Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning Russia's Implementation of Its WTO Commitments, 36521-36522 [2017-16389]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 149 / Friday, August 4, 2017 / Notices By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, Director, Office of Proceedings. Rena Laws-Byrum, Clearance Clerk. [FR Doc. 2017–16433 Filed 8–3–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4915–00–P OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE [Docket Number USTR–2017–0012] Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning Russia’s Implementation of Its WTO Commitments Office of the United States Trade Representative. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. AGENCY: The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) will convene a public hearing and seeks comments to assist the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in the preparation of its annual report to Congress on Russia’s implementation of its obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). DATES: September 22, 2017: Deadline for filing a summary of testimony and requests to appear at the September 28, 2017 public hearing, and for submitting public comments. September 28, 2017: The TPSC will convene a public hearing on Russia’s implementation of its obligations as a member of the WTO at 9:30 a.m. in Rooms 1 & 2, 1724 F Street NW., Washington, DC 20508. ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments in section 3 below. The docket number is USTR–2017–0012. For alternatives to on-line submissions, please contact Yvonne Jamison, Trade Policy Staff Committee, at (202) 395–3475. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning written comments or participating in the public hearing, contact Yvonne Jamison at (202) 395–3475. Direct all other questions regarding this notice to Betsy Hafner, Deputy Assistant United States Trade Representative for Russia and Eurasia, at (202) 395–9124. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SUMMARY: 1. Background Russia became a member of the WTO on August 22, 2012, and on December 21, 2012, following the termination of VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:13 Aug 03, 2017 Jkt 241001 the application of the Jackson-Vanik amendment to Russia and the extension of permanent normal trade relations to the products of Russia, the United States and Russia both filed letters with the WTO withdrawing their notices of nonapplication and consenting to have the WTO Agreement apply between them. In accordance with section 201(a) of the Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 (Pub. L. 112–208), USTR is required to submit, by December 21st of each year, a report to Congress on the extent to which Russia is implementing the WTO Agreement, including the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. The report also must assess Russia’s progress on acceding to the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) and the Information Technology Agreement, the latter of which Russia implemented fully in 2016. In addition, to the extent that USTR finds that Russia is not implementing fully the WTO Agreement or is not making adequate progress in acceding to the GPA, USTR must describe in the report the actions it plans to take to encourage Russia to improve its implementation and/or increase its accession efforts. In accordance with section 201(a), and to assist it in preparing this year’s report, the TPSC is soliciting comments on these issues. The terms of Russia’s accession to the WTO are contained in the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization and the Protocol on the Accession of the Russian Federation to the WTO (including its annexes) (Protocol). The Report of the Working Party on the Accession of the Russian Federation (Working Party Report) provides detail and context to the commitments listed in the Protocol. You can find the Protocol and Working Party Report on USTR’s Web site at https:// ustr.gov/node/5887 or on the WTO Web site at https://docsonline.wto.org (document symbols: WT/ACC/RUS/70, WT/MIN(11)/2, WT/MIN(11)/24, WT/L/ 839, and WT/ACC/RUS/70/Add.1, WT/ ACC/RUS/70/Add.2. 2. Public Comments and Hearing USTR must receive written comments no later than 11:59 p.m. on Friday, September 22, 2017. USTR invites written comments and/or oral testimony on Russia’s implementation of the commitments made in connection with its accession to the WTO, including, but not limited to, commitments in the following areas: PO 00000 Frm 00166 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 36521 a. Import regulation (e.g., tariffs, tariffrate quotas, quotas, import licenses). b. Export regulation. c. Subsidies. d. Standards and technical regulations. e. Sanitary and phytosanitary measures. f. Trade-related investment measures. g. Taxes and charges levied on imports and exports. h. Other internal policies affecting trade. i. Intellectual property rights (including intellectual property rights enforcement). j. Services. k. Rule of law issues (e.g., transparency, judicial review, uniform administration of laws and regulations). l. Trade-related investment measures. m. Other WTO commitments. The TPSC will convene a public hearing on Thursday, September 28, 2017, in Rooms 1 & 2, 1724 F Street NW., Washington, DC 20508. We must receive your written requests to present oral testimony at the hearing and a summary of that testimony by noon on by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, September 22, 2017. You must make the intent to testify notification in the ‘‘Type Comment’’ field under docket number USTR–2017–0012 on the www.regulations.gov Web site and you should include the name, address, telephone number and email address, if available, of the person presenting the testimony. You should attach a summary of the testimony by using the ‘‘Upload File’’ field. The name of the file also should include who will be presenting the testimony. Remarks at the hearing should be limited to no more than five minutes to allow for possible questions from the TPSC. You should submit all documents in accordance with the instructions in section 3 below. 3. Requirements for Submissions In order to be assured of consideration, we must receive your written comments in English by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, September 22, 2017. USTR strongly encourages commenters to make on-line submissions, using the www.regulations.gov Web site. On the first page of the submission, please identify it as ‘‘Russia’s Implementation of its WTO Commitments.’’ To submit comments via www.regulations.gov, enter docket number USTR–2017–0012 on the home page and click ‘‘search.’’ The site will provide a search-results page listing all documents associated with this docket. Find a reference to this notice and click on the link entitled ‘‘Comment Now!’’ E:\FR\FM\04AUN1.SGM 04AUN1 36522 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 149 / Friday, August 4, 2017 / Notices For further information on using the www.regulations.gov Web site, please consult the resources provided on the Web site by clicking on ‘‘How to Use Regulations.gov’’ on the bottom of the home page. We will not accept handdelivered submissions. The www.regulations.gov Web site allows users to submit comments by filling in a ‘‘Type Comment’’ field or by attaching a document using an ‘‘Upload File’’ field. USTR prefers that you submit comments in an attached document. If you attach a document, it is sufficient to type ‘‘See attached’’ in the ‘‘Type Comment’’ field. USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If you use an application other than those two, please indicate the name of the application in the ‘‘Type Comment’’ field. 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 also must submit a public version of their comments that we will place in the docket for public inspection. 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. Filers submitting comments containing no business confidential information should name their file using the name of the person or entity submitting the comments. Please do not attach separate cover letters to electronic submissions; rather, include any information that might appear in a cover letter in the comments themselves. Similarly, to the extent possible, please include any exhibits, annexes, or other attachments in the same file as the submission itself, not as separate files. As noted, USTR strongly urges submitters to file comments through www.regulations.gov. You must make any alternative arrangements with Yvonne Jamison in advance of transmitting a comment. You can contact Ms. Jamison at (202) 395–3475. General information concerning USTR is available at www.ustr.gov. We will post comments in the docket for public inspection, except business confidential information. You can view comments on the www.regulations.gov Web site by entering the relevant docket VerDate Sep<11>2014 15:13 Aug 03, 2017 Jkt 241001 number in the search field on the home page. Edward Gresser, Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States Trade Representative. [FR Doc. 2017–16389 Filed 8–3–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3290–F7–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration [Docket Number FRA–2010–0059] Kansas City Southern Railway Company’s Request for Positive Train Control Safety Plan Approval and System Certification Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments. AGENCY: This document provides the public with notice that the Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCS) submitted to FRA its Positive Train Control Safety Plan (PTCSP) Version 1.0, dated June 30, 2017, on FRA’s Secure Information Repository site on June 30, 2017. KCS asked FRA to approve its PTCSP and issue a Positive Train Control (PTC) System Certification for KCS’ Interoperable Electronic Train Management System (I–ETMS). DATES: FRA will consider communications received by September 5, 2017 before taking final action on the PTCSP. FRA may consider comments received after that date if practicable. ADDRESSES: All communications concerning this proceeding should identify Docket Number 2010–0059 and may be submitted by any of the following methods: • Web site: https:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. • Fax: 202–493–2251. • Mail: Docket Operations Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., W12–140, Washington, DC 20590. • Hand Delivery: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room W12–140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Mark Hartong, Senior Scientific Technical Advisor, at (202) 493–1332, or Mark.Hartong@dot.gov; or Mr. David Blackmore, Staff Director, Positive Train Control Division, at (312) 835–3903, or David.Blackmore@dot.gov. SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00167 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 In its PTCSP, KCS asserts that the I–ETMS system it is implementing is designed as a vital overlay PTC system as defined in 49 CFR 236.1015(e)(2). The PTCSP describes KCS’ I–ETMS implementation and the associated I–ETMS safety processes, safety analyses, and test, validation, and verification processes used during the development of I– ETMS. The PTCSP also contains KCS’ operational and support requirements and procedures. KCS’ PTCSP and the accompanying request for approval and system certification are available for review online at www.regulations.gov (Docket Number FRA–2010–0059) and in person at DOT’s Docket Operations Facility, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., W12–140, Washington, DC 20590. The Docket Operations Facility is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Interested parties are invited to comment on the PTCSP by submitting written comments or data. During its review of the PTCSP, FRA will consider any comments or data submitted. However, FRA may elect not to respond to any particular comment and, under 49 CFR 236.1009(d)(3), FRA maintains the authority to approve or disapprove the PTCSP at its sole discretion. FRA does not anticipate scheduling a public hearing regarding KCS’ PTCSP because the circumstances do not appear to warrant a hearing. If any interested party desires an opportunity for oral comment, the party should notify FRA in writing before the end of the comment period and specify the basis for his or her request. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Privacy Act Notice Anyone can search the electronic form of any written communications and comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the document, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). Under 49 CFR 211.3, FRA solicits comments from the public to better inform its decisions. DOT posts these comments, without edit, including any personal information the commenter provides, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the system of records notice (DOT/ALL–14 FDMS), which you can review at https:// www.transportation.gov/privacy. See https://www.regulations.gov/ privacyNotice for the privacy notice of regulations.gov. E:\FR\FM\04AUN1.SGM 04AUN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 149 (Friday, August 4, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36521-36522]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-16389]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

