Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 169 / Tuesday, September 2, 2014 / Notices 52099 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Numbers 59002 and 59008). 

James E. Rivera, 

Associate Administrator, for Disaster 

Assistance. 

[FR Doc. 2014–20662 Filed 8–29–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8025–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice: 8857] 

Renewal of the Charter of the 

International Telecommunication 

Advisory Committee on (ITAC) 

SUMMARY: This notice announces the 

renewal of the charter for the 

International Telecommunication 

Advisory Committees (ITAC). In 

accordance with the provisions of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. 

L. 92–463, 5 U.S.C. Appendix) and the 

general authority of the Secretary of 

State and the Department of State set 

forth in Title 22 of the United States 

Code, in particular Sections 2656 and 

2707, the charter of the International 

Telecommunication Advisory 

Committee has been extended until 

August 8, 2016. 

The ITAC consists of members of the 

telecommunications industry, ranging 

from network operators and service 

providers to equipment vendors, 

members of academia, members of civil 

society, and officials of interested 

government agencies. The ITAC 

provides views and advice to the 

Department of State on positions on 

international telecommunications and 

information policy matters. This advice 

has been a major factor in ensuring that 

the United States was well prepared to 

participate effectively in the 

international telecommunications and 

information policy arena. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Please contact Franz Zichy at 202–647– 

5778, zichyfj@msn.com. 

Dated: August 27, 2014. 

Franz J.G. Zichy, 

Electronic Engineer, Office of International 

Communications and Information Policy, 

Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2014–20799 Filed 8–29–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–07–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 8856] 

Meeting of the United States-Jordan 

Joint Forum on Environmental 

Technical Cooperation and Request for 

Comments on the Meeting Agenda and 

the 2014–2017 Work Program 

AGENCY: Department of State. 

ACTION: Announcement of meeting; 

solicitation of comments; invitation to 

public session. 

SUMMARY: The Department of State is 

providing notice that the governments 

of the United States and the Hashemite 

Kingdom of Jordan (the governments) 

intend to hold the Joint Forum on 

Environmental Technical Cooperation 

(Joint Forum) and a public session in 

Amman, Jordan, on September 8, 2014, 

at the Royal Scientific Society, 

Hashemite Auditorium. 

The governments created the Joint 

Forum pursuant to the United StatesJordan Joint Statement on 

Environmental Technical Cooperation 

(Joint Statement) in support of the 

United States-Jordan Free Trade 

Agreement (FTA), both signed on 

October 24, 2000. During the Joint 

Forum, the governments will discuss 

how the United States and Jordan can 

cooperate to protect the environment, 

review past bilateral environmental 

cooperation, and commit to a 2014– 

2017 Work Program on Environmental 

Technical Cooperation (Work Program). 

The Department of State invites 

members of the public to submit written 

comments on items to include on the 

meeting agenda or in the 2014–2017 

Work Program. 

The Department of State also invites 

interested persons to attend a public 

session to learn more about the work of 

the Joint Forum and the new Work 

Program and provide advice or 

comments on its implementation. 

DATES: The public session will be held 

on September 8, 2014, in Amman, 

Jordan at the Royal Scientific Society, 

Hashemite Auditorium. Comments on 

the Joint Forum meeting agenda and/or 

the 2014–2017 Work Program should be 

provided no later than September 4, 

2014, to facilitate consideration. 

ADDRESSES: Those interested in 

attending the public session should 

email Geoff Finger at FingerGT@

state.gov. Comments on the Joint Forum 

meeting agenda and/or the 2014–2017 

Work Program should be emailed to 

FingerGT@state.gov or faxed to Geoff 

Finger at (202) 647–5947, with the 

subject line ‘‘United States-Jordan 

Environmental Cooperation.’’ Those 

with access to the internet can view and 

comment on this notice by going to: 

http://www.regulations.gov/#!home and 

searching on docket number DOS– 

2014–0021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Geoff Finger, (202) 647–4828. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

United States and Jordan announced the 

establishment of the Joint Forum when 

they signed the Joint Statement on 

October 24, 2000, along with the FTA. 

