[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 205 (Wednesday, October 23, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63270-63271]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-24722]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Request for Public Comments To Compile the Report on Sanitary and
Phytosanitary Measures
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice and Request for Comments.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 181 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended
(19 U.S.C. 2241), the Office of the United States Trade Representative
(USTR) will be publishing in 2014 the Report on Sanitary and
Phytosanitary Measures. With this notice, the Trade Policy Staff
Committee (TPSC) is requesting interested persons to submit comments to
assist it in identifying significant sanitary and phytosanitary
barriers to U.S. exports of goods for inclusion in the report.
The TPSC invites written comments from the public on issues that
USTR should examine in preparing the 2014 SPS Report.
DATES: Public comments are due not later than November 15, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Submissions should be made via the Internet at
www.regulations.gov under the following dockets (based on the subject
matter of the submission): USTR-2013-0033.
The public is strongly encouraged to file submissions
electronically rather than by facsimile or mail.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding the SPS Report or
substantive questions or comments concerning SPS measures should be
directed to Jane Doherty, Director of Sanitary and Phytosanitary
Affairs, USTR (202-395-6127).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SPS Report sets out an inventory of SPS
barriers to trade. This inventory facilitates U.S. negotiations aimed
at reducing or eliminating these barriers. The report also provides a
valuable tool in enforcing U.S. trade laws and strengthening the rules-
based trading system. The 2013 and earlier SPS Reports may be found on
USTR's Internet Home Page (http://www.ustr.gov) under ``USTR News''
under the tab ``Reports''.
To ensure compliance with the applicable statutory mandate and the
Obama Administration's commitment to focus on the most significant SPS
barriers to trade, USTR will be guided by the existence of active
private sector interest in deciding which restrictions to include in
the SPS Report.
Topics on which the TPSC Seeks Information: To assist USTR in the
preparation of the SPS Report, commenters should submit information
related to SPS measures. Such measures should constitute significant
barriers to U.S. exports.
SPS Report: On April 2, 2013, USTR released a report focusing on
SPS trade barriers (SPS Report). USTR also released SPS Reports in
2012, 2011 and 2010. These reports serve as tools to
[[Page 63271]]
bring greater attention and focus to addressing SPS measures that may
be inconsistent with international trade agreements to which the United
States is a party or that otherwise act as significant barriers to U.S.
exports. USTR plans to use comments on SPS submitted pursuant to this
notice in producing the report.
The following information describing SPS measures may help
commenters to file submissions on particular foreign trade barriers
under the SPS docket.
SPS Measures: Generally, SPS measures are measures applied to
protect the life or health of humans, animals, and plants from risks
arising from additives, contaminants, pests, toxins, diseases, or
disease-carrying and causing organisms. SPS measures can take such
forms as specific product or processing standards, requirements for
products to be produced in disease-free areas, quarantine regulations,
certification or inspection procedures, sampling and testing
requirements, health-related labeling measures, maximum permissible
pesticide residue levels, and prohibitions on certain food additives.
For further information on SPS measures and additional detail on
the types of comments that would assist USTR in identifying and
addressing significant trade-restrictive SPS measures, please see
``Supporting & Related Materials'' under dockets USTR-2013-0033 at
www.regulations.gov. The previously released SPS Reports also contain
extensive information on SPS measures that commenters may find useful
in preparing comments in response to this notice.
In responding to this notice with respect to the report, commenters
should place particular emphasis on any practices that the commenter
believes may violate U.S. trade agreements. The TPSC is also interested
in receiving new or updated information pertinent to the barriers
covered in the 2013 SPS Report as well as information on new barriers.
If USTR does not include in the 2014 SPS Report information that USTR
receives pursuant to this notice, USTR will maintain the information
for potential use in future discussions or negotiations with trading
partners.
Estimate of Increase in Exports: Each comment should include an
estimate of the potential increase in U.S. exports that would result
from removing any SPS barrier the comment identifies, as well as a
description of the methodology the commenter used to derive the
estimate. Estimates should be expressed within the following value
ranges: Less than $5 million; $5 to $25 million; $25 million to $50
million; $50 million to $100 million; $100 million to $500 million; or
over $500 million. These estimates will help USTR conduct comparative
analyses of a barrier's effect over a range of industries.
Requirements for Submissions: Commenters providing information on
SPS measures in more than one country should, whenever possible,
provide a separate submission for each country.
In order to ensure the timely receipt and consideration of
comments, USTR strongly encourages commenters to make on-line
submissions, using the http://www.regulations.gov Web site. Comments
should be submitted under docket number: USTR-2013-0033
To make a submission, enter the docket number in the ``Enter
Keyword or ID'' window at the http://www.regulations.gov home page and
click ``Search.'' The site will provide a search-results page listing
all documents associated with that docket number. Find a reference to
this notice on the search-results page, 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 the ``Help'' tab.)
The http://www.regulations.gov Web site provides the option of
making submissions by filling in a comments field, or by attaching a
document. USTR prefers submissions to be provided in an attached
document. If a document is attached, please identify the name of the
country to which the submission pertains in the ``Type Comment'' field.
For example: ``See attached comment on SPS measures for (name of
country)'' USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe
Acrobat (.pdf).
For any comments submitted electronically containing business
confidential information, the file name of the business confidential
version should begin with the characters ``BC''. The top of any page
containing business confidential information must be clearly marked
``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL''. Any person filing comments that contain
business confidential information must also file in a separate
submission a public version of the comments. The file name of the
public version of the comments should begin with the character ``P''.
The ``BC'' and ``P'' should be followed by the name of the person or
entity submitting the comments. If a comment contains no business
confidential information, the file name should begin with 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 comments themselves. 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.
Public Inspection of Submissions
Comments will be placed in the docket and open to public inspection
except confidential business information exempt from public inspection.
Comments may be viewed on the http://www.regulations.gov Web site by
entering the relevant docket number in the search field on the home
page.
William Shpiece,
Acting Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 2013-24722 Filed 10-22-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F3-P