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| **[World Trade]{.smallcaps}**                    |                   |
|                                                  |                   |
| **[Organization]{.smallcaps}**                   |                   |
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|                                                  | **                |
|                                                  | G/TBT/N/USA/177** |
|                                                  |                   |
|                                                  | 14 March 2006     |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  | (06-1141)         |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  |                   |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
| **Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade**     | Original: English |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+

NOTIFICATION

The following notification is being circulated in accordance with
Article 10.6.

+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Member to Agreement     |   |                                 |
| 1. | notifying:** [UNITED      |   |                                 |
| ** | STATES]{.underline}       |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **If applicable, name of  |   |                                 |
|    | local government involved |   |                                 |
|    | (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):** |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Agency responsible:**   |   |                                 |
| 2. | Environmental Protection  |   |                                 |
| ** | Agency (EPA) (183)        |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **Name and address        |   |                                 |
|    | (including telephone and  |   |                                 |
|    | fax numbers, e-mail and   |   |                                 |
|    | web-site addresses, if    |   |                                 |
|    | available) of** **agency  |   |                                 |
|    | or authority designated   |   |                                 |
|    | to handle comments        |   |                                 |
|    | regarding the             |   |                                 |
|    | notification shall be     |   |                                 |
|    | indicated if different    |   |                                 |
|    | from above:**             |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Notified under Article  |   |                                 |
| 3. | 2.9.2 \[** X **\], 2.10.1 |   |                                 |
| ** | \[ **  **\], 5.6.2        |   |                                 |
|    | \[ **  **\], 5.7.1        |   |                                 |
|    | \[ **  **\], other:**     |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Products covered (HS or |   |                                 |
| 4. | CCCN where applicable,    |   |                                 |
| ** | otherwise national tariff |   |                                 |
|    | heading.\                 |   |                                 |
|    | ICS numbers may be        |   |                                 |
|    | provided in addition,     |   |                                 |
|    | where applicable):**      |   |                                 |
|    | Perfluorinated Polymers   |   |                                 |
|    | (HS: 3808; ICS: 13)       |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Title, number of pages  |   |                                 |
| 5. | and language(s) of the    |   |                                 |
| ** | notified document:**      |   |                                 |
|    | Premanufacture            |   |                                 |
|    | Notification Exemption    |   |                                 |
|    | for Polymers; Amendment   |   |                                 |
|    | of Polymer Exemption Rule |   |                                 |
|    | to Exclude Certain        |   |                                 |
|    | Perfluorinated Polymers   |   |                                 |
|    | (22 pages, inEnglish)     |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Description of          |   |                                 |
| 6. | content:** EPA is         |   |                                 |
| ** | proposing to amend the    |   |                                 |
|    | polymer exemption rule,   |   |                                 |
|    | which provides an         |   |                                 |
|    | exemption from the        |   |                                 |
|    | premanufacture            |   |                                 |
|    | notification (PMN)        |   |                                 |
|    | requirements of the Toxic |   |                                 |
|    | Substances Control Act    |   |                                 |
|    | (TSCA), to exclude from   |   |                                 |
|    | eligibility polymers      |   |                                 |
|    | containing as an integral |   |                                 |
|    | part of their             |   |                                 |
|    | composition, except as    |   |                                 |
|    | impurities, certain       |   |                                 |
|    | perfluoroalkyl moieties   |   |                                 |
|    | consisting of a CF3- or   |   |                                 |
|    | longer chain length. This |   |                                 |
|    | proposed exclusion        |   |                                 |
|    | includes polymers that    |   |                                 |
|    | contain any one or more   |   |                                 |
|    | of the following:         |   |                                 |
|    | Perfluoroalkyl sulfonates |   |                                 |
|    | (PFAS); perfluoroalkyl    |   |                                 |
|    | carboxylates (PFAC);      |   |                                 |
|    | fluorotelomers; or        |   |                                 |
|    | perfluoroalkyl moieties   |   |                                 |
|    | that are covalently bound |   |                                 |
|    | to either a carbon or     |   |                                 |
|    | sulfur atom where the     |   |                                 |
|    | carbon or sulfur atom is  |   |                                 |
|    | an integral part of the   |   |                                 |
|    | polymer molecule. If      |   |                                 |
|    | finalized as proposed,    |   |                                 |
|    | any person who intends to |   |                                 |
|    | manufacture (or import)   |   |                                 |
|    | any of these polymers not |   |                                 |
|    | already on the TSCA       |   |                                 |
|    | Inventory would have to   |   |                                 |
|    | complete the TSCA         |   |                                 |
|    | premanufacture review     |   |                                 |
|    | process prior to          |   |                                 |
|    | commencing the            |   |                                 |
|    | manufacture or import of  |   |                                 |
|    | such polymers. EPA        |   |                                 |
|    | believes this proposed    |   |                                 |
|    | change to the current     |   |                                 |
|    | regulation is necessary   |   |                                 |
|    | because, based on recent  |   |                                 |
|    | information, EPA can no   |   |                                 |
|    | longer conclude that      |   |                                 |
|    | these polymers \"will not |   |                                 |
|    | present an unreasonable   |   |                                 |
|    | risk to human health or   |   |                                 |
|    | the environment,\'\'      |   |                                 |
|    | which is the              |   |                                 |
|    | determination necessary   |   |                                 |
|    | to support an exemption   |   |                                 |
|    | under TSCA, such as the   |   |                                 |
|    | polymer exemption rule.   |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Objective and           |   |                                 |
| 7. | rationale, including the  |   |                                 |
| ** | nature of urgent problems |   |                                 |
|    | where applicable:**       |   |                                 |
|    | Protection of human       |   |                                 |
|    | health and the            |   |                                 |
|    | environment               |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Relevant documents:**   |   |                                 |
| 8. | 71 Federal Register (FR)  |   |                                 |
| ** | 11484 7 March 2006; Title |   |                                 |
|    | 40 Code of Federal        |   |                                 |
|    | Regulations (CFR) Part    |   |                                 |
|    | 723. Will appear in the   |   |                                 |
|    | Federal Register when     |   |                                 |
|    | adopted.                  |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Proposed date of        |   | To be determined                |
| 9. | adoption:**               |   |                                 |
| ** |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **Proposed date of entry  |   |                                 |
|    | into force:**             |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| *  | **Final date for          |   |                                 |
| *1 | comments:** 8 May 2006    |   |                                 |
| 0. |                           |   |                                 |
| ** |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| *  | **Texts available from:   |   |                                 |
| *1 | National enquiry point    |   |                                 |
| 1. | \[** X **\] or address,   |   |                                 |
| ** | telephone and fax         |   |                                 |
|    | numbers, e-mail and       |   |                                 |
|    | web-site addresses, if    |   |                                 |
|    | available of the other    |   |                                 |
|    | body:**                   |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | Full texts are now        |   |                                 |
|    | available on the internet |   |                                 |
|    | at URLs:                  |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | <http://a257.g.akama      |   |                                 |
|    | itech.net/7/257/2422/01ja |   |                                 |
|    | n20061800/edocket.access. |   |                                 |
|    | gpo.gov/2006/06-2152.htm> |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | <http://a257.g.akamaitec  |   |                                 |
|    | h.net/7/257/2422/01jan200 |   |                                 |
|    | 61800/edocket.access.gpo. |   |                                 |
|    | gov/2006/pdf/06-2152.pdf> |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+