[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 99 (Friday, May 22, 1998)] [Notices] [Pages 28419-28420] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-13887] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT The Nineteenth Meeting of the President's Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) in Washington, DC SUMMARY: The President's Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD), a Presidential Commission with representation from industry, government, environmental, and Native American organizations, will convene its nineteenth meeting in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, June 4, 1998. Under its current charter from the Clinton Administration, the Council is (1) continuing to forge consensus on policy, (2) demonstrating implementation, (3) getting the word out about sustainable development, and (4) evaluating progress. The Council will advise the President in four specific areas: domestic implementation of policy options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, next steps in building the new environmental management system of the 21st century, promoting multi-jurisdictional and community cooperation in metropolitan and rural areas, and policies that foster the United States' leadership role in sustainable development internationally. At the Council's last meeting in Atlanta, GA on November 20, 1997, the members listened to and questioned invited experts as they presented their views on the possibilities and limitations of new technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Council also heard from people in the Atlanta region about ways in which the climate change issues are affecting, and could affect, their lives. At the June 4th meeting the Council will hear presentations, discuss a wide array of business, and decide on important next steps. June 4 Public Meeting 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.National Town Meetings for a New American Dream. Progress on the goals, vision, audiences, anchor events, and overall planning for this seminal event taking place in Detroit and in communities across America on May 2-5, 1999. Benefits and opportunities for community-based greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategies. Progress of the Pacific Northwest Regional Council and Metropolitan and Rural Strategies Task Force. 12:00-1:00 p.m.--Lunch 1:00-4:00 p.m.--Public Meeting Continued Presentations ``The Importance of Incentives for Early Action on Climate Change''. Priority Climate Technologies and Barriers. Environmental Management Task Force's ``Proposed Environmental Management Framework''. Public Comment. Public comment period: The Council will seek public comment on the Council's activities to implement the Administration's directive. Public comment will be taken during the substantive sessions as time permits, and during the allotted time for public comment identified in the agenda above. Written comments may be submitted before or during the public meeting. All written and oral comments will become part of the public record. Specifically, the Council is interested in hearing from the public comments in the following areas: The Climate Task Force of the President's Council agreed last fall on the important role of technology in addressing climate change, stating that, ``To protect the climate cost effectively, technology breakthroughs, technology incentives, and the elimination of barriers for the deployment of existing technologies are needed. Broad- based cooperative programs to stimulate markets and develop and disseminate new and existing technology to industrialized and developing countries, must be a high priority.'' What in your view is the most important new technology or class of technologies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions? What are the barriers to their adoption? The Climate Task Force of the President's Council agreed last fall on the need for incentives for early action stating that, ``Greenhouse gases have atmospheric lifetimes ranging from decades to over a century, and both the concentration and the rate of increase of these gases in the atmosphere are important factors in determining the risk of climate change. Therefore, policies to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other measures to protect the climate should include incentives for early action.'' What key issues must be addressed in any system designed to create early incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions'? The Council's Charter directs the Council to ``Get the Word Out About Sustainable Development.'' In the context of climate change, what strategies should the Council use to share its consensus views on the climate change issue? How can community-based strategies be used to address climate change? What are the most interesting innovations now underway in environmental management that are advancing or could advance the economic, environmental and social goals of sustainable development? The Council's previous recommendations to the President may be found in two reports: Sustainable [[Page 28420]] America: A New Consensus for Prosperity, Opportunity, and a Healthy Environment for the Future (March 1996) and Building on Consensus: A Progress Report on Sustainable America (January 1997). Copies of both reports can be ordered by calling 1-800-363-3732 or downloaded off the Internet at ``http://www.whitehouse.gov/PCSD''. Dates/Times: Thursday, June 4, 1998 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Place: Ronald Reagan International Trade Center Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC. Enter at main entrance on 14th Street and proceed down stairs or escalator to the open courtyard and follow signs to the event. Status: Open to the public. Public comments are welcome and may be submitted orally on Thursday June 4 or in writing any time prior to or during the meeting. Please submit written comments prior to the meeting to: PCSD, Public Comments, 730 Jackson Place, NW, Washington, D.C. 20503, or fax to: 202/408-6839, E-mail: ``[email protected]''. Contact: Paul Flaim, Administrative Assistant, at 202/408-5296. Sign Language Interpreter: Please notify the contact if you will need a sign language interpreter. Martin A. Spitzer, Executive Director, President's Council on Sustainable Development. [FR Doc. 98-13887 Filed 5-20-98; 2:20 pm] BILLING CODE 3125-01-P