[Docket Number USTR-2017-0012]


Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning 
Russia's Implementation of Its WTO Commitments

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) will 
convene a public hearing and seeks comments to assist the Office of the 
United States Trade Representative (USTR) in the preparation of its 
annual report to Congress on Russia's implementation of its obligations 
as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

DATES: 
    September 22, 2017: Deadline for filing a summary of testimony and 
requests to appear at the September 28, 2017 public hearing, and for 
submitting public comments.
    September 28, 2017: The TPSC will convene a public hearing on 
Russia's implementation of its obligations as a member of the WTO at 
9:30 a.m. in Rooms 1 & 2, 1724 F Street NW., Washington, DC 20508.

ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through 
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments in section 3 below. The docket 
number is USTR-2017-0012. For alternatives to on-line submissions, 
please contact Yvonne Jamison, Trade Policy Staff Committee, at (202) 
395-3475.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning 
written comments or participating in the public hearing, contact Yvonne 
Jamison at (202) 395-3475. Direct all other questions regarding this 
notice to Betsy Hafner, Deputy Assistant United States Trade 
Representative for Russia and Eurasia, at (202) 395-9124.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background

    Russia became a member of the WTO on August 22, 2012, and on 
December 21, 2012, following the termination of the application of the 
Jackson-Vanik amendment to Russia and the extension of permanent normal 
trade relations to the products of Russia, the United States and Russia 
both filed letters with the WTO withdrawing their notices of non-
application and consenting to have the WTO Agreement apply between 
them. In accordance with section 201(a) of the Russia and Moldova 
Jackson-Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability 
Act of 2012 (Pub. L. 112-208), USTR is required to submit, by December 
21st of each year, a report to Congress on the extent to which Russia 
is implementing the WTO Agreement, including the Agreement on the 
Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and the Agreement on 
Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. The report also 
must assess Russia's progress on acceding to the Government Procurement 
Agreement (GPA) and the Information Technology Agreement, the latter of 
which Russia implemented fully in 2016. In addition, to the extent that 
USTR finds that Russia is not implementing fully the WTO Agreement or 
is not making adequate progress in acceding to the GPA, USTR must 
describe in the report the actions it plans to take to encourage Russia 
to improve its implementation and/or increase its accession efforts. In 
accordance with section 201(a), and to assist it in preparing this 
year's report, the TPSC is soliciting comments on these issues.
    The terms of Russia's accession to the WTO are contained in the 
Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization and the 
Protocol on the Accession of the Russian Federation to the WTO 
(including its annexes) (Protocol). The Report of the Working Party on 
the Accession of the Russian Federation (Working Party Report) provides 
detail and context to the commitments listed in the Protocol. You can 
find the Protocol and Working Party Report on USTR's Web site at 
https://ustr.gov/node/5887 or on the WTO Web site at https://docsonline.wto.org (document symbols: WT/ACC/RUS/70, WT/MIN(11)/2, WT/
MIN(11)/24, WT/L/839, and WT/ACC/RUS/70/Add.1, WT/ACC/RUS/70/Add.2.

