Notification of United States-Chile Environment Affairs Council and Joint Commission on Environmental Cooperation Meetings, 45267 [2015-18616]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 145 (Wednesday, July 29, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 45267]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-18616]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice: 9207]


Notification of United States-Chile Environment Affairs Council 
and Joint Commission on Environmental Cooperation Meetings

ACTION: Notice of the upcoming United States-Chile Environment Affairs 
Council and Joint Commission on 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 
seventh meeting of the Environment Affairs Council (Council) 
established under Chapter 19 of the FTA, as well as the fifth meeting 
of the United States-Chile Joint Commission on Environmental 
Cooperation (Commission) established under the United States-Chile 
Environmental Cooperation Agreement (ECA), on Thursday, August 13, 
2015. The Council will review implementation of Chapter 19 
(Environment) of the FTA and the Commission will review implementation 
of the ECA. All interested persons are invited to attend the Council 
and Commission joint public session beginning at 3:00 p.m. on August 13 
at the U.S. Department of State George C. Marshall Conference Center, 
2201 C St. NW., Washington, DC.
    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 finalize 
an updated Environmental Cooperation Work Program for 2015-2017. More 
information on the Council and Commission is included below under 
Supplementary Information.
    All interested persons are invited to attend a public session where 
they will have an opportunity to ask questions and discuss 
implementation of Chapter 19 and the Environmental Cooperation 
Agreement with Council and Commission Members and environmental 
cooperation implementers. At the public session, the Council hopes to 
receive input from the public on current 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/e/oes/eqt/trade/chile/index.htm).

DATES: The public session of the Council and Commission will be held 
August 13, 2015 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the U.S. Department of State 
George C. Marshall Conference Center. We request RSVPs and any written 
comments no later than August 7, 2015 in order to facilitate 
consideration.

ADDRESSES: RSVPs and any written comments should be submitted to both:
    (1) Katherine Weber, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Oceans and 
International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Office of 
Environmental Quality and Transboundary Issues by email at 
WeberKP@state.gov with the subject line ``UNITED STATES-CHILE EAC/JCEC 
MEETING'' or by fax to (202) 647-5947.
    (2) David Oliver, Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for 
Environment and Natural Resources, Office of the United States Trade 
Representative, by email to David_Oliver@ustr.eop.gov with the subject 
line ``UNITED STATES-CHILE EAC/JCEC MEETING'' or by fax to (202) 395-
9517.
    In your RSVP, please include your full name and affiliation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katherine Weber, telephone (202) 647-
2252.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The United States and Chile negotiated the 
United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and United States-Chile 
Environmental Cooperation Agreement (ECA) in concert, signing the FTA 
on June 6, 2003 in Miami, U.S.A. and the ECA on June 17, 2003 in 
Santiago, Chile. Article 19.3 of the FTA establishes an Environment 
Affairs Council (Council).The Council ordinarily meets annually to 
discuss implementation of Chapter 19 of the FTA and its meetings 
include a public session. The Joint Commission on Environmental 
Cooperation (Commission) was established in Article II of the ECA. The 
Commission meets at least every two years to evaluate cooperative 
activities under the agreement, to recommend options for improving 
cooperation, and to establish programs of work that reflect national 
priorities and identify the scope and focus of environmental 
cooperation work over the coming years.
    The Council and Commission last met in January 2013 in Santiago, 
Chile. The Council reviewed the implementation of the Environment 
Chapter of the FTA. The Commission signed the 2012-2014 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 
Katherine Weber and David Oliver at the email addresses listed above 
under the heading ADDRESSES. Please include your full name and identify 
any organization or group you represent. In preparing comments, we 
encourage submitters to refer to:
     Chapter 19 of the FTA,
     The Final Environmental Review of the FTA, and
     The ECA.
    These documents are available at: https://www.state.gov/e/oes/eqt/trade/chile/index.htm. Visit https://www.state.gov and the USTR Web site 
at www.ustr.gov for more information.

    Dated: July 16, 2015.
John Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Environmental Quality and Transboundary 
Issues, U.S. Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2015-18616 Filed 7-28-15; 8:45 am]
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