This report examines Federal programs, policies, and measures that encourage the
commercialization and deployment of technologies that reduce, avoid, or capture
and store emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs).
Prepared in fulfillment of certain requirements of the
Energy Policy Act, as amended in 2005, it
inventories prospective technologies, assesses their current development status,
identifies barriers, risks and other obstacles to their greater
deployment, describes strategies to address these
obstacles as a means for accelerating deployment, and outlines opportunities
for the future.

This report is one of seven on the opportunities for exports to, and direct investment and joint ventures in, the markets for environmental goods and services (EGS), carbon abatement technologies (CATs), renewable energy and carbon finance in selected countries (see Annex A for definitions of these sectors). It should be noted that the nuclear sector was excluded from the review. The other countries are Australia, Brazil, China, India, South Africa and Turkey – representing a mix of emerging/high growth and developed overseas markets in these sectors.

Surveying 136 exporting firms from ten OECD and non-OECD countries, this study documents the incidence, and impact of, non-tariff measures that are perceived to act as barriers to trade in seven sectors of environmental goods and associated services. Although the DDA has a mandate to address inter alia such trade barriers, information shedding light on the specific problems that firms encounter in their export activities has been scarce.

Accounts by exporting firms in Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, India, Japan, Korea and the United States suggest that environmental goods indeed face a variety of obstacles when traded abroad. Firms participating in the survey mentioned relatively often problems associated with product testing and certification requirements, customs procedures, regulations on payment, problems with intellectual property protection, government procurement procedures and technical regulations and standards. Certain types of reported barriers appear to be more prevalent in certain markets. For example, customs procedures reportedly pose a problem predominantly in developing and transition economies and problems with intellectual property rights are associated especially with China. The non-tariff barriers reported by the firms appear to be generic and not specific to the environmental sector. The study shows that in many countries the environmental industry consists mostly of SMEs, for whom cost-raising barriers pose disproportionately greater problems due to their limited resources.

CONTINUED WORK UNDER PARAGRAPH 31(III) OF THE DOHA DECLARATION
Submission by the United States
Paragraph 31(iii)
The following communication, dated 20 February 2006, is being circulated at the request of the Delegation of the United States.

U.S. Market Assessment & Opportunity Review for Environmental Firms, Presented by Grant Ferrier
President, Environmental Business International, Inc. at Globe 2002 for the Canadian Consulate on March 14, 2002.