CD116: Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) – Environment Chapter

Congressional Dish

Jennifer Briney

News, Government, Politics

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 24 January 2016

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the third and final episode in our Trans-Pacific Partnership series, we take a look at the TPP Environment Chapter; would the treaty actually improve enforcement of environmental laws around the world? Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Trans-Pacific Partnership Text Full Text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Office of the US Trade Representative, November 5, 2015. Hearing Highlighted in this Episode TPP Issue Analysis - Environment Chapter, House Ways and Means Committee (Democrats), November 17, 2015. Watch on YouTube Witnesses Dr. Joshua Meltzer Senior Fellow in Global Economy and Development, Brookings Institution Digital Task Force Member at the Atlantic Council June 2015 – January 2016 (8 months) Washington D.C. Metro Area "Provided advice on the digital trade issues between the U.S. and the EU" Subject Matter Expert for the E15 Initiative, World Trade Organization "Expert appointment to the E15 working group developing an agenda for the WTO on climate change issues Former trade negotiator with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Former diplomat to the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C., specializing in trade and climate change issues. Alexander von Bismarck Executive Director, Environmental Investigation Agency "An international campaigning organization committed to investigating and exposing environmental crime" Served in United Nations and World Bank Ilana Soloman Responsible Trade Program Director, Sierra Club Environment Chapter Highlights Article 20.6: Governments "shall cooperate to address matters" related to pollution from ships Article 20.12: "Cooperation" includes "dialogues, workshops, seminars, conferences.. technical assistance, the sharing of best practices on policies and procedures, and the exchange of experts." Cooperative activities "are subject to the availability of funds" and the participating governments "shall decide, on a case-by-case basis, the funding of cooperative activities." Article 20.7: Each government "shall" create sanctions for violations of environmental law that "may include" a right to bring action against the violator for damages or injunctive relief. Article 20.10: "Corporate Social Responsibility": Each government "should encourage" companies to "adopt voluntarily" standards to protect the environment. The voluntary standards "should be designed in a manner that maximises their environmental benefits and avoids the creation of unnecessary barriers to trade." Article 20.13: Each government "shall promote and encourage the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity" The governments "shall cooperate" to address "matters of mutual interest"; 'cooperation' means "exchanging information". Article 20.15: "Transition to a Low Emissions and Resilient Economy" Says the governments recognize that the transition requires collective action Governments "shall cooperate to address matters of joint or common interest" Article 20.16: Each government "shall seek to operate a fisheries management system that regulates marine wild capture fishing and that is designed to prevent overfishing and overcapacity..." Each government "shall promote the long-term conservation of sharks, marine turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals, through the implementation and effective enforcement of conservation and management measures." "No Party shall grant or maintain any of the following subsidies..." that negatively affect fish stocks. Gives the governments three years to change their laws to comply. Article 20.17: The governments "commit to promote conservation and to combat the illegal take of, and illegal trade in, wild fauna and flora. The parties "shall exchange information", "undertake joint activities" and "endeavor to implement... resolutions." Such measures "shall include sanctions, penalties... that can act as a deterrent to such trade." "Each Party retains the right to make decisions regarding the allocation of administrative, investigatory, and enforcement resources." Article 20.23: Environmental issues are eligible for the Investor State Dispute Settlement tribunals Additional Reading Article: TransCanada is suing the U.S. over rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline. The U.S. Might Lose. by Todd Tucker, Washington Post, January 8, 2016. Article: White House Releases Text of Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal by Vicki Needham, The Hill, November 5, 2015. Article: The Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Accord Explained by Kevin Granville, New York Times, October 5, 2015. Report: The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Negotiations and Issues for Congress by Ian Fergusson, Mark McMinimy, and Brock Williams, Congressional Research Service, March 20, 2015. Article: Geo-engineering: Climate fixes could harm billions by David Shukman, BBC News, November 26, 2014. Article: Michael Froman and the Revolving Door by Felix Salon, Reuters, December 11, 2009. Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations

Transcript

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0:00.0	I am so damn tired of being like to
0:08.4	I don't think I can't deny it anymore.
0:15.0	You can stick to your story if you think it flies but I'm not going to buy it anymore.
0:30.0	Hello friend, thank you for checking out the 116th episode of Congressional Dish. I'm
0:35.9	your host Jennifer Briny. Today's episode is going to be the third part in the
0:40.1	three-part series on the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
0:43.0	Now my recommendation to you, if I were you,
0:45.0	is I would start with episode 114,
0:47.6	which is about the Investor State Dispute System.
0:50.0	And if you haven't heard that episode before hearing this one, you might have some trouble understanding what's going on.
0:55.0	So listen to 114 before you listen to this.
0:58.0	And it's not as necessary to listen to 115 before this one, but might as well go in order. So go back to
1:03.8	114 before listening to this episode. But anyway this episode is going to be
1:08.4	on the environment chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and for those of you
1:12.1	who are not listening to me and listening to this
1:14.4	episode before number 114 the Trans Pacific Partnership is an international treaty that is between
1:19.9	12 countries that border the Pacific Ocean including including us here in the United States.
1:23.6	It was negotiated in almost total secrecy by the U.S. Trade Representative, who is a former
1:28.9	Citibank executive, and this was negotiated over the course of about a decade.
1:35.0	Now our Congress last year enacted fast-track legislation and so this treaty is not going to be approved in the way that the Constitution says that it should.
1:43.2	Instead, this vote will be an all or nothing vote, so Congress is not allowed to amend it at all.
1:48.9	And one of the things that Fast Track did is it said that we peasants are going to have 90 days to see the text
	...

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