RCC Stakeholder Forum and Comments

NAEGA members are invited to attend a meeting of the U.S.- Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council’s 2018 Stakeholder Forum on December 4-5 in Washington, D.C. The stakeholder forum will bring together senior regulatory officials, industry, and other interested members of the public from both sides of the border to discuss recent accomplishments and new opportunities for regulatory cooperation. Further information, including location and agenda, can be found here.

Prior to the forum, the U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is requesting information and soliciting public input on how the Federal Government, under the auspices of the RCC, may reduce or eliminate unnecessary regulatory differences between the United States and Canada. OIRA also seeks public comment to identify ongoing or emerging areas for which cooperation could reduce the risk of divergence between U.S. and Canadian regulations. The comments submitted in response to the RFI may inform agencies' development of regulatory reform proposals to modify or repeal existing agency requirements to increase efficiency related to economic activity with Canada, reduce or eliminate unnecessary or unjustified regulatory burdens, or simplify regulatory compliance, while continuing to meet agency missions and statutory requirements.

NAEGA members are invited to provide there input to draft comments from NAEGA and NGFA. A copy of the draft comments can be found here.

The request for comments can be found here. Please let us know if you are interested in participating. These comments are due on December 10, 2018.

U.S.-Japan Trade Negotiation Comments

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is seeking public comments on a proposed U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement including U.S. interests and priorities, in order to develop U.S. negotiating positions. Public comments should include information on issues including, but not limited to, the following:

• General and product-specific negotiating objectives for the proposed agreement.
• Relevant barriers to trade in goods and services between the United States and Japan that should be addressed in the negotiations.
• Economic costs and benefits to U.S. producers and consumers of removal or reduction of tariffs and removal or reduction of non-tariff barriers on articles traded with Japan.
• Treatment of specific goods (described by HTSUS numbers) under the proposed agreement, including comments on:
  • Product-specific import or export interests or barriers.
  • Experience with particular measures that should be addressed in the negotiations.
  • Ways to address export priorities and import sensitivities in the context of the proposed agreement.
  • Customs and trade facilitation issues that should be addressed in the negotiations.
  • Sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical barriers to trade that should be addressed in the negotiations.
  • Other measures or practices that undermine fair market opportunities for U.S. businesses, workers, farmers, and ranchers that should be addressed in the negotiations.

The following deadlines apply for this request:

November 26, 2018: 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.

December 10, 2018: The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) will hold a public hearing beginning at 9:30 a.m., at the main hearing room of the U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington DC 20436.