46546 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 170 / Wednesday, September 3, 1997 / Notices

negotiations on review and expansion of

the ITA. Any amendments to the ITA

resulting from these negotiations will be

subject to approval by all of the 42

current ITA participants (Australia,

Canada, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, El

Salvador, Estonia, European

Communities (on behalf of 15 Member

States), Hong Kong, Iceland, India,

Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Macau,

Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, the

Philippines, Poland, Romania,

Singapore, Slovak Republic,

Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Taiwan,

Thailand, Turkey and the United

States). It is expected that other

participants to the ITA will be

conducting similar consultations with

their private sectors.

BACKGROUND: During the Uruguay

Round of multilateral trade negotiations,

the United States sought, but did not

achieve, the reciprocal elimination by

WTO members of tariffs on information

technology products. With the

encouragement and support of a broad

coalition of major U.S. information

technology manufacturers, the

Administration continued to pursue this

objective after the conclusion of the

Uruguay Round. In December 1996,

United States and 36 other countries

and separate customs territories reached

agreement to eliminate tariffs on a wide

range of information technology

products. The resulting agreement

covers computers and computer

equipment, semiconductors and

integrated circuits, computer software

products, telecommunications

equipment, semiconductor

manufacturing equipment and

computer-based analytical instruments.

The Information Technology Agreement

(ITA), the recently concluded WTO

agreement on basic telecommunications

services, and other trade initiatives are

all elements of the ‘‘Framework for

Global Electronic Commerce’’ issued by

President Clinton and Vice President

Gore on July 1, 1997. The

Administration’s goal is to establish a

seamless global electronic marketplace

free from tariff and other market access

barriers (such as those created by

standards-related activities). The

Framework report can be downloaded

from the Internet, at http//

:www.iitf.nist.gov/

electroniclcommerce.htm.

The ITA is being implemented under

the auspices of the WTO. The WTO

estimates that products covered by the

ITA are worth approximately $500

billion in 1995 global trade. Industry

sources estimate that U.S. exports

account for approximately one-fifth of

this total. Detailed information on the

ITA, including the December 1996

Ministerial Declaration on Trade in

Information Technology Products and

its ‘‘product coverage’’ annex and the

March 1997 decision which also

includes detailed information on the

ITA review can be found on the Internet

at http://www.wto.org/wto/goods/

infotech.htm.

On June 30, 1997, under the authority

provided in Section 111(b) of the

Uruguay Round Agreements Act, the

President proclaimed the reduction and

eventual elimination, no later than the

year 2000, of duties on products covered

by the ITA. As required by the

agreement, the United States

implemented the initial ITA duty

reductions on July 1, 1997. Likewise,

other ITA participants will continue to

reduce their tariffs on the covered

products in stages, achieving complete

tariff elimination for most products by

the year 2000. The ITA, the recently

concluded WTO agreement on basic

telecommunications services, and other

trade initiatives are all elements of the

Administration’s framework for

establishing a seamless global electronic

marketplace.

At the March 26, 1997 meeting at the

WTO in Geneva, ITA participants

agreed on a timetable for the first round

of ‘‘ITA-II’’ negotiations. Beginning in

October 1997, there will be a three

month ‘‘open season,’’ in which

participants will identify their priorities

for this process. Multilateral

negotiations will begin in January 1998,

with a view to reaching agreement on

any amendments or modifications to the

ITA by July 1998 and to implementing

those changes on January 1, 1999.

Working with appropriate industry

associations, the interagency TPSC

committee led by USTR is in the process

of preparing negotiating positions for

these consultations. Interested U.S.

parties are invited to submit comments,

by noon, September 30, 1997, on the

following: (1) Discrepancies between

current tariff nomenclature and

emerging technology which may affect

the expected market access benefits to

the United States of the ITA; (2)

additional information technology

products which it would be in the

interests of the United States to include

in the ITA; (3) expansion of the ITA to

ensure a tariff-free environment for

information products and services

transmitted via the Internet; (4) nontariff barriers imposed by other ITA

participants which may hinder expected

market access benefits to U.S. exporters

on products covered by the ITA; and (5)

possible acceleration of ITA duty

reductions previously agreed. We are

requesting this advice pursuant to 19

U.S.C. 2155.

All comments will be consistent in

developing U.S. positions and objectives

for ITA-II negotiations, and for

implementing the President’s

‘‘Framework for Global Electronic

Commerce.’’ Information on products or

practices subject to these negotiations

should include, whenever appropriate,

the import or export tariff classification

number for the product concerned.

Persons submitting written comments

should provide a statement, in twenty

copies, by noon, September 30, 1997, to

Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, TPSC,

Office of the U.S. Trade Representative,

Room 503, 600 17th Street, NW.,

Washington, D.C. 20508. Nonconfidential information received will

be available for public inspection by

appointment in the USTR Reading

Room, Room 101, Monday through

Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:00

p.m. to 4:00 p.m. For an appointment

call Brenda Webb on 202–395-6186.

Business confidential information will

be subject to the requirements of 15 CFR

§ 2003.6. Any business confidential

material must be clearly marked as such

on the cover letter or page and each

succeeding page, and must be

accompanied by a non-confidential

summary thereof.

Frederick L. Montgomery,

Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.

[FR Doc. 97–23368 Filed 9–2–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3190–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

Environmental Process: Clark County,

Nevada

AGENCY: Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Revised notice of intent.

