Trade Representative, Office of United States March 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The United States intends to initiate negotiations with Malaysia on a free trade agreement (FTA). The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) will convene a public hearing and seek public comment to assist the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in amplifying and clarifying negotiating objectives for the proposed agreement and to provide advice on how specific goods and services and other matters should be treated under the proposed agreement.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (``USTR'') is providing notice that Argentina has requested the establishment of a dispute settlement panel under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement''). That request may be found at https://www.wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/DS268/16. USTR invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised in this dispute.

Free trade agreements entered into by the United States require the establishment of lists or rosters of individuals that would be available to serve as panelists in dispute settlement proceedings. From time to time, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) will collect applications from people who wish to serve on those panels. USTR solicited comments from the public on this proposed collection of information and received none. Therefore no changes have been made to the proposed collection. USTR is now submitting a request for approval to the Office of Management and Budget pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act.

This publication gives notice that, pursuant to the Trade Act of 2002, and consistent with Executive Order 13141 (64 FR 63169) (Nov. 18, 1999) and its implementing guidelines (65 FR 79442), the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), through the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC), is initiating an environmental review of the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and Korea. The TPSC is requesting written comments from the public on what should be included in the scope of the environmental review, including the potential environmental effects that might flow from the free trade agreement and the potential implications for U.S. environmental laws and regulations, and identification of complementarities between trade and environmental objectives such as the promotion of sustainable development. The TPSC also welcomes public views on appropriate methodologies and sources of data for conducting the review. Persons submitting written comments should provide as much detail as possible on the degree to which the subject matter they propose for inclusion in the review may raise significant environmental issues in the context of the negotiation.