[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 1, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80006-80007]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-22467]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice: 12556]


Meeting of the United States-Chile Environmental Affairs Council 
and Joint Commission for Environmental Cooperation

ACTION: Notice of the upcoming United States-Chile Environmental 
Affairs Council and Joint Commission for Environmental Cooperation 
meetings and request for comments; invitation to public session.

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SUMMARY: The Department of State and the Office of the United States 
Trade Representative are providing notice that the parties to the 
United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement (FTA) intend to hold the tenth 
meeting of the Environmental Affairs Council (Council) established 
under Chapter 19 of the FTA, as well as the eighth meeting of the 
United States-Chile Joint Commission for Environmental Cooperation 
(Commission) established under the United States-Chile Environmental 
Cooperation Agreement (ECA), on October 29, 2024. The Council will 
review implementation of Chapter 19 (Environment) of the FTA, and the 
Commission will review implementation of the ECA. During the Council 
and Commission meetings, Members will discuss the progress made in 
implementing Chapter 19 obligations and the impacts of environmental 
cooperation. The Commission will also review activities completed under 
the Environmental Cooperation Work Program for 2021-2024 and approve 
the Environmental Cooperation Work Program for 2025-2028. More 
information on the Council and Commission is included below under 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

DATES: The public session of the Council and Commission will be held on 
October 30, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon Chile Standard Time 
(9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time). Please contact Bradley 
Blecker and Tia Potskhverashvili for the location of this meeting and 
connection information for virtual participation. We request RSVPs and 
any written comments no later than October 21, 2024, in order to 
facilitate consideration.

ADDRESSES: Written comments or questions should use ``United States-
Chile EAC/JCEC Meetings'' as the subject line and be submitted to both:
    (1) Bradley Blecker, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Oceans and 
International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Office of 
Environmental Quality, by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#cc8ea0a9afa7a9be8e988cbfb8adb8a9e2aba3ba"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="185a747d7b737d6a5a4c586b6c796c7d367f776e">[email protected]</span></a> and
    (2) Tia Potskhverashvili, Office of Environment and Natural 
Resources, Office of the United States Trade Representative, by email 
to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5f2b363e2f302b2c1f2a2c2b2d713a302f71383029"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5f2b363e2f302b2c1f2a2c2b2d713a302f71383029">[email protected]</span></a>.
    In your email, please include your full name and organization.
    If you have access to the internet, you can view and comment on 
this notice by going to: http://www.regulations.gov/#!home and 
searching for docket number DOS-2024-0037.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bradley Blecker, (202) 394-3316, 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f9bb959c9a929c8bbbadb98a8d988d9cd79e968f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="97d5fbf2f4fcf2e5d5c3d7e4e3f6e3f2b9f0f8e1">[email protected]</span></a> or Tia Potskhverashvili, (202) 395-5414, 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4c38252d3c23383f0c393f383e6229233c622b233a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7c08151d0c13080f3c090f080e5219130c521b130a">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The United States and Chile negotiated the 
United States-Chile FTA and United States-Chile ECA in concert, signing 
the FTA on June 6, 2003, in Miami, USA and the ECA on June 17, 2003, in 
Santiago, Chile. Article 19.3 of the FTA establishes an Environment 
Affairs Council (Council). The Council discusses implementation of 
Chapter 19 of the FTA, and its meetings include a public session. The 
Joint Commission for Environmental Cooperation (Commission) was 
established in Article II of the ECA. The Commission evaluates 
cooperative activities under the ECA, recommends options for improving 
cooperation, and establishes work programs that reflect national 
priorities and that identify the scope and focus of environmental 
cooperation activities. Commission meetings also include a public 
session.
    The Council and Commission last met in August 2022 in Washington, 
DC, USA. The Council reviewed the implementation of the Environment 
Chapter of the FTA. The Commission approved the 2021-2024 Work Program, 
which built on previous successes and identified activities to achieve 
the long-term goals of: (1) strengthening effective implementation and 
enforcement of environmental laws and regulations; (2) encouraging 
development and adoption of sound environmental practices and 
technologies, particularly in business enterprises; (3) promoting 
sustainable development and management of environmental resources, 
including wild fauna and flora, protected wild areas, and other 
ecologically important ecosystems; and (4) encouraging civil society 
participation in the environmental decision-making process and 
environmental education.
    If you would like to attend the public session, please notify 
Bradley Blecker and Tia Potskhverashvili at the email addresses listed 
above under the heading ADDRESSES and RSVP. Please include your full 
name and identify any organization or group you represent. In preparing 
comments, we encourage submitters to refer to:
    <bullet> Chapter 19 of the FTA and
    <bullet> the ECA.
    These documents are available at: https://www.state.gov/key-topics-office-of-environmental-quality-and-transboundary-issues/current-trade-agreements-with-environmental-chapters/#chile and https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/environment/bilateral-and-regional-trade-agreements. Visit 
http://www.state.gov and the USTR website at www.ustr.gov for more 
information.
    All interested persons are invited to attend the Council and 
Commission joint public session in person beginning at 10:00 a.m. Chile 
Standard Time (9:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time) on October 30, 2024, in 
Santiago, Chile. There will also be a link provided for those that 
would like to participate virtually. Attendees will have the 
opportunity to ask questions and discuss implementation of Chapter 19 
and the ECA with Council and Commission Members and environmental 
cooperation implementers. At the public session, the Council will 
receive input from the public on current

[[Page 80007]]

environmental issues and ideas for future cooperation. The Department 
of State and Office of the United States Trade Representative invite 
written comments or suggestions regarding topics to be discussed at the 
meeting. In preparing comments, we encourage submitters to refer to 
Chapter 19 of the FTA and the ECA (available at https://www.state.gov/key-topics-office-of-environmental-quality-and-transboundary-issues/current-trade-agreements-with-environmental-chapters/#chile). 
Instructions on how to submit comments are under the heading ADDRESSES 
and RSVP.

Robert D. Wing,
Acting Director, Office of Environmental Quality, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2024-22467 Filed 9-30-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-09-P


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