The Joint Forum meets regularly and 

advances environmental protection in 

Jordan by developing environmental 

technical cooperation initiatives, which 

take into account environmental 

priorities, and which are agreed to by 

the governments. In paragraph 4 of the 

Joint Statement, the countries identified 

an initial focus of technical cooperation 

on Jordanian environmental quality 

issues and the development and 

effective implementation of Jordanian 

environmental laws, as defined in 

Articles 5.4 and 18.2(a) of the FTA. 

The Joint Forum has met three times 

since 2000: In 2004, 2009, and 2012, 

and issued three documents to 

implement the Joint Statement. The 

United States anticipates the 2014–2017 

Work Program will build upon this prior 

cooperation. The September 2004 Plan 

of Action focused on implementing the 

strategic vision of Jordan’s Ministry of 

Environment, established in 2002, to 

promote sustainable economic growth 

and development. The plan outlined 

activities to, among other things, 

strengthen the Ministry’s capacity for 

setting, implementing, and ensuring 

compliance with environmental 

standards; harness market forces to 

protect the environment while bringing 

economic benefits; undertake industrial 

wastewater treatment and hazardous 

waste management for a target region; 

seek out economic benefits of 

ecotourism; and promote the 

development of a regional network of 

environmental lawmakers and 

enforcement officials. During the second 

Joint Forum in March 2009, the 

governments agreed on the 2008–2011 

Work Program, which largely continued 

the previous areas for cooperation. In 

March 2012, the governments issued the 

most recent Work Program for 2012– 

2013 with the following priority areas of 

cooperation: (1) Institutional and policy 

strengthening for effective 

implementation and enforcement of 

environmental laws, including natural 

resource-related laws; (2) biodiversity 

conservation and improved 

management of protected areas and 

other ecologically important 

ecosystems; (3) improved private sector 

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52100 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 169 / Tuesday, September 2, 2014 / Notices 

environmental performance; and (4) 

environmental education, transparency, 

and public participation in 

environmental decision-making and 

enforcement. 

Members of the public, including 

non-governmental organizations, 

educational institutions, private sector 

enterprises, and all other interested 

persons, are invited to submit written 

comments regarding items for inclusion 

in the meeting agenda or in the new 

Work Program. Please include your full 

name and identify any organization or 

group you represent. We encourage 

submitters to refer to: 

• United States-Jordan Joint 

Statement on Environmental Technical 

Cooperation; 

• United States-Jordan 2012–2013 

Work Program on Environmental 

Technical Cooperation; 

• United States-Jordan 2008–2011 

Work Program on Environmental 

Technical Cooperation; 

• Article 5 of the United States-Jordan 

Free Trade Agreement; and 

• Environmental Review of the 

United States-Jordan Free Trade 

Agreement. 

These documents are available at: 

http://www.state.gov/e/oes/eqt/trade/

jordan/index.htm. 

Dated: August 27, 2014. 

Deborah Klepp, 

Director, Office of Environmental Quality and 

Transboundary Issues, U.S. Department of 

State. 

[FR Doc. 2014–20805 Filed 8–29–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–09–P 

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES 

TRADE REPRESENTATIVE 

Request for Comments and Notice of 

Public Hearing Concerning Russia’s 

Implementation of Its WTO Obligations 

AGENCY: Office of the United States 

Trade Representative. 

ACTION: Request for comments and 

notice of public hearing concerning 

Russia’s implementation of Its 

obligations as a Member of the World 

Trade Organization (WTO). 

SUMMARY: The interagency Trade Policy 

Staff Committee (TPSC) will convene a 

public hearing and seek public 

comment to assist the Office of the 

United States Trade Representative 

(USTR) in the preparation of its annual 

report to Congress on Russia’s 

implementation of its obligations as a 

Member of the WTO. 

DATES: Written comments are due by 

11:59 p.m., Friday, September 26, 2014. 

