20846 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 80 / Wednesday, April 25, 2001 / Notices

18,346), the Office of the United States

Trade Representative announced the

initiation of a Section 302 investigation

of the intellectual property laws and

practices of the Government of Ukraine,

and scheduled a public hearing for

April 27, 2001. The location of the

public hearing has been changed to the

Office of the United States Trade

Representative, 1724 F Street, NW.,

Rooms 1 and 2, Washington, DC. The

hearing will begin at 10 a.m. on April

27, 2001.

William Busis,

Chairman, Section 301 Committee.

[FR Doc. 01–10269 Filed 4–24–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3190–01–U

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES

TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

Trade Policy Staff Committee; Notice

of Initiation of Environmental Review

and Request for Comment on Scope of

Environmental Review of Mandated

Multilateral Trade Negotiations on

Agriculture and Services in the World

Trade Organization

AGENCY: Office of the United States

Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Executive Order

13141 (64 FR 63169), this publication

gives notice that the Office of the United

States Trade Representative (USTR) is

initiating an environmental review of

the multilateral trade negotiations on

agriculture and services in the World

Trade Organization (WTO). The Trade

Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) requests

written comment from the public

concerning what should be included in

the scope of the environmental review

(including the potential environmental

effects that might flow from agreements

on agriculture and services and the

potential implications for

environmental laws, regulations, and

other obligations) and the best time to

conduct the analysis.

DATES: Public comments should be

received no later than July 27, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

procedural questions concerning public

comments, contact Gloria Blue,

Executive Secretary, TPSC, Office of the

USTR, 1724 F Street, NW., Washington,

DC 20508, telephone (202) 395–3475.

Questions concerning the

environmental review should be

addressed to Joseph Ferrante,

Environment and Natural Resources

Section, telephone 202–395–7320.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Executive Order 13141—

Environmental Review of Trade

Agreements in November, 1999, 64 FR

13141 (Nov. 16, 1999), and its

implementing guidelines, 65 FR 79442

(Dec. 19, 2000), formalize the U.S.

policy of conducting environmental

reviews for certain major trade

agreements. Reviews are used to

identify potentially significant

environmental impacts (both positive

and negative), and information from the

review may facilitate consideration of

appropriate responses where impacts

are identified.

The Executive Order identifies certain

types of agreements for which an

environmental review is mandatory:

Comprehensive multilateral trade

rounds; bilateral or plurilateral free

trade agreements; and major new trade

liberalization agreements in natural

resource sectors. For other types of

agreements, the Executive Order and

guidelines direct USTR, through the

TPSC, to determine whether a review is

warranted based on such factors as the

potential significance of reasonably

foreseeable positive and negative

environmental impacts.

The World Trade Organization (WTO)

Agreement on Agriculture and the

General Agreement on Trade in Services

(GATS) call for WTO members to

undertake further negotiations to

liberalize trade in agriculture and

services, respectively. The agriculture

and services negotiations (known as the

‘‘built-in agenda’’ for agriculture and

services) are currently underway in the

WTO. USTR provided general

background on the negotiations and

requested public comment on general

U.S. negotiating objectives as well as

country and item-specific export

priorities for agriculture and services in

previous Federal Register notices. See

65 FR 16450 (Mar. 28, 2000); 66 FR

18141 (April 5, 2001).

In June, 2000, the United States

submitted a proposal for long-term,

comprehensive agricultural reform in

the WTO. The proposal calls for

substantial reductions or elimination of

tariffs, expansion of remaining tariff-rate

quotas, elimination of export subsidies,

disciplines on the use of export

restrictions on agricultural products,

simplification of rules applying to

domestic support, and establishment of

a ceiling on trade-distorting support that

applies equally to all countries. The

United States presented a more detailed

position on the tariff rate quota element

of the proposal. The U.S. proposals are

available on USTR’s website at

www.ustr.gov.

In July, 2000, the United States

submitted a comprehensive proposal

concerning the conduct of the services

negotiations and presented 12 detailed

negotiating proposals in December,

2000, addressing 11 services sectors

(accountancy services; audiovisual and

related services; distribution services;

education and training services; energy

services; environmental services;

express delivery services; financial

services; legal services;

telecommunications, value-added

network, and complementary services;

and tourism services) and one GATS

‘‘mode of supply’’ (movement of natural

persons). The U.S. proposals (also

available on the USTR website) seek to

remove market access, national

treatment, and other restrictions

affecting services and services suppliers

in these and other areas, while

maintaining the ability to regulate in the

public interest. Thus, the sectoral

coverage of the services negotiations is

broad. This notice requests commenters’

views, in particular, on which service

sectors to address or not to address in

the environmental review.

Pursuant to the Executive Order and

guidelines, USTR has determined

through the TPSC that the built-in

agenda negotiations in agriculture and

services warrant an environmental

review. The volume of trade affected in

both agriculture and services is

significant. U.S. agricultural trade in

2000 was over $100 billion. U.S. exports

of commercial services (i.e., excluding

military and government) were $255

billion in 1999, supporting over 4

million services and manufacturing jobs

in the United States. Cross-border trade

in services accounts for more than 25

percent of world trade, or about $1.4

trillion annually. U.S. commercial

services exports have more than

doubled over the last 11 years,

increasing from $118 billion in 1989 to

$255 billion in 1999.

Agricultural trade can be expected to

have implications for land resource use,

which in turn may have implications for

the environment (e.g., water quality and

quantity issues). In addition, the United

States has previously undertaken

analyses that have indicated potential

environmental benefits resulting from

elimination of agricultural export

subsidies, a key U.S. objective in the

negotiations. Further examination of

this issue might be appropriate in the

environmental review.

