[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 2, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22664-22666]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-07003]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[Docket No. 240326-0089]


Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity Clean Economy 
Investor Forum Solicitation of Applications for Participation

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of withdrawal; reissuance of request for applications.

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SUMMARY: The International Trade Administration (ITA) seeks 
applications for the Department to consider recommending to the 
Government of Singapore (Singapore) for participation in the Indo-
Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Clean Economy Investor 
Forum (Forum) hosted by Singapore on June 5-6, 2024. The Forum was 
announced on November 16, 2023, in the Joint Statement following an 
IPEF Ministerial meeting. The Forum participants will help advance the 
climate objectives of the proposed IPEF Clean Economy Agreement by 
helping facilitate investments in climate-related projects in the Indo-
Pacific region. ITA is seeking applications from the U.S. private 
sector for ITA to consider recommending to Singapore. This notice 
withdraws and supersedes a notice and request for applications 
published March 28, 2024.

DATES: The IPEF Clean Economy Investor Forum will take place on 
Thursday and Friday, June 5-6, 2024.
    Applications for participation should be submitted by 5 p.m. EST on 
April 16, 2024. Applications submitted in response to the notice 
published March 28, 2024 need not be resubmitted.

ADDRESSES: Interested companies should submit their applications for 
immediate consideration to ITA at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ava Jamerson, Policy Advisor, Office 
of the Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, 1401 
Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; email: 
[email protected]; telephone: 202.823.0686. For additional 
information about IPEF, please visit: https://www.commerce.gov/ipef. 
You can find the latest information about the Clean Economy Pillar at: 
https://www.commerce.gov/ipef/pillar-iii and at https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2023-11/US-Factsheet-SF-Pillar-III.pdf.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 22665]]

I. Background

    This notice withdraws a notice published on March 28, 2024 (89 FR 
21488) and reissues, with corrected information, a request for 
applications to be considered for participation in the Indo-Pacific 
Economic Framework for Prosperity Clean Economy Investor Forum.
    In May 2022, the United States launched the Indo-Pacific Economic 
Framework for Prosperity. IPEF is part of the Biden Administration's 
commitment to strengthening ties with allies and partners and tackling 
21st Century economic challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
    IPEF seeks to advance resilience, sustainability, inclusiveness, 
economic growth, fairness, and competitiveness for the 14 IPEF partner 
economies--Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, 
Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, 
Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam. IPEF also will provide 
tangible benefits that fuel economic activity and investment, promote 
sustainable and inclusive economic growth, and benefit workers and 
consumers across the region.
    The IPEF partners are launching the inaugural IPEF Clean Economy 
Investor Forum to catalyze investment for sustainable infrastructure 
and climate technology across IPEF economies to advance the goals of 
the proposed Clean Economy Agreement, which includes increasing 
investment flows and financing for climate-related infrastructure, 
technologies, and projects in the region. The proposed Clean Economy 
Agreement outlines collaboration through a convening of private and 
institutional investors to facilitate business matching and 
investments, as well as sharing expertise and good practices on scaling 
up clean technology and infrastructure investments.
    The Forum is being hosted by Singapore on June 5-6, 2024, and will 
be attended by the Secretary of Commerce and her counterparts from the 
13 other IPEF partner countries. Its purpose is to convene a diverse 
set of stakeholders from across the United States and the Indo-Pacific 
region to gain market insights, make industry and government contacts, 
solidify business strategies, and identify funding for specific 
projects to advance the goals of the proposed Clean Economy Agreement.
    The Forum will focus on the markets of the 14 partner economies 
that are actively engaging in the proposed Clean Economy Agreement, 
with a particular focus on emerging economies. The scope of climate 
issues in which the Forum seeks to facilitate trade and investment will 
be informed by issues covered in the proposed Clean Economy Agreement, 
including efforts towards energy security and transition, climate 
resilience and adaptation, and greenhouse gas emissions mitigation.
    Each country will be asked to put forward individual 
representatives from their countries' private sectors to participate in 
the Forum for consideration by Singapore. Singapore will ultimately 
select who to invite to the Forum. The International Trade 
Administration seeks applications from the U.S. private sector to be 
recommended as participants in the Forum, including but not limited to 
investors, companies, and non-profit organizations.

