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

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is providing notice that on October 26, 2006, the Dispute Settlement Body established, at the request of Mexico, a panel under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO Agreement) concerning certain U.S. antidumping orders against stainless steel sheet and strip coils (Department of Commerce Case No. A-201-822). That request may be found at https://www.wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/SD344/4. USTR invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised in this dispute.

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).

The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, established by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (Pub. L. 108-458, December 17, 2004), advises the President and other senior executive branch officials to ensure that concerns about privacy and civil liberties are appropriately considered in the implementation of laws, regulations, and executive branch policies related to efforts to protect the Nation against terrorism. This includes advising on whether adequate guidelines, supervision, and oversight exist to protect the important legal rights of all Americans. Processes currently exist to redress errors and ameliorate false positives associated with the use of watch list data for aviation and other security screening purposes. Efforts to address, enhance, conform, and potentially streamline these procedures are ongoing throughout the Federal Government, and the Board is assisting relevant executive branch departments and agencies in those efforts. The Board seeks any comments, suggestions or other information from members of the public who have knowledge on this subject. Comments may be forwarded via the Board's Web site at https://www.PrivacyBoard.gov. While there is no specific deadline for the submission, the Board is interested in receiving public comments soon. The Board is unable to respond to individual comments and cannot assist individual redress requests. Information gathered will be used solely to assist the Board in understanding the effects of policy and program operations on Americans' civil liberties.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), on behalf of the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC), seeks comment on the interim environmental review of the proposed United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The interim environmental review is available at https://www.ustr.gov/TradeSectors/Environment/EnvironmentalRev iews/ SectionIndex.html. Copies of the review will also be sent to interested members of the public by mail upon request.

Chapter 19 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (``NAFTA'') provides for the establishment of a roster of individuals to serve on binational panels convened to review final determinations in antidumping or countervailing duty (``AD/CVD'') proceedings and amendments to AD/CVD statutes of a NAFTA Party. The United States annually renews its selections for the Chapter 19 roster. Applications are invited from eligible individuals wishing to be included on the roster for the period April 1, 2007 through March 31, 2008.

OMB is revising its Governmentwide guidance on nonprocurement debarment and suspension and issuing it in final form. The guidance, as implemented by Federal agency regulations, will replace the current common rule as the source of uniform agency policies and procedures related to nonprocurement debarment and suspension. Replacing the common rule with the guidance will reduce the volume of Federal regulations in this area and make them simpler to use.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) intends to submit the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget for review and approval. ONDCP seeks public comment. Abstract: ONDCP will conduct face-to-face interviews and acquire urine samples from booked arrestees to obtain information concerning drug use; drug and alcohol treatment; and, drug market participation and arrests. The use and manufacture of methamphetamines are of particular interest. Participation is voluntary. Type of Information Collection: New collection. Title: Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM II) Program Questionnaire. Affected Public: Persons arrested and booked in one of 10 pre- selected booking facilities in the United States in one of two, 2-week data collection cycles spanning six months. Estimated Burden: ADAM II proposes 10 sites that each conduct two cycles of surveys from 250 arrestees per cycle. The total number of participants is 5000. The average survey estimate is 20 minutes. Total burden estimate is 1667 hours. Goals: ONDCP intends to obtain drug-use data that is directly comparable to data collected under the 2000-2003 National Institute of Justice sponsored Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring program; provide consistent data collection points to support statistical trend analysis for the use of heroin, cocaine, crack, marijuana and methamphetamine; monitor the spread or emergence of methamphetamine use; and, support ONDCP's efforts to estimate chronic drug use and examine drug market behaviors. Comment Request: Public comments should address whether the proposed data is proper for the functions of the agency; whether the information will have practical utility; the accuracy of ONDCP's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions; the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and, the burden on proposed respondents, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, such as electronic submission of responses. Comments will be accepted for sixty days.

In accordance with the Drug Free Communities Act, a meeting of the Advisory Commission on Drug Free Communities will be held on December 7 and 8, 2006, at the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the 5th Floor Conference Room, 750 17th Street NW., Washington, DC. The meeting will commence at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 7, 2006 and adjourn for the evening at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will reconvene at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, December 8, 2006 in the same location. The meeting will adjourn at 4 p.m. on Friday, December 8, 2006. The agenda includes: Remarks by ONDCP Director John P. Walters, remarks by ONDCP Deputy Director Mary Ann Solberg, remarks by the DFC Program's Administrator, a discussion of the program's evaluation, a review of new grant awards, and an update from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. There will be an opportunity for public comment from 9-9:30 on Friday December 8, 2006. Members of the public who wish to attend the meeting and/or make public comment should contact Carlos Dublin, at (202) 395-6762 to arrange building access.