Citizen Submissions: Trade and the Environment

When
March 9, 2021 11:00 am — 12:30 pm
Where
Webinar Only

An ELI Member Webinar Co-Sponsored by DC Bar Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Community and Women in Government Relations' Energy, Environment, and Agriculture Task-Force

Despite the existing tension between trade pacts and global environmental rule of law, environmental side agreements (ESAs) of bi- and multi-lateral trade pacts have created a unique mechanism for environmental enforcement: citizen submissions reviewed by a commission or Secretariat. By empowering citizens to contribute to the oversight of trade-related activities, these citizen submissions have the potential to increase accountability for environmental harm around the world.

The process for submissions on environmental matters widely varies across different trade pacts, ranging from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Commission for Environmental Cooperation, to that of Secretariats including the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement, and the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement. As the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) significantly amended NAFTA in July 2020, this webinar will assess the impacts these changes have had on the environment and explore opportunities to advance the role of citizen submissions in strengthening the environmental rule of law.

Join the Environmental Law Institute and expert panelists for an engaging dialogue focused on the heightened importance of citizen submissions in global environmental enforcement, the impact of transitioning from NAFTA to USMCA on the environment, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Panelists:
Lee Paddock, Visiting Scholar, Environmental Law Institute, former Associate Dean, Environmental Law Studies, George Washington University Law School, Moderator
Linda Allen, Independent Researcher, Routledge
Lisa Goldman, Acting Assistant General Counsel, International Environmental Law Practice Group, Environmental Protection Agency
Paolo Solano, Director, Legal Affairs and SEM Unit, Commission for Environmental Cooperation of North America
Jeff Todd, Associate Professor, Texas State University

Materials:
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