Executive Office of the President 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

As part of an ongoing effort to improve the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information collected and disseminated by the Federal Government, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is issuing revised Standards and Guidelines for Statistical Surveys. OMB proposed revised standards and requested public comment on July 14, 2005 (70 FR 40746-40747). The proposed standards were based on recommendations from the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology's (FCSM) Subcommittee on Standards for Statistical Surveys whose charge was to update and revise OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 1, Standards for Statistical Surveys, and OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 2, Publication of Statistics. The guidance, which applies to all Federal agencies subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, is intended to ensure that the results of statistical surveys sponsored by the Federal Government are as reliable and useful as possible. OMB received six public comments on the proposed standards and has made some modifications to the proposed standards and guidelines in response to these comments. OMB is now issuing these Standards and Guidelines for Statistical Surveys as final, and they are available in their entirety along with the public comments and OMB's summary of and response to the public comments on the OMB Web site at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/ statpolicy.html.

The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) used an interagency work group to develop guidance to Federal agencies for establishing and for using categorical exclusions in meeting their responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). CEQ invites comments on the proposed guidance before issuing the final guidance to the heads of the Federal agencies. The proposed guidance, ``Establishing, Revising, and Using Categorical Exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act'', is reprinted below and is also available at https://www.NEPA.gov in the Current Developments section.

This notice sets forth the schedule and summary agenda for a meeting of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), and describes the functions of the Council. Notice of this meeting is required under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). Dates and Place: September 12, 2006, Washington, DC. The meeting will be held in the Continental Ballroom of the George Washington University Marvin Center Building, 800 21st St. NW., Washington DC 20052. Type of Meeting: Open. Further details on the meeting agenda will be posted on the PCAST Web site at: https://www.ostp.gov/PCAST/ pcast.html. Proposed Schedule and Agenda: The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology is scheduled to meet in open session on Tuesday September 12, 2006, at approximately 9 a.m. The PCAST is tentatively scheduled to discuss its report and recommendations related to energy technology. The co-chairs of the PCAST subcommittee on networking and information technology are tentatively scheduled to provide an update on subcommittee activities and lead a discussion on the PCAST review of the Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program. A presentation on ethical and societal issues related to emerging technology capabilities is also tentatively scheduled to occur. This session will end at approximately 5 p.m. Additional information and the final agenda will be posted at the PCAST Web site at: https://www.ostp.gov/PCAST/pcast.html. Public Comments: There will be time allocated for the public to speak on the above agenda items. This public comment time is designed for substantive commentary on PCAST's work topics, not for business marketing purposes. Please submit a request for the opportunity to make a public comment five (5) days in advance of the meeting. The time for public comments will be limited to no more than 5 minutes per person. Written comments are also welcome at any time following the meeting. Please notify Celia Merzbacher, PCAST Executive Director, at (202) 456- 7116, or fax your request/comments to (202) 456-6021.

This notice announces the results of the 2005 annual product review and tariff determinations, regarding Chilean imports of certain fruits, vegetables and juices, set forth by the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement (FTA). This review determines whether these tariff free products, imported during calendar year 2005, have exceeded conditions elaborated in the FTA thus requiring the U.S. to impose duties predetermined by its tariff phase-out schedule. The effective date for the resulting change in tariff treatment is October 1, 2006.

Pursuant to section 303 of the Trade and Tariff Act of 1984, as amended, USTR is required to publish annually the National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE). With this notice, the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is requesting interested parties to assist it in identifying significant barriers to U.S. exports of goods, services and overseas direct investment for inclusion in the NTE. Particularly important are impediments materially affecting the actual and potential financial performance of an industry sector. The TPSC invites written comments that provide views relevant to the issues to be examined in preparing the NTE.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has recently submitted to OMB for review the following three proposals for collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et. seq).

As part of an ongoing country practice review, the GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is considering whether to recommend that duty-free treatment accorded to imports from Romania under the U.S. GSP program be withdrawn or suspended on the grounds that Romania affords preferential treatment to the products of a developed country, other than the United States, which has, or is likely to have, a significant adverse effect on United States commerce. In addition, Romania adopted Veterinary Order 95 which includes requirements that: (1) Individual U.S. poultry plants must be approved for export to the EU; and (2) U.S. poultry producers must abide by EU welfare rules for slaughter. There are no EU-approved poultry facilities in the United States. The GSP Subcommittee is seeking public comments on whether, in view of the information provided in the petition, implementation of this new measure, and any additional information pertaining to the eligibility criteria set forth in the statute, Romania no longer meets one or more statutory criteria for GSP eligibility. All public comments must be received by Thursday, September 7, 2006.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (``USTR'') is providing notice that on June 6, 2006, India requested consultations with the United States under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning certain issues relating to Customs Bond Directive 99-3510- 004, as amended by the Amendment to Bond Directive 99-3510-004 (July 9, 2004), and clarifications and amendments thereof. That request may be found at https://www.wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/ DS345/1. USTR invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised in this dispute.

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has determined that Burkina Faso has adopted an effective visa system and related procedures to prevent unlawful transshipment and the use of counterfeit documents in connection with shipments of textile and apparel articles and has implemented and follows, or is making substantial progress toward implementing and following, the customs procedures required by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Therefore, imports of eligible products from Burkina Faso qualify for the textile and apparel benefits provided under the AGOA.

This notice announces the initiation of a review to consider the designation of East Timor as a least developed beneficiary developing country under the GSP program and solicits public comment relating to the designation criteria. Comments are due on August 25, 2006, in accordance with the requirements for submissions, explained below.

The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) will convene a public hearing and seek public comment to assist the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in the preparation of its annual report to the Congress on China's compliance with the commitments made in connection with its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).