Executive Office of the President December 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (Trade Act) (19 U.S.C. 2242) requires the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to identify countries that deny adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) or deny fair and equitable market access to U.S. persons who rely on intellectual property protection. (The provisions of Section 182 are commonly referred to as the ``Special 301'' provisions of the Trade Act.). The USTR is required to determine which, if any, of these countries should be identified as Priority Foreign Countries. Acts, policies, or practices that are the basis of a country's identification as a Priority Foreign Country can be subject to the procedures set out in sections 301-305 of the Trade Act. In addition, USTR has created a ``Priority Watch List'' and ``Watch List'' to assist the Administration in pursuing the goals of the Special 301 provisions. Placement of a trading partner on the Priority Watch List or Watch List indicates that particular problems exist in that country with respect to IPR protection, enforcement, or market access for persons relying on intellectual property. Trading partners placed on the Priority Watch List are the focus of increased bilateral attention concerning the problem areas. USTR chairs an interagency team that reviews information from many sources, and that consults with and makes recommendations to the USTR on issues arising under Special 301. Written submissions from interested persons are a key source of information for the Special 301 review process. In 2011, USTR through the Special 301 Committee will conduct a public hearing as part of the review process. USTR is hereby requesting written submissions from the public concerning foreign countries' acts, policies, or practices that are relevant to the decision on whether a particular trading partner should be identified as a priority foreign country under Section 182 of the Trade Act or placed on the Priority Watch List or Watch List. Interested parties, including foreign governments, who want to testify at the public hearing must submit a request to testify at the hearing and a short hearing statement. The deadlines for these procedures are set out below. DATES: The schedule for the 2011 Special 301 review is set forth below.

The Aeronautics Science and Technology Subcommittee (ASTS) of the National Science and Technology Council's (NSTC) Committee on Technology will hold a public meeting to review and discuss the National Aeronautics RDT&E Infrastructure Plan. Executive Order (E.O.) 13419National Aeronautics Research and Developmentsigned December 20, 2006, calls for the development of this plan. The plan is guided by both the National Aeronautics Research and Development (R&D) Policy and the National Aeronautics Research and Development Plan that were developed by the NSTC in consonance with E.O. 13419. Dates and Addresses: The meeting will be held in conjunction with the 49th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting at the Orlando World Center Marriott, 8701 World Center Drive, Orlando, Florida 32821 on Friday, January 7, 2011, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Crystal Ballroom A. Information regarding the 49th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting is available at the: https://www.aiaa.org Web site. Note: Persons solely attending this ASTS public meeting do not need to register for the AIAA Conference and Exhibit to attend this public meeting. There will be no admission charge for persons solely attending the public meeting. Seating is limited and will be on a first come, first served basis.

As part of a Federal Government-wide effort to streamline the process to seek feedback from the public on service delivery, OMB is coordinating the development of the following proposed Generic Information Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et. seq.). This notice announces that agencies intend to submit this collection to OMB for approval and solicits comments on specific aspects for the proposed information collection, A copy of the draft supporting statement is available at https:// www.regulations.gov, (see Docket ID OMB-2010-0021). Following review and disposition of public comments on this joint 60-day notice, each Agency will submit its own Generic ICR to OMB for review and will issue its own 30-day notice to solicit additional public comments.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has concluded negotiations on a proposed agreement to strengthen international cooperation, enforcement practices and legal frameworks for addressing counterfeiting and piracy. USTR is requesting written comments from the public on the final text of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in connection with consideration of U.S. signature of the agreement. The deadline for submission of written comments is, 5 p.m., Tuesday, February 15, 2011.

This notice sets forth the schedule and summary agenda for a partially closed 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), 5 U.S.C., App.

In accordance with relevant provisions of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS), the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is providing notice of its determination of the trade surplus in certain sugar and syrup goods and sugar-containing products of Chile, Morocco, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Peru. As described below, the level of a country's trade surplus in these goods relates to the quantity of sugar and syrup goods and sugar-containing products for which the United States grants preferential tariff treatment under (i) the United StatesChile Free Trade Agreement (Chile FTA), in the case of Chile; (ii) the United StatesMorocco Free Trade Agreement (Morocco FTA), in the case of Morocco; (iii) the Dominican RepublicCentral AmericaUnited States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), in the case of Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, and (iv) the United StatesPeru Trade Promotion Agreement (Peru TPA), in the case of Peru.

The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) is issuing its final guidance on categorical exclusions. This guidance provides methods for substantiating categorical exclusions, clarifies the process for establishing categorical exclusions, outlines how agencies should engage the public when establishing and using categorical exclusions, describes how agencies can document the use of categorical exclusions, and recommends periodic agency review of existing categorical exclusions. A categorical exclusion is a category of actions that a Federal agency determines does not normally result in individually or cumulatively significant environmental effects. This guidance clarifies the rules for establishing, applying, and revising categorical exclusions. It applies to categorical exclusions established by Federal agencies in accordance with CEQ regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act. The guidance was developed to assist agencies in making their implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) more transparent and efficient.