[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 169 (Friday, September 3, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49590-49591]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-19060]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice: 11525]


Notification of the Fourteenth CAFTA-DR Environmental Affairs 
Council Meeting

AGENCY: Department of State.

ACTION: Notice of the fourteenth Dominican Republic-Central America-
United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) Environmental Affairs 
Council meeting and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of State and the Office of the United States 
Trade Representative are providing notice that the parties to CAFTA-DR 
intend to hold the fourteenth meeting of the Environmental Affairs 
Council (the Council) established under Chapter 17 (Environment 
Chapter) of that agreement in a virtual meeting on October 14, 2021, 
hosted by Costa Rica. The Department of State and Office of the United 
States Trade Representative also invite written comments or suggestions 
regarding topics to be discussed at the Council meeting to be submitted 
no later than September 23, 2021. When preparing comments, we encourage 
submitters to refer to Chapter 17 of the CAFTA-DR and to the CAFTA-DR 
Environmental Cooperation Agreement (ECA) (documents available at 
https://www.state.gov/key-topics-office-of-environmental-quality-and-transboundary-issues/current-trade-agreements-with-environmental-chapters/#cafta-dr and https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/environment/bilateral-and-regional-trade-agreements). Instructions on how to submit 
comments are under the heading ADDRESSES.

DATES: The public session of the Council will be held on October 14, 
2021, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:20 p.m. EDT. Please contact Anel Gonzalez-
Ruiz and Sigrid Simpson to request a link to this meeting. We request 
comments and suggestions in writing no later than September 23, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Written comments or suggestions should be submitted to both:
    (1) Anel Gonzalez-Ruiz, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Oceans 
and International Environmental and

[[Page 49591]]

Scientific Affairs, Office of Environmental Quality, by email to 
[email protected] with the subject line ``CAFTA-DR EAC 
Meeting''; and
    (2) Sigrid Simpson, Director for Environment and Natural Resources, 
Office of the United States Trade Representative by email to 
[email protected] with the subject line ``CAFTA-DR EAC 
Meeting''.
    If you have access to the internet you can view and comment on this 
notice by going to: http://www.regulations.gov/#!home and searching for 
docket number DOS-2021-0029.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anel Gonzalez-Ruiz, (202) 705-5282, or 
Sigrid Simpson, (202) 881-6592.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 14, the Council will meet in a 
closed government-to-government session to (1) review implementation of 
the Environment chapter and discuss how parties are meeting their 
environment chapter obligations, including by highlighting increased 
levels of environmental protection, environmental enforcement, and 
related achievements in the past year; (2) discuss the most pressing 
trade-related environmental challenges facing the parties and identify 
key actions that the parties can take under CAFTA-DR to address them; 
(3) receive a report from the CAFTA-DR Secretariat for Environmental 
Matters on the status of public submissions; and (4) highlight the 
achievements of the CAFTA-DR Environmental Cooperation Program on its 
fifteenth anniversary and review ongoing work under that program.
    The Council invites all interested persons to attend a virtual 
public session on Chapter 17 implementation, beginning at 4:00 p.m. EDT 
on October 14. At the session, the Council will welcome questions, 
input, and information about challenges and achievements in 
implementation of the Environment chapter obligations and the related 
ECA. If you would like to connect to the public session, please notify 
Anel Gonzalez-Ruiz and Sigrid Simpson at the email addresses listed 
under the heading ADDRESSES. Please include your full name and identify 
any organization or group you represent.
    Article 17.5 of the CAFTA-DR establishes an Environmental Affairs 
Council (the Council) and provides that, unless the CAFTA-DR parties 
otherwise agree, the Council will meet annually to oversee the 
implementation of, and review progress under, Chapter 17, and to 
consider the status of cooperation activities developed under the ECA. 
Article 17.5 further requires that, unless the parties otherwise agree, 
each meeting of the Council include a session in which members of the 
Council have an opportunity to meet with the public to discuss matters 
relating to the implementation of Chapter 17.
    In preparing comments, we encourage submitters to refer to:

 Chapter 17 of the CAFTA-DR and
 The ECA

    These documents are available at: https://www.state.gov/key-topics-office-of-environmental-quality-and-transboundary-issues/current-trade-agreements-with-environmental-chapters/#cafta-dr and https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/environment/bilateral-and-regional-trade-agreements. Visit 
the State website at www.state.gov and the USTR website at www.ustr.gov 
for more information.

Raffi V. Balian,
Acting Director, Office of Environmental Quality, U.S. Department of 
State.
[FR Doc. 2021-19060 Filed 9-2-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-09-P