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this

notice to advise the public that the

previously noticed environmental

process for the Northern and Western

Las Vegas Beltway, Clark County,

Nevada (57 FR 37863 dated August 20,

1992), is being terminated and

withdrawn.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

John T. Price, Division Administrator,

Federal Highway Administration,

Nevada Division, 705 N. Plaza St., Suite

220, Carson City, NV 89701, Telephone:

702–687–5320.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August

20, 1992, the FWHA issued a notice of

intent in the Federal Register to advise

that a Tier 1 environmental impact
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 170 / Wednesday, September 3, 1997 / Notices 46547

statement (EIS) would be prepared for

the above project. This Tier 1 EIS was

approved on June 7, 1996, and a Record

of Decision (ROD) was issued by FHWA

on August 5, 1996. Subsequent to

initiation of the Tier 1 EIS, Clark County

committed to obtaining all rights-of-way

and constructing an interim facility with

local funds. The 20-year design facility

was originally expected to be at least

partially Federally funded. Recently,

Clark County concluded that no

Federal-aid Highway funds will be

required. Since the use of Federal-aid

Highway funds for the project are no

longer anticipated, their is no major

Federal action warranting FHWA’s

involvement in the environmental

process.

Therefore, at the request of Clark

County, Nevada, the previously noticed

environmental process is hereby

terminated and withdrawn. FHWA will

not prepare a Tier 2 environmental

document.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Programs Number 20.205, Highway Research,

Planning and Construction. The regulations

implementing Executive Order 12372

regarding intergovernmental consultation on

Federal programs and activities apply to this

program.)

Issued on: August 27, 1997.

Alan J. Friesen,

Assistant Division Administrator, Federal

Highway Administration, Carson City,

Nevada.

[FR Doc. 97–23347 Filed 9–2–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

Petition for Waiver of Compliance

In accordance with Part 211 of Title

49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR),

notice is hereby given that the Federal

Railroad Administration (FRA) received

a request for waiver of compliance with

certain requirements of its safety

standards. The individual petition is

described below, including the party

seeking relief, the regulatory provisions

involved, the nature of the relief being

requested, and the petitioner’s

arguments in favor of relief.

VIA Rail Canada, Incorporated (Waiver

Petition Docket Number RSGM–97–4)

VIA Rail Canada, Incorporated (VIA)

seeks a temporary waiver of compliance

with the Safety Glazing Standards, 49

CFR Part 223.9(c), which requires FRA

certified glazing in all windows of

passenger cars, for fifteen passenger

coaches rebuilt in 1997. VIA states that

the contractor who rebuilt the cars

failed to equip the cars with FRA

certified glazing. VIA plans to use the

coaches to operate a special train on

September 21, 1997, between Toronto,

Ontario, and Buffalo, New York, for

Canadian Buffalo Bills fans. A second

trip is planned for November 1997. VIA

is working with the contractor to replace

the windows with FRA certified glazing

and requests the waiver to ensure the

equipment is available. VIA states that

the fifteen coaches have standard VIA

safety glazing in all locations and are

equipped with four emergency egress

windows per coach, not FRA certified.

Interested parties are invited to

participate in these proceedings by

submitting written views, data, or

comments. FRA does not anticipate

scheduling a public hearing in

connection with these proceedings since

the facts do not appear to warrant a

hearing. If any interested party desires

an opportunity for oral comment, they

should notify FRA, in writing, before

the end of the comment period and

specify the basis for their request.

All communications concerning these

proceedings should identify the

appropriate docket number (e.g., Waiver

Petition Docket Number RSGM–97–4)

and must be submitted in triplicate to

the Docket Clerk, Office of Chief

Counsel, FRA, Nassif Building, 400

Seventh Street, S.W., Mail Stop 10,

Washington, D.C. 20590.

Communications received within 30

days of the date of this notice will be

considered by FRA before final action is

taken. Comments received after that

date will be considered as far as

practicable. Any protest to the special

train movement of September 21, 1997,

must be filed prior to September 15,

1997. All written communications

concerning these proceedings are

available for examination during regular

business hours (9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.) at

FRA’s temporary docket room located at

1120 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Room

7051, Washington, D.C. 20005.

Issued in Washington, D.C. on August 28,

1997.

Grady C. Cothen, Jr.,

Deputy Associate Administrator, for Safety

Standards and Program Development.

[FR Doc. 97–23312 Filed 9–2–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

[FTA Docket No. 97–2866]

Notice of Request for the Extension of

Currently Approved Information

Collection

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration,

DOT.

ACTION: Notice of request for comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the intention of the

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to

request the Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) to extend the following

currently approved information

collection: Environmental Assessments.

DATES: Comments must be submitted

before November 3, 1997.

ADDRESSES: All written comments must

refer to the docket number that appears

at the top of this document and be

submitted to the United States

Department of Transportation, Central

Dockets Office, Pub. L. 401, 400 Seventh

Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590.

All comments received will be available

for examination at the above address

from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., e.t.,

Monday through Friday, except Federal

holidays. Those desiring notification of

receipt of comments must include a selfaddressed, stamped postcard/envelope.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Environmental Assessments—Mr.

Joseph Ossi, Office of Planning, (202)

366–1613.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested

parties are invited to send comments

regarding any aspect of this information

collection, including: (1) The necessity

and utility of the information collection

for the proper performance of the

functions of the FTA; (2) the accuracy

of the estimated burden; (3) ways to

enhance the quality, utility, and clarity

of the collected information; and (4)

ways to minimize the collection burden

without reducing the quality of the

collected information. Comments

submitted in response to this notice will

be summarized and/or included in the

request for OMB approval of this

information collection.

Title: Environmental Assessments

(OMB Number: 2132–0011).

Background: The National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of

1960, as amended, and its implementing

regulations, require that all Federal

agencies consider and document the

social, economic, and environmental

impacts of proposed Federal actions.

For FTA, approvals of grants to State