Persons wishing to testify orally at the 

hearing must provide written 

notification of their intention, as well as 

a summary of their testimony, by 11:59 

p.m., Friday, September 26, 2014. The 

hearing will be held on Friday, October 

10, 2014, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in 

Rooms 1 & 2, 1724 F Street NW., 

Washington, DC 20508. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

notifications of intent to testify should 

be submitted electronically via the 

Internet at www.regulations.gov. If you 

are unable to provide submissions at 

www.regulations.gov, please contact 

Yvonne Jamison, TPSC, at (202) 395– 

3475, to arrange for an alternative 

method of transmission. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

procedural questions concerning written 

comments, please contact Yvonne 

Jamison at (202) 395–3475. All other 

questions regarding this notice should 

be directed to Betsy Hafner, Deputy 

Assistant United States Trade 

Representative for Russia and Eurasia, at 

(202) 395–9124. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Background 

Russia became a Member of the WTO 

on August 22, 2012, and on December 

21, 2012, following the termination of 

the application of the Jackson-Vanik 

amendment to Russia and the extension 

of permanent normal trade relations to 

the products of Russia, the United States 

and Russia both filed letters with the 

WTO withdrawing their notices of nonapplication and consenting to have the 

WTO Agreement apply between them. 

In accordance with section 201(a) of the 

Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik 

Repeal and Sergei Magnitskiy Rule of 

Law Accountability Act of 2012 (Pub. L. 

112–208), USTR is required to submit, 

by December 21 of each year, a report 

to Congress on the extent to which 

Russia is implementing the WTO 

Agreement, including the Agreement on 

the Application of Sanitary and 

Phytosanitary Measures and the 

Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of 

Intellectual Property Rights. The Report 

must also assess Russia’s progress on 

acceding to the Information Technology 

Agreement (ITA) and the Government 

Procurement Agreement (GPA). In 

addition, to the extent that USTR finds 

that Russia is not implementing fully 

the WTO Agreement or is not making 

adequate progress in acceding to the 

ITA or the GPA, USTR must describe in 

the report the actions it plans to take to 

encourage Russia to improve its 

implementation and/or increase its 

accession efforts. In accordance with 

section 201(a), and to assist it in 

preparing this year’s report, the TPSC is 

hereby soliciting public comment. 

The terms of Russia’s accession to the 

WTO are contained in the Marrakesh 

Agreement Establishing the World 

Trade Organization and the Protocol on 

the Accession of the Russian Federation 

to the WTO (including its annexes) 

(Protocol). The Report of the Working 

Party on the Accession of the Russian 

Federation (Working Party Report) 

provides detail and context to the 

commitments listed in the Protocol. The 

Protocol and Working Party Report can 

be found on USTR’s Web page, http:// 

www.ustr.gov/webfmlsend/3224 or on 

the WTO Web site, http://

docsonline.wto.org (document symbols: 

WT/ACC/RUS/70, WT/MIN(11)/2, WT/

MIN(11)/24, WT/L/839, and WT/ACC/

RUS/70/Add.1, WT/ACC/RUS/70/

Add.2. 

2. Public Comment and Hearing 

USTR invites written comments and/ 

or oral testimony of interested persons 

on Russia’s implementation of the 

commitments made in connection with 

its accession to the WTO, including, but 

not limited to, commitments in the 

following areas: (a) Import regulation 

(e.g., tariffs, tariff-rate quotas, quotas, 

import licenses); (b) export regulation; 

(c) subsidies; (d) standards and 

technical regulations; (e) sanitary and 

phytosanitary measures; (f) trade-related 

investment measures; (g) taxes and 

charges levied on imports and exports; 

(h) other internal policies affecting 

trade; (i) intellectual property rights 

(including intellectual property rights 

enforcement); (j) services; (k) rule of law 

issues (e.g., transparency, judicial 

review, uniform administration of laws 

and regulations); and (l) other WTO 

commitments. 

Written comments must be received 

no later than 11:59 p.m., Friday, 

September 26, 2014. 

A hearing will be held on Friday, 

October 10, 2014, in Rooms 1 & 2, 1724 

F Street NW., Washington, DC 20508. 

Persons wishing to testify at the hearing 

must provide written notification of 

their intention by 11:59 p.m., September 

26, 2014. The intent to testify 

notification must be made in the ‘‘Type 

Comment’’ field under docket number 

USTR–2014–0016 on the 

www.regulations.gov Web site and 

should include the name, address and 

telephone number of the person 

presenting the testimony. A summary of 

the testimony should be attached by 

using the ‘‘Upload File’’ field. The name 

of the file should also include who will 

be presenting the testimony. Remarks at 

the hearing should be limited to no 

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