North American Free Trade Agreement's Land Transportation Standards Subcommittee and Transportation Consultative Group: Annual Plenary Session

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of The Secretary

[Docket No. OST-95-246]

North American Free Trade Agreement's Land Transportation

Standards Subcommittee and Transportation Consultative Group: Annual

Plenary Session

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice (1) announces the sixth joint annual plenary

session of the North American Free Trade Agreement's (NAFTA) Land

Transportation Standards Subcommittee (LTSS) and the Transportation

Consultative Group (TCG) and other related meetings; and (2) invites

representatives of non-governmental entities with an interest in land

transportation issues to participate in a listening session immediately

preceding the plenary meeting and to attend a briefing at a later date.

Only U.S., Canadian, and Mexican government officials may attend the

plenary and working group meetings.

Background

The Land Transportation Standards Subcommittee (LTSS) was

established by the North American Free Trade Agreement's (NAFTA)

Committee on Standards-Related Measures to examine the land

transportation regulatory regimes in the United States, Canada, and

Mexico, and to seek to make certain standards more compatible. The

Transportation Consultative Group (TCG) was formed by the three

countries' departments of transportation to address non-standards-

related issues that affect cross-border movements among the countries,

but that are not included in the NAFTA's LTSS work program (Annex

913.5.a-1).

Meetings and Deadlines

The sixth joint annual LTSS/TCG plenary session will be held from

October 25 to 28, 1999, at the Hilton Baltimore and Towers, 20 West

Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201. The following LTSS working

groups will meet during the same week and at the same location: (1)

Compliance and Driver and Vehicle Standards; (2) Vehicle Weights and

Dimensions; and (3) Hazardous Materials Transportation Standards.

Similarly, the following TCG working groups are expected to meet: (1)

Cross-Border Operations and Facilitation; (2) Rail Safety and Economic

Issues; (3) Automated Data Exchange; (4) Science and Technology; and

(5) Maritime and Ports Policy.

Also at the same Baltimore site, on October 25, 1999, from 2:00

p.m. to 5:00 p.m., a listening session will be held for representatives

of the truck, bus, and rail industries, transportation labor unions,

brokers and shippers, chemical manufacturers, insurance industry,

public safety advocates, and others who have notified us of their

interest to attend and have submitted copies of their presentations, in

English and

[[Page 49270]]

Spanish, to the address below by October 12, 1999. This is an

opportunity for presenters to voice their concerns, provide technical

information, and offer suggestions relevant to achieving greater

standards compatibility and improving cross-border trade. While written

statements may be of any length, oral presentations will be limited to

10 minutes per presenter. After October 12, statements may be submitted

for the record, and requests to present oral comments at the listening

session will be accommodated only on a time-available basis.

Although participation in the LTSS and TCG plenary and working

group meetings is limited to government officials only, representatives

of non-governmental entities also are invited to take part in parallel

topical discussions, visits to transport facilities, and a final

briefing by the heads of the U.S., Canadian, and Mexican delegations to

be held on October 28.

Hotel reservations may be arranged by calling the Hilton Baltimore

and Towers directly at 1-800-445-8667 or 1-888-466-4644, by electronic

mail at www.hilton.com. In order to ensure that they receive the

special group rate for guest rooms, callers must identify themselves as

delegates to the NAFTA LTSS Conference and make their reservations by

September 20, 1999.

A briefing to report on the outcome of the Baltimore meetings will

be conducted at DOT at the address below, in Room 3200-04, on November

30, 1999, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Interested parties may notify DOT of

their interest to attend this briefing by calling (202) 366-2892 by

November 26.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: LTSS-related documents, including past

working group reports and statements received by DOT from industry

associations, transportation labor unions, public safety advocates, and

others are available for review in Docket No. OST-95-246, at the

address below, Room PL-401, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., e.s.t.,

Monday through Friday, except national holidays. The Docket, which is

updated periodically, may also be accessed electronically at http://

dms.dot.gov.

Address and Phone Numbers

Individuals and organizations interested in participating in the

listening session on October 25, 1999 must send notice of their

interest and copies of their presentations by October 12 to Maria

Lameiro, U.S. Department of Transportation, OST/X-20, Room 10300, 400

Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Respondents may also send

information by fax at (202) 366-7417. For additional information, call

(202) 366-2892.

Dated: September 3, 1999.

Bernestine Allen,

Acting Director, Office of International Transportation and Trade.

[FR Doc. 99-23517 Filed 9-9-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910-62-P