[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 127 (Wednesday, July 2, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37834-37835]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-15537]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Request for Comments Concerning an Environmental Review of the 
Proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice of intent to conduct an environmental review of the 
proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement and 
request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), 
through the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC), is initiating an 
environmental review of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment 
Partnership agreement (T-TIP), a free trade agreement under negotiation 
between the United States and the European Union. The TPSC invites 
written comments from the public on the topics that should be included 
in the scope of the environmental review, including potential positive 
or negative environmental effects that might result

[[Page 37835]]

from the trade agreement and potential implications for U.S. 
environmental laws and regulations. The TPSC also welcomes public views 
on appropriate methodologies and sources of data for conducting the 
review. The review will be conducted consistent with the relevant 
procedures of Executive Order 13141: Environmental Review of Trade 
Agreement and its implementing guidelines. Persons submitting written 
comments should provide as much detail as possible on the manner and 
degree to which the subject matter they propose for inclusion in the 
review may raise significant environmental issues that should be 
considered in the context of the negotiations. Public comments on 
environmental issues submitted in response to a notice published in the 
Federal Register on April 1, 2013, requesting comments from the public 
regarding the T-TIP will be taken into account in preparing the 
environmental review and do not need to be resubmitted.

DATES: Comments should be submitted on or before September 2, 2014, to 
be assured of timely consideration by the TPSC.

ADDRESSES: Public comments should be submitted electronically to 
www.regulations.gov, docket number USTR 2014-0012. If you are unable to 
provide submissions at www.regulations.gov, please contact Ms. Yvonne 
Jamison (202-395-3475) to arrange for an alternative method of 
transmission.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding the submission of 
comments in response to this notice should be directed to Ms. Yvonne 
Jamison at (202) 395-3475. Questions concerning the environmental 
review should be addressed to Mr. David Oliver at (202) 395-7320.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background Information

    On March 20, 2013, USTR notified Congress of the President's intent 
to enter into negotiations for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment 
Partnership agreement with the European Union aimed at achieving a 
substantial increase in transatlantic trade and investment. Through a 
notice in the Federal Register and a public hearing (held May 29-30, 
2013, in Washington, DC), the TPSC invited the public to provide 
written comments and/or oral testimony to assist USTR in assessing U.S. 
objectives for the proposed agreement (see 78 FR 19566, April 1, 2013). 
A description of U.S. negotiating objectives for the T-TIP is available 
at http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/press-releases/2014/March/US-Objectives-US-Benefits-In-the-TTIP-a-Detailed-View. Additional 
information about the proposed T-TIP can be found at http://www.ustr.gov/ttip.

2. Environmental Review

    USTR, through the TPSC, will conduct an environmental review of the 
agreement consistent with Executive Order 13141 (64 FR 63169, Nov. 18, 
1999) and its implementing guidelines (65 FR 79442, Dec. 19, 2000). The 
purpose of environmental reviews is to ensure that policymakers and the 
public are informed about reasonably foreseeable environmental impacts 
of trade agreements (both positive and negative), to identify 
complementarities between trade and environmental objectives, and to 
help shape appropriate responses if environmental impacts are 
identified. Reviews are intended to be one tool, among others, for 
integrating environmental information and analysis into the fluid, 
dynamic process of trade negotiations. USTR and the Council on 
Environmental Quality jointly oversee implementation of the Executive 
Order and its implementing guidelines. USTR, through the TPSC, is 
responsible for conducting the individual reviews. Additional 
background information and examples of prior environmental reviews are 
available at: http://www.ustr.gov/trade-topics/environment/environmental-reviews.

3. Requirements for Submissions

    Persons submitting comments must do so in English and must identify 
(on the first page of the submission) ``Comments Regarding the T-TIP 
Environmental Review.'' In order to be assured of consideration, 
comments should be submitted by September 2, 2014. In order to ensure 
the timely receipt and consideration of comments, USTR strongly 
encourages commenters to make on-line submissions, using the 
www.regulations.gov Web site. To submit comments via 
www.regulations.gov, enter docket number USTR 2014-0012 on the home 
page and click ``search.'' The site will provide a search-results page 
listing all documents associated with this docket. Find a reference to 
this notice and click on the link entitled ``Comment Now!'' (For 
further information on using the www.regulations.gov Web site, please 
consult the resources provided on the Web site by clicking on ``How to 
Use This Site'' on the left side of the home page).
    The www.regulations.gov Web site allows users to provide comments 
by filling in a ``Type Comment'' field, or by attaching a document 
using an ``Upload File'' field. USTR prefers that comments be provided 
in an attached document. USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft Word 
(.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If the submission is in an application 
other than those two, please indicate the name of the application in 
the ``Type Comment'' field. For any comments submitted electronically 
containing business confidential information, the file name of the 
business confidential version should begin with the characters ``BC''. 
Any page containing business confidential information must be clearly 
marked ``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' on the top of that page. Filers of 
submissions containing business confidential information must also 
submit a public version of their comments. The file name of the public 
version should begin with the character ``P''. The ``BC'' and ``P'' 
should be followed by the name of the person or entity submitting the 
comments. Filers submitting comments containing no business 
confidential information should name their file using the name of the 
person or entity submitting the comments.
    Please do not attach separate cover letters to electronic 
submissions; rather, include any information that might appear in a 
cover letter in the submission itself. Similarly, to the extent 
possible, please include any exhibits, annexes, or other attachments in 
the same file as the submission itself, not as separate files.
    As noted, USTR strongly urges submitters to file comments through 
the www.regulations.gov Web site if at all possible. Any alternative 
arrangements must be made with Ms. Jamison in advance of transmitting a 
comment. Ms. Jamison may be contacted at (202) 395-3475. General 
information concerning USTR is available at www.ustr.gov.
    Comments will be placed in the docket and open to public 
inspection, except business confidential information. Comments may be 
viewed on the www.regulations.gov Web site by entering the relevant 
docket number in the search field on the home page.

Douglas Bell,
Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 2014-15537 Filed 7-1-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F4-P