2. Public Comments and Hearing

    USTR must receive written comments no later than 11:59 p.m. on 
Friday, September 22, 2017. USTR invites written comments and/or oral 
testimony on Russia's implementation of the commitments made in 
connection with its accession to the WTO, including, but not limited 
to, commitments in the following areas:
    a. Import regulation (e.g., tariffs, tariff-rate quotas, quotas, 
import licenses).
    b. Export regulation.
    c. Subsidies.
    d. Standards and technical regulations.
    e. Sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
    f. Trade-related investment measures.
    g. Taxes and charges levied on imports and exports.
    h. Other internal policies affecting trade.
    i. Intellectual property rights (including intellectual property 
rights enforcement).
    j. Services.
    k. Rule of law issues (e.g., transparency, judicial review, uniform 
administration of laws and regulations).
    l. Trade-related investment measures.
    m. Other WTO commitments.
    The TPSC will convene a public hearing on Thursday, September 28, 
2017, in Rooms 1 & 2, 1724 F Street NW., Washington, DC 20508. We must 
receive your written requests to present oral testimony at the hearing 
and a summary of that testimony by noon on by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, 
September 22, 2017. You must make the intent to testify notification in 
the ``Type Comment'' field under docket number USTR-2017-0012 on the 
www.regulations.gov Web site and you should include the name, address, 
telephone number and email address, if available, of the person 
presenting the testimony. You should attach a summary of the testimony 
by using the ``Upload File'' field. The name of the file also should 
include who will be presenting the testimony. Remarks at the hearing 
should be limited to no more than five minutes to allow for possible 
questions from the TPSC.
    You should submit all documents in accordance with the instructions 
in section 3 below.

3. Requirements for Submissions

    In order to be assured of consideration, we must receive your 
written comments in English by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, September 22, 
2017. USTR strongly encourages commenters to make on-line submissions, 
using the www.regulations.gov Web site. On the first page of the 
submission, please identify it as ``Russia's Implementation of its WTO 
Commitments.''
    To submit comments via www.regulations.gov, enter docket number 
USTR-2017-0012 on the home page and click ``search.'' The site will 
provide a search-results page listing all documents associated with 
this docket. Find a reference to this notice and click on the link 
entitled ``Comment Now!''

[[Page 36522]]

For further information on using the www.regulations.gov Web site, 
please consult the resources provided on the Web site by clicking on 
``How to Use Regulations.gov'' on the bottom of the home page. We will 
not accept hand-delivered submissions.
    The www.regulations.gov Web site allows users to submit comments by 
filling in a ``Type Comment'' field or by attaching a document using an 
``Upload File'' field. USTR prefers that you submit comments in an 
attached document. If you attach a document, it is sufficient to type 
``See attached'' in the ``Type Comment'' field. USTR prefers 
submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If you 
use an application other than those two, please indicate the name of 
the application in the ``Type Comment'' field.
    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 also must submit a public 
version of their comments that we will place in the docket for public 
inspection. 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. Filers submitting 
comments containing no business confidential information should name 
their file using the name of the person or entity submitting the 
comments.
    Please do not attach separate cover letters to electronic 
submissions; rather, include any information that might appear in a 
cover letter in the comments themselves. Similarly, to the extent 
possible, please include any exhibits, annexes, or other attachments in 
the same file as the submission itself, not as separate files.
    As noted, USTR strongly urges submitters to file comments through 
www.regulations.gov. You must make any alternative arrangements with 
Yvonne Jamison in advance of transmitting a comment. You can contact 
Ms. Jamison at (202) 395-3475. General information concerning USTR is 
available at www.ustr.gov.
    We will post comments in the docket for public inspection, except 
business confidential information. You can view comments on the 
www.regulations.gov Web site by entering the relevant docket number in 
the search field on the home page.

Edward Gresser,
Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States Trade 
Representative.
[FR Doc. 2017-16389 Filed 8-3-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3290-F7-P
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