The Executive Order and guidelines

provide flexibility concerning the

appropriate time for undertaking the

analytical work supporting an

environmental review, once it is

initiated. In recognition of the fact that

the agriculture and services negotiations

are still at a preliminary stage, the

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 80 / Wednesday, April 25, 2001 / Notices 20847

public is requested to provide

comments with as much specificity as

possible concerning both the scope of

the review and the appropriate time for

conducting the analysis. (Comments

received in response to previous notices

will also be considered for this

purpose.) The scope and timing of the

review will also be informed by internal

U.S. government economic and

environmental analyses. Moreover, as

developments in the negotiations

further clarify the scope of the potential

agreements, USTR anticipates that there

will be other opportunities for the

public to provide additional input as

appropriate.

Written Comments

Persons submitting written comments

should provide twenty (20) copies no

later than close of business, July 27,

2001, to Gloria Blue at the address noted

above. If possible, written comments

should be supplemented with a

computer disk of the submission. The

disk should have a label identifying the

software used and the submitter.

Written comments submitted in

connection with this request, except for

information granted ‘‘business

confidential’’ status pursuant to 15 CFR

2003.6, will be available for public

inspection in the USTR Reading Room,

in Room 3 of the annex of the Office of

the United States Trade Representative,

1724 F Street, NW., Washington DC. An

appointment to review the file may be

made by calling Brenda Webb at (202)

395–6186. The Reading Room is open to

the public from 10–12 a.m. and from 1–

4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Business confidential information

will be subject to the requirements of 15

CFR 2003.6. If the submission contains

business confidential information, it

must be accompanied by twenty copies

of a public version that does not contain

business confidential information. A

justification as to why the information

contained in the submission should be

treated confidentially must be included

with the submission. In addition, any

submissions containing business

confidential information must be clearly

marked ‘‘Confidential’’ at the top and

bottom of the cover page (or letter) and

each succeeding page of the submission.

The version that does not contain

confidential information should also be

clearly marked at the top and bottom of

each page ‘‘Public Version’’ or ‘‘NonConfidential.’’

Carmen Suro-Bredie,

Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee.

[FR Doc. 01–10207 Filed 4–24–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3190–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

Public Notice for Waiver of

Aeronautical Land-Use Assurance;

Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport

Springfield, OH

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent of waiver with

respect to land.

SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) is considering a

proposal to change a portion of airport

land from aeronautical use to nonaeronautical use and to authorize the

sale of the airport property. The

proposal consists of one parcel of land

totaling approximately 10.30 acres for

industrial land use. Current use and

present condition is vacant grassland.

There are no impacts to the airport by

allowing the airport to dispose of this

property.

Approval does not constitute a

commitment by the FAA to financially

assist in the sale of the subject airport

property nor a determination that all

measures covered by the program are

eligible for Airport Improvement

Program funding from the FAA. The

disposition of proceeds from the sale of

the airport property will be in

accordance with the FAA’s Policy and

Procedures Concerning the Use of

Airport Revenue, published in the

Federal Register on February 16, 1999.

This proposal is for approximately 10.3

acres in total.

In accordance with section 47107(h)

of title 49, United States Code, this

notice is required to be published in the

Federal Register 30 days before

modifying the land-use assurance that

requires the property to be used for an

aeronautical purpose. The proposed

land will be used for an industrial park

complex, which will provide additional

jobs in an economically challenged area

and enhance the aesthetics of the

surrounding community.

The proceeds from the sale of the land

will be used for airport improvements

and operations expenses at SpringfieldBeckley Municipal Airport.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before May 25, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Lawrence C. King, Federal Aviation

Administration, Great Lakes Region,

Detroit Airports District Office, DET

ADO–670.2, Willow Run Airport, East,

8820 Beck Road, Belleville, Michigan

48111, (734) 487–7293. Documents

reflecting this FAA action may be

reviewed at this same location or at

Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport,

Springfield, Ohio.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Following

is a legal description of the property

located in Clark County, Ohio and

described as follows:

Situate in the State of Ohio, County of

Clark, Township of Green, and being

part of the North Half of Section 10,

Town 4, Range 8, and the South Half of

Section 11, Town 4, Range 8, between

the Miami Rivers Survey and being

further described as follows: Beginning

at an iron pin located at the Southwest

Corner of Lot 5 of Airpark Ohio Plat

Section One, thence South 4°42′28′′

West 399.48 feet to a point, thence

South 84°12′08′′ East 1,045.04 feet to a

point, thence North 04°42′28′′ East

1,003.52 feet to a point, thence South

14°31′02′′ West 611.00 feet to a point,

thence North 84°12′08′′ West 940.93 feet

to the point of beginning of the parcel

herein described said parcel containing

10.30 acres of land more or less.

Issued in Belleville, Michigan, March 23,

2001.

James M. Opatrny,

Acting Manager, Detroit Airports District

Office, Great Lakes Region.

[FR Doc. 01–10135 Filed 4–24–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

Public Notice for Waiver of

Aeronautical Land-Use Assurance;

Willoughby Lost Nation Municipal

Airport Willoughby, OH

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent of waiver with

respect to land.

SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) is considering a

proposal to change a portion of airport

land from aeronautical use to nonaeronautical use and to authorize the

sale of the airport property. The

proposal consists of two parcels of land;

one 1.9020-acre parcel and one 1.2780-

acre parcel, totaling approximately 3.18

acres for industrial economical

development. Current use and present

condition is vacant grassland. There are

no impacts to the airport by allowing

the airport to dispose of the property.

The land was acquired under FAA

Project No.: AIP–3–39–0090–0387.

Approval does not constitute a

commitment by the FAA to financially

assist in the sale of the subject airport

property nor a determination that all

measures covered by the program are