Request for Comments on Negotiating Objectives for a United States-Republic of Kenya Trade Agreement
| Citation | 85 FR 16450 |
| Record Number | 2020-06041 |
| Published date | 23 March 2020 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Trade Representative Office Of The United States |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 56 (Monday, March 23, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 56 (Monday, March 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16450-16452]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06041]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket Number USTR-2020-0011]
Request for Comments on Negotiating Objectives for a United
States-Republic of Kenya Trade Agreement
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Request for comments and notice of public hearing.
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SUMMARY: On March 17, 2020, the U.S Trade Representative notified
Congress of the Administration's intent to enter
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into negotiations with the Republic of Kenya (Kenya) for a U.S.-Kenya
trade agreement. The Office of the United States Trade Representative
(USTR) is seeking public comments on a proposed U.S.-Kenya trade
agreement, including U.S. interests and priorities, in order to develop
U.S. negotiating positions. You can provide comments in writing and
orally at a public hearing. The Administration's aim in negotiations
with Kenya is to address both tariff and non-tariff barriers and to
achieve free, fair, and reciprocal trade.
DATES:
April 15, 2020: Deadline for the submission of written comments and
for written notification of your intent to testify, as well as a
summary of your testimony at the public hearing.
April 28, 2020: The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) will hold a
public hearing beginning at 9:30 a.m., in Rooms 1 and 2, 1724 F Street
NW, Washington, DC 20508.
ADDRESSES: You should submit notifications of intent to testify and
written comment through the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov (Regulations.gov). Follow the instructions for
submissions in parts II and III below. For alternatives to on-line
submissions, please contact Yvonne Jamison at (202) 395-3475 in advance
of the deadline and before transmitting a comment.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning
written comments, please contact Yvonne Jamison at (202) 395-3475.
Direct all other questions to Alan Treat, Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade
Representative for Africa, at (202) 395-9514.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The decision to launch negotiations for a U.S.-Kenya trade
agreement is an important step to strengthen the U.S.-Kenya economic
relationship and to achieve free, fair, and reciprocal trade. President
Trump and President Kenyatta established the U.S.-Kenya Trade and
Investment Working Group in August 2018 to explore ways to deepen
economic ties between the United States and Kenya and lay the
groundwork for a stronger future trade relationship.
On March 17, 2020, following consultations with relevant
Congressional committees, the U.S. Trade Representative informed
Congress that the President intends to commence negotiations with Kenya
for a U.S.-Kenya trade agreement
II. Public Comment and Hearing
The TPSC invites interested parties to submit comments and/or oral
testimony to assist USTR as it develops negotiating objectives and
positions for the agreement, including with regard to objectives
identified in section 102 of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade
Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (19 U.S.C. 4201). In
particular, the TPSC invites interested parties to comment on issues
that USTR should address in the negotiations including, but not limited
to, the following:
a. General and product-specific negotiating objectives for the
proposed agreement.
b. Relevant barriers to trade in goods and services between the
United States and Kenya.
c. Economic costs and benefits to U.S. producers and consumers of
removal or reduction of tariffs and non-tariff barriers on articles
traded with Kenya.
d. Treatment of specific goods (classified under the Harmonized
Tariff Schedule of the United States or HTSUS) under the proposed
agreement, including comments on the following:
i. Product-specific import or export interests or barriers.
ii. Experience with particular measures that USTR should address in
the negotiations.
iii. Ways to address export priorities and import sensitivities in
the context of the proposed agreement.
e. Fees, charges, and taxes affecting trade in goods and services
between the United States and Kenya.
f. Customs and trade facilitation issues, including those related
to pre-shipment inspection.
g. Sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical barriers to
trade.
h. Transparency issues.
i. Other measures or practices, including those of third-country
entities, which undermine fair market opportunities for U.S.
businesses, workers, farmers, and ranchers.
USTR must receive written comments no later than April 15, 2020.
USTR requests that small businesses (generally defined by the Small
Business Administration as firms with fewer than 500 employees) or
organizations representing small business members, which submit
comments to self-identify as such, so that we may be aware of issues of
particular interest to small businesses.
The TPSC will hold a hearing on Tuesday, April 28, 2020 in Rooms 1
and 2, 1724 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20508. If necessary, the
hearing will continue on the next business day. Persons wishing to
testify at the hearing must provide written notification of their
intention by April 15, 2020. You must make the intent to testify
notification in the `type comment' field under docket number USTR-2020-
0011 on Regulations.gov and should include the name, address, telephone
number, and email address of the person presenting the testimony. You
should attach a summary of the testimony by using the `upload file'
field. The file name 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.
III. Requirements for Submissions
In order to ensure the timely receipt and consideration of
comments, USTR strongly encourages commenters to make on-line
submissions, using Regulations.gov. Persons submitting a notification
of intent to testify and/or written comments must do so in English and
must identify (on the first page of the submission) the ``U.S.-Kenya
Trade Agreement.''
To submit comments via Regulations.gov, enter docket number USTR-
2020-0011 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!' For further information on using Regulations.gov, please consult
the resources provided on the website by clicking on `How to Use This
Site' on the left side of the home page.
Regulations.gov allows users to provide comments by filling in a
`type comment' field, or by attaching a document using an `upload file'
field. USTR prefers that you provide 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 the submission is in an application
other than those two, please indicate the name of the application in
the `type comment' field.
For any comments submitted electronically that contain business
confidential information (BCI), the file name of the business
confidential version should begin with the characters `BCI.' Clearly
mark any page containing BCI `BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL' on the top of that
page. Filers of submissions containing BCI also must submit a public
version of their comments. The file name of the public version should
begin with the character `P.' Follow the `BCI' and `P' with the name of
the person or entity submitting the
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comments. Filers submitting comments containing no BCI 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
Regulations.gov. If alternative arrangements are essential, you must
make them before transmitting a comment and in advance of the
applicable deadline, with Yvonne Jamison at (202) 395-3475.
USTR will place comments in the docket for public inspection,
except BCI. General information concerning USTR is available at
www.ustr.gov.
Edward Gresser,
Chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2020-06041 Filed 3-20-20; 8:45 am]
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