Bureau of Oceans, International Environmental and Scientific Affairs; Public Meeting to Discuss Preparations for Negotiations on an Annex to the United States-Canada Air Quality Agreement to Address the Transboundary Problem of Ground-Level Ozone

摘要

The United States government, through an interagency working group chaired by the U.S. Department of State, is seeking authority to negotiate an annex to the United States-Canada Air Quality Agreement of 1991. The proposed annex would seek to address transboundary ground- level ozone air quality problems by establishing commitments to reduce emissions of major constituents of air pollution. In preparation for the proposed negotiations, the United States will establish a negotiating team consisting of representatives of the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other interested U.S. government agencies. In addition, three representatives of interested party groups (one each from industry/mining/labor, U.S. states, and environmental groups) will be invited to participate on the U.S. delegation to the talks. The first negotiating session is expected to take place in Ottawa, Canada, in February 2000. The U.S. Department of State will host a public meeting in advance of this session to outline issues likely to arise in the context of the negotiations, to invite public comment, and to invite interested parties to collaborate on selecting their group's re