WTO Dispute Settlement Proceedings Regarding U.S. Domestic Support for Agricultural Products, 68609-68610 [E7-23575]

Download as PDF mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 233 / Wednesday, December 5, 2007 / Notices encourage respondents to submit comments electronically to ensure timely receipt. We cannot guarantee that comments mailed will be received before the comment closing date. Electronic mail comments may be submitted to: Gilbert Tran at hailm.ltran@omb.eop.gov. Please include ‘‘Form SF–SAC Comments’’ in the subject line and the full body of your comments in the text of the electronic message and not as an attachment. Please include your name, title, organization, postal address, telephone number, and e-mail address in the text of the message. Comments may also be submitted via facsimile to 202–395–3952. Comments may be mailed to Gilbert Tran, Office of Federal Financial Management, Office of Management and Budget, Room 6025, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503. Comments: All responses will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will also be a matter of public record. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gilbert Tran, Office of Federal Financial Management, Office of Management and Budget, (202) 395–3052. The proposed revisions to the Information Collection Form, Form SF–SAC can be obtained by contacting the Office of Federal Financial Management as indicated above or by download from the OMB Grants Management home page on the Internet at https://www.whitehouse.gov/ OMB/grants/grants_docs.html. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB Control No.: 0348–0057. Title: Data Collection Form. Form No: SF–SAC. Type of Review: Reinstatement with change. Respondents: States, local governments, non-profit organizations (Non-Federal entities) and their auditors. Estimated Number of Respondents: 72,000 (36,000 from auditors and 36,000 from auditees). The respondents’ information is collected by the Federal Audit Clearinghouse (maintained by the U.S. Bureau of the Census). Estimated Time per Respondent: 59 hours for each of 400 large respondents and 17 hours for each of 71,600 small respondents for estimated annual burden hours of 1,240,800. Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1. Frequency of Response: Annually. Needs and Uses: Reports from auditors to auditees and reports from auditees to the Federal government are used by non-Federal entities, passthrough entities, and Federal agencies to VerDate Aug<31>2005 19:05 Dec 04, 2007 Jkt 214001 ensure that Federal awards are expended in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The Federal Audit Clearinghouse (FAC) (maintained by the U.S. Bureau of the Census) uses the information on the SF–SAC to ensure proper distribution of audit reports to Federal agencies and identify nonFederal entities who have not filed the required reports. The FAC also uses the information on the SF–SAC to create a government-wide database which contains information on audit results. This database is publicly accessible on the Internet at https:// harvester.census.gov/sac/. It is used by Federal agencies, pass-through entities, non-Federal entities, auditors, the Government Accountability Office, OMB, and the general public for management of and information about Federal awards and the results of audits. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the estimate of the burden of the collection of the information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who respond, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Danny Werfel, Acting Controller. [FR Doc. E7–23540 Filed 12–4–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3110–01–P OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Docket No. WTO/DS–365; WTO/DS–357] WTO Dispute Settlement Proceedings Regarding U.S. Domestic Support for Agricultural Products Office of the United States Trade Representative. ACTION: Notice; request for comments. AGENCY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (‘‘USTR’’) is providing notice that on November 8, 2007, Brazil requested the establishment of a dispute settlement panel under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (‘‘WTO Agreement’’) regarding U.S. domestic support measures for agricultural products. That request may be found at https://www.wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/DS365/13. USTR is also providing notice that on SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00057 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 68609 the same date, Canada made a revised request for the establishment of a dispute settlement panel under the WTO Agreement in a similar dispute. Canada’s request may be found at https://www.wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/DS357/12. USTR invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised in these disputes. DATES: Although USTR will accept any comments received during the course of the consultations, comments should be submitted on or before February 1, 2008 to be assured of timely consideration by USTR. ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted (i) electronically, to FR0705@ustr.eop.gov, with ‘‘Agricultural Subsidies (DS357 and 365)’’ in the subject line, or (ii) by fax, to Sandy McKinzy at (202) 395–3640. For documents sent by fax, USTR requests that the submitter provide a confirmation copy to the electronic mail address listed above. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Yocis, Assistant General Counsel, Office of the United States Trade Representative, 600 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC., (202) 395–6150. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 127(b) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA) (19 U.S.C. 3537(b)(1)) requires that notice and opportunity for comment be provided after the United States submits or receives a request for the establishment of a WTO dispute settlement panel. Consistent with this obligation, USTR is providing notice that the establishment of a dispute settlement panel has been requested pursuant to the WTO Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes (‘‘DSU’’) in each of these disputes. If such a panel is established pursuant to the DSU, such panel, which would hold its meetings in Geneva, Switzerland, would be expected to issue a report on its findings and recommendations within nine months after it is established. Major Issues Raised In the requests for the establishment of a panel, Brazil and Canada allege that the United States has provided support to domestic agricultural producers in excess of U.S. commitments with respect to the Aggregate Measurement of Support (‘‘AMS’’) as described in Article 6.2 of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture and the U.S. WTO schedule of commitments. According to Brazil and Canada, the United States has provided domestic support in excess of its AMS commitments in each of the E:\FR\FM\05DEN1.SGM 05DEN1 68610 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 233 / Wednesday, December 5, 2007 / Notices mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES years 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005, in breach of Article 3.2 of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture. The revised request for the establishment of a panel submitted by Canada supersedes Canada’s prior request for the establishment of a panel from Canada (see 72 FR 39,467 (July 18, 2007)), which Canada has withdrawn. Public Comment: Requirements for Submissions Interested persons are invited to submit written comments concerning the issues raised in the disputes. Comments should be submitted (i) electronically, to FR0705@ustr.eop.gov, with ‘‘Agricultural Subsidies (DS357 and 365)’’ in the subject line, or (ii) by fax, to Sandy McKinzy at (202) 395– 3640. For documents sent by fax, USTR requests that the submitter provide a confirmation copy to the electronic mail address listed above. USTR encourages the submission of documents in Adobe PDF format as attachments to an electronic mail. Interested persons who make submissions by electronic mail should not provide separate cover letters; information that might appear in a cover letter should be included in the submission itself. Similarly, to the extent possible, any attachments to the submission should be included in the same file as the submission itself, and not as separate files. Comments must be in English. A person requesting that information contained in a comment submitted by that person be treated as confidential business information must certify that such information is business confidential and would not customarily be released to the public by the submitter. Confidential business information must be clearly designated as such and the submission must be marked ‘‘Business Confidential’’ at the top and bottom of the cover page and each succeeding page. Information or advice contained in a comment submitted, other than business confidential information, may be determined by USTR to be confidential in accordance with section 135(g)(2) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2155(g)(2)). If the submitter believes that information or advice may qualify as such, the submitter— (1) Must clearly so designate the information or advice; (2) Must clearly mark the material as ‘‘Submitted in Confidence’’ at the top and bottom of the cover page and each succeeding