[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 15 (Monday, January 26, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4480-4482]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-1515]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning 
Proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement With Singapore, 
Chile, New Zealand, Brunei Darussalam, Australia, Peru and Vietnam

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice of intent to initiate negotiations on a Trans-Pacific 
Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement with Singapore, Chile, New 
Zealand, Brunei Darussalam, Australia, Peru and Vietnam, request for 
comments, and notice of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: The United States intends to initiate negotiations on a Trans-
Pacific Partnership free trade agreement with Singapore, Chile, New 
Zealand, Brunei Darussalam, Australia, Peru and Vietnam. The 
interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) will convene a public 
hearing and seek public comment to assist the United States Trade 
Representative (USTR) in amplifying and clarifying negotiating 
objectives for the proposed agreements and to provide advice on how 
specific goods and services and other matters should be treated under 
the proposed agreement.

DATES: Persons wishing to testify orally at the hearing must provide 
written notification of their intent to testify, as well as their 
testimony, by February 25, 2009. A hearing will be held in Washington, 
DC, on March 4, 2009, and will continue as necessary on subsequent 
days. Written comments are due by noon, March 11, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Notices of intent to testify, testimony and/or written 
comments should be submitted electronically via the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov. For alternatives to on-line submissions please 
contact Gloria Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, 
at (202) 395-3475.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning 
written comments or participation in the public hearing, contact Gloria 
Blue, Executive Secretary, Trade Policy Staff Committee, at (202) 395-
3475. All other questions regarding the TPP should be directed to 
Douglas Bell, Deputy Assistant USTR for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, 
at (202) 395-6813.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Background

    The process followed for notifying and consulting on the TPP 
negotiation is based on the procedures outlined under section 2104 of 
the Trade Act of 2002 (Trade Act) (19 U.S.C. 3804). Under these 
procedures, the President must provide the Congress with at least 90 
calendar days written notice of his intent to enter into negotiations 
and identify the specific objectives for the negotiation and, before 
and after submission of the notice, consult with appropriate 
Congressional committees regarding the negotiations. Under the Trade 
Act of 1974, as amended, the President must (i) afford interested 
persons an opportunity to present their views regarding any matter 
relevant to any proposed agreement, (ii) designate an agency or inter-
agency committee to hold a public hearing regarding any proposed 
agreement, and (iii) seek the advice of the U.S. International Trade 
Commission (ITC) regarding the probable economic effects on U.S. 
industries and consumers of the removal of tariffs and non-tariff 
barriers on imports pursuant to any proposed agreement.
    On September 22, 2008 (for Singapore, Chile, New Zealand and Brunei 
Darussalam) and December 30, 2008 (for Australia, Peru and Vietnam), 
after consulting with relevant Congressional committees, the USTR 
notified the Congress that the President intends to initiate free trade 
agreement negotiations with these Trans-Pacific countries and 
identified specific objectives for the negotiations. In addition, the 
USTR is requesting that the ITC provide its advice on probable economic 
effects of the free trade agreement. This notice solicits views from 
the public on these negotiations and provides information on a hearing 
that will be conducted based on the requirements of the Trade Act of 
1974.

2. Public Comments and Testimony

    To assist the Administration as it continues to develop its 
negotiating objectives for the proposed agreements,

