Notice2023-12843
Request for Comments Regarding the Work of the North American Competitiveness Committee
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
June 16, 2023
Issuing agencies
Trade Representative, Office of United States
Abstract
Since entry into force of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the United States, Canada, and Mexico (the Parties) have focused the work of the North American Competitiveness Committee (Committee) on expanding trilateral cooperation on North American workforce development issues and establishing mechanisms for cooperation during emergency situations that affect North American trade flows, including by establishing a joint understanding of critical infrastructure priorities in North America. USTR is seeking public comments and recommendations for these and potential additional workstreams for the Committee relevant to enhancing North American competitiveness.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 116 (Friday, June 16, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 116 (Friday, June 16, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39502-39503]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12843]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket Number USTR-2023-0005]
Request for Comments Regarding the Work of the North American
Competitiveness Committee
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: Since entry into force of the United States-Mexico-Canada
Agreement (USMCA), the United States, Canada, and Mexico (the Parties)
have focused the work of the North American Competitiveness Committee
(Committee) on expanding trilateral cooperation on North American
workforce development issues and establishing mechanisms for
cooperation during emergency situations that affect North American
trade flows, including by establishing a joint understanding of
critical infrastructure priorities in North America. USTR is seeking
public comments and recommendations for these and potential additional
workstreams for the Committee relevant to enhancing North American
competitiveness.
DATES: The deadline for the submission of written comments is July 17,
2023.
ADDRESSES: You should submit written comments through the Federal
eRulemaking Portal: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> (<a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>).
Follow the instructions for submissions in parts III and IV below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning
written comments, please contact Randall Oliver, Director for Canada,
Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f0a2919e94919c9cdea4debf9c99869582b085838482de959f80de979f86"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0e5c6f606a6f6262205a20416267786b7c4e7b7d7a7c206b617e20696178">[email protected]</span></a>
or (202) 395-9449 in advance of the deadline and before transmitting a
comment.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The purpose of the Committee, which was established under Chapter
26 of the USMCA, is to:
<bullet> develop and implement cooperative activities in support of
a strong economic environment that incentivizes production in North
America;
<bullet> facilitate regional trade and investment;
<bullet> enhance a predictable and transparent regulatory
environment;
<bullet> encourage the swift movement of goods and the provision of
services throughout the region; and
<bullet> respond to market developments and emerging technologies.
The Parties agreed that the Committee should not detract from or
unnecessarily duplicate work that is taking place under other USMCA
committees or in other venues such as bilateral cooperation mechanisms,
including the U.S.-Mexico High-Level Economic Dialogue and the Roadmap
for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership. The Parties also agreed that
projects for the Committee must be based on targeted and specific
proposals to maximize effectiveness and impact.
To coordinate U.S. government policy for the Committee, USTR has
established a Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) Subcommittee on North
American Competitiveness (TPSC Subcommittee) comprised of officials
from across the U.S. government.
II. Public Comments
USTR invites interested parties to submit comments to assist USTR
and the TPSC Subcommittee in recommending additional workstreams for
the Committee relevant to enhancing North American competitiveness.
Comments should be responsive to the Committee activities described in
the USMCA at Article 26.1, namely:
<bullet> effective approaches and information-sharing activities to
support a competitive environment in North America that facilitates
trade and investment between the Parties, and promotes economic
integration and development within the free trade area;
<bullet> ways to further assist traders of a Party to identify and
take advantage of trade opportunities under the USMCA;
<bullet> recommendations aimed at enhancing the participation of
SMEs, and enterprises owned by under-represented groups including
women, indigenous peoples, youth, and minorities;
<bullet> projects and policies to develop a modern physical and
digital trade- and investment-related infrastructure, and improve the
movement of goods and provision of services within the free trade area;
<bullet> action to combat market-distorting practices by non-
Parties that are affecting the North American region; and
<bullet> cooperative activities for trade and investment between
the Parties with respect to innovation and technology, including best
practices in their application.
In addition, USTR invites interested parties to submit comments to
assist USTR and the TPSC Subcommittee in the ongoing implementation of
current work under the Committee related to North American workforce
development and cooperation among the Parties during emergency
situations that affect North American trade flows, including the
establishment of a joint understanding of critical infrastructure
priorities in North America described in Decision #5 of the Free Trade
Commission of the USMCA.
Comments could address, among other topics:
<bullet> recommendations aimed at developing procedures for
coordination and consultation in response to specific emergency
situations;
<bullet> effective approaches and mechanisms to timely consult with
industries and other non-governmental stakeholders, including workers,
most directly impacted by the disruption of North American trade flows
in an emergency situation;
<bullet> existing projects and policies to engage with state,
local, tribal, or territorial governments to address disruptions to
trade in emergency situations; and
<bullet> examples of activities related to re-establishing the flow
of trade after emergency situations.
USTR requests small businesses (generally defined by the Small
Business Administration as firms with fewer than 500 employees) or
organizations representing small business members that submit comments
to self-identify as such, so that we may be aware of issues of
particular interest to small businesses.
[[Page 39503]]
III. Procedures for Written Submissions
To be assured of consideration, submit your written comments by the
July 17, 2023 11:59 p.m. EDT deadline. All submission must be in
English. USTR strongly encourages submissions via <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>,
using Docket Number USTR-2023-0005.
To make a submission via <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>, enter Docket Number USTR-
2023-0005 in the `search for' field 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
by selecting `notice' under `document type' in the `refine documents
results' section on the left side of the screen and click on the link
entitled `comment.'
<a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> allows users to make submissions by filling in a
`type comment' field or by attaching a document using the `upload file'
field. USTR prefers that you provide submissions in an attached
document and note `see attached' in the `comment' field on the online
submission form. 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.
You will receive a tracking number upon completion of the
submission procedure at <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>. The tracking number is
confirmation that <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> received your submission. Keep the
confirmation for your records. USTR is not able to provide technical
assistance for <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>.
For further information on using <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>, please consult
the resources provided on the website by clicking on `How to Use
<a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>' on the bottom of the home page. USTR may not consider
submissions that you do not make in accordance with these instructions.
If you are unable to provide submissions as requested, please
contact Randall Oliver, Director for Canada, Office of Western
Hemisphere Affairs, in advance of the deadline at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c391a2ada7a2afafed97ed8cafaab5a6b183b6b0b7b1eda6acb3eda4acb5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="acfecdc2c8cdc0c082f882e3c0c5dac9deecd9dfd8de82c9c3dc82cbc3da">[email protected]</span></a> or (202) 395-9449, to arrange for an
alternative method of transmission. USTR will not accept hand-delivered
submissions. General information concerning USTR is available at
<a href="http://www.ustr.gov">www.ustr.gov</a>.
IV. Business Confidential Information (BCI) Submissions
If you ask USTR to treat information you submit as BCI, you must
certify that the information is business confidential and you would not
customarily release it to the public. For any comments submitted
electronically containing BCI, the file name of the business
confidential version should begin with the characters `BCI.' You must
clearly mark any page containing BCI with `BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL' at
the top of that page. Filers of submissions containing BCI also must
submit a public version of their submission that will be placed in the
docket for public inspection. The file name of the public version
should begin with the character `P.'
V. Public Viewing of Review Submissions
USTR will post written submissions in the docket for public
inspection, except properly designated BCI. You can view submissions at
<a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> by entering Docket Number USTR-2023-0005 in the search
field on the home page.
William Shpiece,
Chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2023-12843 Filed 6-15-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3390-F3-P
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