page; and (3) Is encouraged to provide a nonconfidential summary of the information or advice. VerDate Aug<31>2005 19:05 Dec 04, 2007 Jkt 214001 Pursuant to section 127(e) of the URAA (19 U.S.C. 3537(e)), USTR will maintain a file on these dispute settlement proceedings, accessible to the public, in the USTR Reading Room, which is located at 1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508. The public file will include non-confidential comments received by USTR from the public with respect to the disputes; if a dispute settlement panel is convened or in the event of an appeal from such a panel, the U.S. submissions, the submissions, or non-confidential summaries of submissions, received from other participants in the dispute; the report of the panel; and, if applicable, the report of the Appellate Body. An appointment to review the public file (Docket WTO/ DS–357 and DS–365, Ag Subsidies Disputes) may be made by calling the USTR Reading Room at (202) 395–6186. The USTR Reading Room is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Daniel Brinza, Assistant United States Trade Representative for Monitoring and Enforcement. [FR Doc. E7–23575 Filed 12–4–07; 8:45 am] Formal orders of investigation; Institution and settlement of injunctive actions; Institution and settlement of administrative proceedings of an enforcement nature; Regulatory matters regarding financial institutions; and a Matter involving enforcement techniques. At times, changes in Commission priorities require alterations in the scheduling of meeting items. For further information and to ascertain what, if any, matters have been added, deleted or postponed, please contact: The Office of the Secretary at (202) 551–5400. Dated: November 30, 2007. Florence E. Harmon, Deputy Secretary. [FR Doc. E7–23602 Filed 12–4–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8011–01–P SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION BILLING CODE 3190–W8–P [Release No. 34–56855; File No. SR–CBOE– 2006–90] SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Sunshine Act Meeting Notice is hereby given, pursuant to the provisions of the Government in the Sunshine Act, Pub. L. 94–409, that the Securities and Exchange Commission will hold the following meeting during the week of December 3, 2007: A Closed Meeting will be held on Thursday, December 6, 2007 at 2 p.m. Commissioners, Counsel to the Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission, and recording secretaries will attend the Closed Meeting. Certain staff members who have an interest in the matters may also be present. The General Counsel of the Commission, or his designee, has certified that, in his opinion, one or more of the exemptions set forth in 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(3), (4), (5), (7), (8), (9)(B), and (10) and 17 CFR 200.402(a)(3), (4), (5), (7), (8), 9(ii) and (10), permit consideration of the scheduled matters at the Closed Meeting. Commissioner Casey, as duty officer, voted to consider the items listed for the closed meeting in closed session and determined that no earlier notice thereof was possible. The subject matter of the Closed Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 6, 2007 will be: PO 00000 Frm 00058 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Order Approving Proposed Rule Change as Modified by Amendment No. 1 Thereto to List and Trade Delayed Start Option Series November 28, 2007. I. Introduction On November 7, 2006, the Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated (‘‘CBOE’’ or ‘‘Exchange’’), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (‘‘Commission’’) pursuant to section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (‘‘Act’’) 1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2 a proposed rule change to list and trade Delayed Start Option SeriesTM (‘‘DSOs’’) on any security index that has been approved for trading on the Exchange. On September 5, 2007, the Exchange filed Amendment No. 1 to the proposed rule change. The proposed rule change, as amended, was published for comment in the Federal Register on September 17, 2007.3 The Commission received no comments on the proposal. This order approves the proposed rule change, as amended, and designates 1 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(l). CFR 240.19b–4. 3 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 56378 (September 10, 2007), 72 FR 52944 (September 17, 2007) (‘‘Notice’’). 2 17 E:\FR\FM\05DEN1.SGM 05DEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 233 (Wednesday, December 5, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68609-68610]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-23575]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