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the Chairman of the TPSC invites the written comments and/or oral 
testimony of interested persons at a public hearing. Comments and 
testimony may address the reduction or elimination of tariffs or non-
tariff barriers on any articles provided for in the Harmonized Tariff 
Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) that are products of the 
participating Trans-Pacific countries, any concession that should be 
sought by the United States, or any other matter relevant to the 
proposed agreement. The TPSC invites comments and testimony on all of 
these matters and, in particular, seeks comments and testimony 
addressed to:
    (a) General and commodity-specific negotiating objectives for the 
proposed plurilateral agreement.
    (b) Economic costs and benefits to U.S. producers and consumers of 
removal of tariffs and non-tariff barriers on articles traded with the 
seven Trans-Pacific countries.
    (c) Treatment of specific goods (described by HTSUS numbers) under 
the proposed agreement, including comments on:
    (1) Product-specific import or export interests or barriers,
    (2) Experience with particular measures that should be addressed in 
the negotiations, and
    (3) In the case of articles for which immediate elimination of 
tariffs is not appropriate, a recommended staging schedule for such 
elimination.
    (d) Adequacy of existing customs measures to ensure that imported 
goods originate from the seven Trans-Pacific countries, and appropriate 
rules of origin for goods entering the United States under the proposed 
agreement.
    (e) Existing sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical 
barriers to trade imposed by the seven Trans-Pacific countries that 
should be addressed in the negotiations.
    (f) Existing barriers to trade in services between the United 
States and the Trans-Pacific countries that should be addressed in the 
negotiations.
    (g) Relevant electronic commerce issues that should be addressed in 
the negotiations.
    (h) Relevant trade-related intellectual property rights issues that 
should be addressed in the negotiations.
    (i) Relevant investment issues that should be addressed in the 
negotiations.
    (j) Relevant competition-related matters that should be addressed 
in the negotiations.
    (k) Relevant government procurement issues that should be addressed 
in the negotiations.
    (l) Relevant environmental issues that should be addressed in the 
negotiations.
    (m) Relevant labor issues that should be addressed in the 
negotiations.
    Comments identifying as present or potential trade barriers laws or 
regulations that are not primarily trade-related should address the 
economic, political, and social objectives of such laws and regulations 
and the degree to which they discriminate against foreign producers. At 
a later date, the USTR, through the TPSC, will publish notice of 
reviews regarding (a) the possible environmental effects of the 
proposed agreement and the scope of the U.S. environmental review of 
the proposed agreement, and (b) the impact of the proposed agreement on 
U.S. employment and labor markets.
    A hearing will be held on March 4, 2009, in Rooms 1 and 2, 1724 F 
Street, NW., Washington, DC. Persons wishing to testify at the hearing 
must provide written notification of their intent to testify by 
February 25, 2009. The notification should include: (1) The name, 
address, and telephone number of the person presenting the testimony; 
and (2) a short (one or two paragraphs) summary of the presentation, 
including the subject matter and, as applicable, the product(s) (with 
HTSUS numbers), service sector(s), or other subjects (such as 
investment, intellectual property, and/or government procurement) to be 
discussed. A copy of the testimony must accompany the notification. 
Remarks at the hearing should be limited to no more than five minutes 
to allow for possible questions from the TPSC. Persons with mobility 
impairments who will need special assistance in gaining access to the 
hearing should contact the TPSC Executive Secretary.
    Interested persons, including persons who participate in the 
hearing, may submit written comments by noon, March 11, 2009. Written 
comments may include rebuttal points demonstrating errors of fact or 
analysis not pointed out in the hearing. All written comments must 
state clearly the position taken, describe with particularity the 
supporting rationale, and be in English. The first page of written 
comments must specify the subject matter, including, as applicable, the 
product(s) (with HTSUS numbers), service sector(s), or other subjects 
(such as investment, intellectual property and/or government 
procurement).

3. Requirements for Submissions

    Persons submitting an intent to testify and testimony and/or 
comments must do so in English and must identify (on the first page of 
the submission) the ``United States--Trans-Pacific Partnership Free 
Trade Agreement.'' Notice of intent to testify and testimony must be 
received by February 25, 2009. Written comments must be received by 
March 11, 2009.
    In order to ensure the most timely and expeditious receipt and 
consideration of testimony and/or comments, USTR has arranged to accept 
on-line submissions via www.regulations.gov. To submit testimony and 
comments via www.regulations.gov, enter docket number USTR-2009-0002 on 
the home page and click ``go''. The site will provide a search-results 
page listing all documents associated with this docket. Find a 
reference to this notice by selecting ``Notice'' under ``Document 
Type'' on the left side of the search-results page, and click on the 
link entitled ``Send a Comment or Submission.'' (For further 
information on using the http://www.regulations.gov/ Web site, please 
consult the resources provided on the Web site by clicking on ``How to 
Use This Site'' on the left side of the home page.)
    The www.regulations.gov Web site provides the option of making 
submissions by filling in a ``General Comments'' field, or by attaching 
a document. We expect that most submissions will be provided in an 
attached document. If a document is attached, it is sufficient to type 
``See attached'' in the ``General Comments'' field.
    Submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) are 
preferred. If an application other than those two is used, please 
identify in your submission the specific application used. For any 
comments submitted electronically containing business confidential 
information, the file name of the business confidential version should 
begin with the characters ``BC''. Any page containing business 
confidential information must be clearly marked ``BUSINESS 
CONFIDENTIAL'' on the top of that page. Filers of submissions 
containing business confidential information must also submit a public 
version of their comments. The file name of the public version should 
begin with the character ``P''. The ``BC'' and ``P'' should be followed 
by the name of the person or entity submitting the comments or reply 
comments. Filers submitting comments containing no business 
confidential information should name their file using the character 
``P'', followed by the name of the person or entity submitting the 
comments or reply comments. Electronic submissions should not contain 
separate cover letters; rather, information that might appear in a 
cover letter should be included in the submission itself. Similarly, to 
the extent possible, any attachments to a

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submission should be included in the same file as the submission itself 
and not as separate files. All non-confidential comments and reply 
comments will be placed on the USTR Web site, http://www.USTR.gov 
pursuant to 15 CFR 2003.5.
    We strongly urge submitters to avail themselves of the electronic 
filing, if at all possible. If an on-line submission is impossible, 
alternative arrangements must be made with Ms. Blue prior to delivery 
for the receipt of such submissions. Ms. Blue should be contacted at 
(202) 395-3475. General information concerning the Office of the United 
States Trade Representative may be obtained by accessing its Internet 
Web site (http://www.ustr.gov).

Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. E9-1515 Filed 1-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W9-P