[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 70 (Monday, April 12, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19262-19263]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-8239]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Trade Policy Staff Committee; Initiation of Environmental Review 
of Panama 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 authority 
delegated by the President in Executive Order 13277 (67 FR 70305) and 
consistent with Executive Order 13141 (64 FR 63169) 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-Panama 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

[[Page 19263]]

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 May 14, 2004.

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, Office of Environment and Natural 
Resources, USTR, telephone (202) 395-7320.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background Information

    On November 18, 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 Panama. 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/Panama/2003-11-18-notification_letter.pdf.
    The TPSC invited the public (69 FR 8518) to provide oral testimony 
at a public hearing that took place on March 23, 2004, or written 
comments by April 5, 2004, 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.
    Two-way trade between the United States and Panama totaled $2.1 
billion in 2003, with U.S. exports accounting for $1.8 billion of that 
amount. On average, nearly half of Panama's total imports come from the 
United States. In addition, the stock of U.S. foreign direct investment 
in Panama is approximately $20 billion, concentrated in sectors such as 
finance, maritime and energy. Plans for expansion of the Panama Canal 
will create many new government procurement opportunities. Panama 
serves as an important financial and commercial crossroads in the 
Western Hemisphere and has one of the most open economies in the 
region. Panama is also a reliable partner in the region, working 
closely with us to advance our common values and objectives in the 
World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Free Trade Area of the Americas 
(FTAA).

2. Environmental Review

    USTR, through the TPSC, will perform an environmental review of the 
agreement pursuant to the authority delegated by the President in 
Executive Orders 13277 (67 FR 70305) and 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.

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--Panama 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 Panama FTA environmental issues submitted in response to a previous 
notice--the Federal Register notice dated February 24, 2004 (69 FR 
8518)--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 
(www.ustr.gov).

Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 04-8239 Filed 4-9-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W3-P