[Docket No. WTO/DS-365; WTO/DS-357]


WTO Dispute Settlement Proceedings Regarding U.S. Domestic 
Support for Agricultural Products

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative 
(``USTR'') is providing notice that on November 8, 2007, Brazil 
requested the establishment of a dispute settlement panel under the 
Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO 
Agreement'') regarding U.S. domestic support measures for agricultural 
products. That request may be found at https://www.wto.org contained in 
a document designated as WT/DS365/13. USTR is also providing notice 
that on the same date, Canada made a revised request for the 
establishment of a dispute settlement panel under the WTO Agreement in 
a similar dispute. Canada's request may be found at https://www.wto.org 
contained in a document designated as WT/DS357/12. USTR invites written 
comments from the public concerning the issues raised in these 
disputes.

DATES: Although USTR will accept any comments received during the 
course of the consultations, comments should be submitted on or before 
February 1, 2008 to be assured of timely consideration by USTR.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted (i) electronically, to 
FR0705@ustr.eop.gov, with ``Agricultural Subsidies (DS357 and 365)'' in 
the subject line, or (ii) by fax, to Sandy McKinzy at (202) 395-3640. 
For documents sent by fax, USTR requests that the submitter provide a 
confirmation copy to the electronic mail address listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Yocis, Assistant General 
Counsel, Office of the United States Trade Representative, 600 17th 
Street, NW., Washington, DC., (202) 395-6150.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 127(b) of the Uruguay Round 
Agreements Act (URAA) (19 U.S.C. 3537(b)(1)) requires that notice and 
opportunity for comment be provided after the United States submits or 
receives a request for the establishment of a WTO dispute settlement 
panel. Consistent with this obligation, USTR is providing notice that 
the establishment of a dispute settlement panel has been requested 
pursuant to the WTO Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the 
Settlement of Disputes (``DSU'') in each of these disputes. If such a 
panel is established pursuant to the DSU, such panel, which would hold 
its meetings in Geneva, Switzerland, would be expected to issue a 
report on its findings and recommendations within nine months after it 
is established.

Major Issues Raised

    In the requests for the establishment of a panel, Brazil and Canada 
allege that the United States has provided support to domestic 
agricultural producers in excess of U.S. commitments with respect to 
the Aggregate Measurement of Support (``AMS'') as described in Article 
6.2 of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture and the U.S. WTO schedule of 
commitments. According to Brazil and Canada, the United States has 
provided domestic support in excess of its AMS commitments in each of 
the

[[Page 68610]]

years 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005, in breach of Article 3.2 
of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture. The revised request for the 
establishment of a panel submitted by Canada supersedes Canada's prior 
request for the establishment of a panel from Canada (see 72 FR 39,467 
(July 18, 2007)), which Canada has withdrawn.

Public Comment: Requirements for Submissions

    Interested persons are invited to submit written comments 
concerning the issues raised in the disputes. Comments should be 
submitted (i) electronically, to FR0705@ustr.eop.gov, with 
``Agricultural Subsidies (DS357 and 365)'' in the subject line, or (ii) 
by fax, to Sandy McKinzy at (202) 395-3640. For documents sent by fax, 
USTR requests that the submitter provide a confirmation copy to the 
electronic mail address listed above.
    USTR encourages the submission of documents in Adobe PDF format as 
attachments to an electronic mail. Interested persons who make 
submissions by electronic mail should not provide separate cover 
letters; information that might appear in a cover letter should be 
included in the submission itself. Similarly, to the extent possible, 
any attachments to the submission should be included in the same file 
as the submission itself, and not as separate files.
    Comments must be in English. A person requesting that information 
contained in a comment submitted by that person be treated as 
confidential business information must certify that such information is 
business confidential and would not customarily be released to the 
public by the submitter. Confidential business information must be 
clearly designated as such and the submission must be marked ``Business 
Confidential'' at the top and bottom of the cover page and each 
succeeding page.
    Information or advice contained in a comment submitted, other than 
business confidential information, may be determined by USTR to be 
confidential in accordance with section 135(g)(2) of the Trade Act of 
1974 (19 U.S.C. 2155(g)(2)). If the submitter believes that information 
or advice may qualify as such, the submitter--
    (1) Must clearly so designate the information or advice;
    (2) Must clearly mark the material as ``Submitted in Confidence'' 
at the top and bottom of the cover page and each succeeding page; and
    (3) Is encouraged to provide a non-confidential summary of the 
information or advice.
    Pursuant to section 127(e) of the URAA (19 U.S.C. 3537(e)), USTR 
will maintain a file on these dispute settlement proceedings, 
accessible to the public, in the USTR Reading Room, which is located at 
1724 F Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508. The public file will include 
non-confidential comments received by USTR from the public with respect 
to the disputes; if a dispute settlement panel is convened or in the 
event of an appeal from such a panel, the U.S. submissions, the 
submissions, or non-confidential summaries of submissions, received 
from other participants in the dispute; the report of the panel; and, 
if applicable, the report of the Appellate Body. An appointment to 
review the public file (Docket WTO/DS-357 and DS-365, Ag Subsidies 
Disputes) may be made by calling the USTR Reading Room at (202) 395-
6186. The USTR Reading Room is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 
noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Daniel Brinza,
Assistant United States Trade Representative for Monitoring and 
Enforcement.
[FR Doc. E7-23575 Filed 12-4-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W8-P

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.