II. Criteria

    Singapore expects to invite approximately 20-50 participants from 
the U.S. private sector, at its discretion. ITA is seeking applications 
from the U.S. private sector, which it will consider based on the below 
criteria. Through this process, ITA will prepare recommendations for 
final approval by the Department and then share with Singapore for 
Singapore's consideration and decision. ITA is primarily focused on 
senior executives from organizations including investors, companies, 
and non-profit organizations.
    Interested companies should submit their applications for immediate 
consideration to ITA according to the instructions in the DATES and 
ADDRESSES headings above. The following criteria will be used to 
identify prospective participants. These participants will be 
considered through a holistic analysis and are not required to meet 
each element listed below:
    (1) Level of executive representation;
    (2) Consistency of the applicant's goals and objectives with the 
stated scope of the Forum;
    (3) Alignment with the proposed Clean Economy Agreement objectives;
    (4) Focus on IPEF markets, such as experience or demonstrated 
interest in investing in the region in the next 18 months in one or 
more IPEF markets;
    (5) Ability to fulfill and support the objectives of the Forum 
(e.g., significant funds and/or assets to support the types of projects 
envisioned); and
    (6) Headquarters in the United States.
    The Department may consider other information as it deems relevant 
and may request additional information/clarification from applicants. 
The Department will consider applications previously submitted in 
response to the withdrawn notice and request for applications published 
on March 28, 2024 (89 FR 21488); applicants need not resubmit 
information.
    Please do not send company or organization brochures.
    Applications received after April 16, 2024 will be considered only 
if space and scheduling constraints permit and if Singapore continues 
to accept recommendations.
    Applicants selected to be recommended to Singapore will be 
notified.

III. Request for Applications

    To be considered, all applications should include the following 
information, as applicable:
    (1) Organization Name;
    (2) U.S. State of Incorporation;
    (3) Corporate Headquarters;
    (4) Principal Place of Business;
    (5) Main Address (Street Address, City, State, and Zip Code);
    (6) List of Subsidiary or Affiliate Offices in Asia;
    (7) Industry Area(s);
    (8) Main Products and/or Services;
    (9) A brief (up to three page) Statement of Interest explaining how 
you meet the selection criteria listed above;
    (10) Name, title, work email, phone number of your Chief Executive 
Officer, President, Chief Investment Officer, or other senior executive 
who would represent the organization at the Forum;
    (11) Name, title, work email, and phone number of the main working-
level point of contact that will facilitate the senior executive's 
participation in the Forum; and
    (12) Name, title, work email, and phone number of one optional 
accompanying staff person.

Public Burden Statement

    A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not 
required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for 
failure to comply with an information collection subject to the 
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 unless the 
information collection has a currently valid OMB Control Number. The 
approved OMB Control Number for this information collection is 0625-
0143. Without this approval, we could not conduct this information 
collection. Public reporting for this information collection is 
estimated to be approximately 1.5 hour per response, including the time 
for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering 
and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the 
information collection.

[[Page 22666]]

All responses to this information collection are voluntary. Send 
comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this 
information collection, including suggestions for reducing this burden 
to the International Trade Administration Paperwork Reduction Act 
Program: [email protected] or to Katelynn Byers, ITA PRA Process 
Administrator: [email protected].

Privacy Act Statement

    The collection, maintenance, and disclosure of this information is 
governed by the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a). The Department of 
Commerce is authorized to collect this information pursuant to 
authorities that include but are not limited to: 15 U.S.C. 1512. The 
principal purposes for which the Department will use the information is 
to assist in selecting the U.S. representatives to recommend to 
Singapore to participate in the Forum. Information received will be 
maintained in COMMERCE/DEPT-23, Information Collected Electronically in 
Connection with Department of Commerce Activities and Programs. One of 
the routine uses for this information includes providing it to other 
registrants, including the Government of Singapore, to facilitate 
company/organization matchmaking (Routine Use 1). A complete set of 
routine disclosures is included in the system of records notice, 
published both in the Federal Register and on the Department's website 
at: https://www.commerce.gov/opog/privacy/system-records-notice. 
Disclosing this information to the Department of Commerce is voluntary. 
However, if you do not provide this information, or only provide part 
of the information requested, you may not be considered for selection 
as U.S. representatives to the Forum.
    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1512.

    Dated: March 28, 2024.
Diane Farrell,
Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade.
[FR Doc. 2024-07003 Filed 3-29-24; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-25-P