[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 10 (Friday, January 14, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2695-2696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-772]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Trade Policy Staff Committee: Public Comments Regarding the 
Environmental Review of the WTO DOHA Development Agenda (DDA) 
Negotiations

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is requesting written 
public comments on the scope of the environmental review of the 
multilateral negotiations of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) 
conducted under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The 
TPSC is seeking to supplement and further inform its consideration of 
reasonably foreseeable significant environmental effects that might 
flow from economic changes attributable to the negotiations, in the 
light of progress to date in the negotiations, notably, the Decision 
Adopted by the WTO General Council on 1 August 2004 on the Doha Work 
Program.

DATES: Public comments should be received no later than March 31, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Submissions by electronic mail: [email protected]. 
Submissions by facsimile: Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade 
Policy Staff Committee, at (202) 395-6143. The public is strongly 
encouraged to submit documents electronically rather than by facsimile. 
(See requirements for submissions below.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: General inquiries concerning the 
environmental review should be made to the USTR Office of Environment 
and Natural Resources at (202) 395-7320. Procedural inquiries 
concerning the public comment process should be directed to Gloria 
Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the 
U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), (202) 395-3475.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Environmental Review: Executive Order 13141--Environmental Review 
of Trade Agreements (November 1999)--and the 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.
    Comments are invited on the scope of the environmental review, 
including any reasonably foreseeable, potentially significant 
environmental effects that might flow from economic changes 
attributable to the negotiations, and potential implications for U.S. 
environmental laws, regulations and other measures. The TPSC also 
welcomes public views on appropriate methodologies for conducting the 
review. Comments are particularly invited on potentially significant 
environmental effects--both positive and negative--that might flow from 
the agriculture, non-agricultural market access (including tariffs and 
non-tariff barriers to sectors such as environmental goods, fish and 
forestry), services (including environmental services), rules 
(including ways to clarify and improve disciplines on environmentally 
harmful fish subsidies), trade facilitation, and the Special Session of 
the Committee on Trade and Environment negotiations. 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.
    This request for comment supplements earlier requests for comments, 
and there is no need to resubmit comments previously provided to the 
TPSC. Submissions were received and are being considered in response to 
the following notices: (1) Notice of Initiation of the Environmental 
Review and Request for Comment on Scope of Environmental Review of 
Mandated Multilateral Trade Negotiations on Agriculture and Services in 
the World Trade Organization, 66 FR 20846 (April 25, 2001); and (2) 
Initiation of Environmental Review of Doha Multilateral Trade 
Negotiations and Public Comments on the Scope of Environmental Review, 
67 FR 34750 (May 15, 2002). Those comments are available for public 
inspection in the USTR Reading Room (see below). New or updated 
submissions are welcome. The TPSC will review supplemental or new 
comments, in conjunction with earlier submissions, in conducting the 
environmental review.
    DOHA Development Agenda: The next meeting of the WTO at the 
ministerial-level will be in December 2005. Work in 2005 is expected to 
focus on the technical issues necessary to move the agenda forward, 
particularly in the light of the WTO General Council's Decision of 1 
August 2004, which contained further direction for the agriculture, 
non-agricultural market access and services negotiations, and the 
launch of negotiations on trade facilitation. The General Council's 
decision also took note of the reports from the Negotiating Group on 
Rules and from the Special Session of the Committee on Trade and 
Environment. It reaffirmed Members' commitment to progress in these 
areas of the negotiations in line with the Doha mandate. Accordingly, 
the TPSC seeks to provide a new opportunity for public comment on the 
environmental review of the ongoing negotiations.
    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 
objectives concerning the environmental discussions, 69 FR 71466 
(December 9, 2004). That notice contains more detailed information 
concerning the scope of the negotiations. Further information on the 
WTO, including the declarations and decisions referred to in this 
notice or proposals tabled, can be obtained via the Internet at the WTO 
Web site, http://www.wto.org, and/or the USTR Web site, http://www.ustr.gov. The 2004 President's Annual Report on the Trade 
Agreements Program, which is available on the USTR Web site, contains 
extensive information on the WTO and the status of work in the WTO.
    Written Submissions: Persons submitting comments may either send 
one copy by fax to Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff 
Committee, at (202) 395-6143 or transmit a copy electronically to 
[email protected], with ``Doha Environmental Review'' in the subject 
line. For documents sent by fax, USTR

[[Page 2696]]

requests that the submitter provide a confirmation copy electronically. 
The public is strongly encouraged to submit documents electronically 
rather than by facsimile. USTR encourages the use of Adobe PDF format 
to submit attachments to an electronic mail. Interested persons who 
make submissions by electronic mail should not provide separate cover 
letters; information that might appear in a cover letter should be 
included in the submission itself. Similarly, 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.
    Comments should be submitted no later than March 31, 2005.
    Business confidential information will be subject to the 
requirements of 15 CFR 2003.6. Any business confidential material must 
be clearly marked as such and must be accompanied by a non-confidential 
summary thereof. A justification as to why the information contained in 
the submission should be treated confidentially should also be 
contained in the submission. In addition, any submissions containing 
business confidential information must clearly be marked ``Business 
Confidential'' at the top and bottom of the cover page (or letter) and 
each succeeding page of the submission. The version that does not 
contain business confidential information should also be clearly marked 
at the top and bottom of each page, ``Public Version'' or ``Non-
Confidential.''
    Written comments submitted in connection with this request, except 
for information granted ``business confidential'' status pursuant to 15 
CFR 2003.6 will be available for public inspection in the USTR Reading 
Room, Office of the United States Trade Representative. An appointment 
to review the file can be made by calling (202) 395-6186. The Reading 
Room is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 
p.m. Monday through Friday.

Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 05-772 Filed 1-13-05; 8:45 am]
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