-08-04-notification-house.pdf, http://www.ustr.gov/new/fta/Bahrain/2003-08-04-notification-senate.pdf.
    The TPSC has invited the public to provide written comments and/or 
oral testimony at a public hearing on November 5, 2003 in order to 
assist USTR in amplifying and clarifying negotiating objectives for the 
proposed FTA and to provide advice on how specific goods and services 
and other matters should be treated under the proposed agreement (68 FR 
51062) (August 25, 2003).
    An FTA with Bahrain will promote the President's initiative to 
advance economic reforms in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, 
moving us closer to the creation of a Middle East Free Trade Area. A 
U.S.-Bahrain FTA will build on the FTAs that we already have with 
Israel and Jordan, as well as the FTA that we are currently negotiating 
with Morocco. A comprehensive FTA will also provide an opportunity to 
work with Bahrain to encourage other members of the Gulf Cooperation 
Council to adopt high trade and investment standards.
    In 2002, the United States exported $419.2 million worth of 
aircraft, machinery, vehicles, pharmaceutical products, toys, games, 
sports equipment, and other goods to Bahrain. An FTA with Bahrain is 
expected to benefit American manufacturers--as well as U.S. exports of 
meats and high-value processed agricultural products--by enhancing 
access to Bahrain's market and promoting Bahrain's role as a regional 
business hub for the Gulf. An FTA is also expected to provide new 
export opportunities for U.S. services firms in sectors such as 
telecommunications, finance, distribution, energy, construction, 
engineering, health care, legal services, accountancy, tourism and 
travel, and environmental services. An FTA will also support Bahrain's 
commitment to transparency, openness, and the rule of law, thereby 
enhancing respect for intellectual property, labor rights, and 
environmental protection.

2. Environmental Review

    USTR, through the TPSC, will perform an environmental review of the 
agreement pursuant to the Trade Act of 2002 and consistent with 
Executive Order 13141 (64 FR 63169) and its implementing guidelines (65 
FR 79442).
    Environmental 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. 
Reviews address potential environmental impacts of the proposed 
agreement and potential implications for environmental laws and 
regulations. The focus of the review is on impacts in the United 
States, although global and transboundary impacts may be considered, 
where appropriate and prudent.

[[Page 56374]]

3. Requirements for Submissions

    In order to facilitate prompt processing of submissions, USTR 
strongly urges and prefers electronic (e-mail) submissions in response 
to this notice.
    Persons making submissions by e-mail should use the following 
subject line: ``United States--Bahrain FTA Environmental Review'' 
followed by ``Written Comments.'' Documents should be submitted as 
either WordPerfect, MSWord, or text (.TXT) files. Supporting 
documentation submitted as spreadsheets are acceptable as Quattro Pro 
or Excel. For any document containing business confidential information 
submitted electronically, the file name of the business confidential 
version should begin with the characters ``BC-'', and the file name of 
the public version should begin with the characters ``P-''. The ``P-'' 
or ``BC-'' should be followed by the name of the submitter. 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.
    Written comments submitted in response to this request will be 
placed in a file open to public inspection pursuant to 15 CFR 2003.5, 
except business confidential information exempt from public inspection 
in accordance with 15 CFR 2003.6. Business confidential information 
submitted in accordance with 15 CFR 2003.6 must be clearly marked 
``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' at the top of each page, including any cover 
letter or cover page, and must be accompanied by a nonconfidential 
summary of the confidential information. All public documents and 
nonconfidential summaries shall be available for public inspection in 
the USTR Reading Room. The USTR Reading Room is open to the public, by 
appointment only, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday 
through Friday. An appointment to review the file must be scheduled at 
least 48 hours in advance and may be made by calling (202) 395-6186.
    USTR also welcomes and will take into account the public comments 
on Bahrain FTA environmental issues submitted in response to a previous 
notice--the Federal Register notice dated August 25, 2003 (68 FR 
51062)--requesting comments from the public to assist USTR in 
formulating positions and proposals with respect to all aspects of the 
negotiations, including environmental issues. These comments will also 
be made available for public inspection.
    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. 03-24633 Filed 9-29-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-P