EPA to Chair North America Commission for Environmental Cooperation / Joint partnership among U.S., Canada and Mexico to strengthen cooperation on health and environmental pro...
WASHINGTON – Today at the end of the annual council session
in Montreal, Canada, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Administrator Lisa P. Jackson assumed leadership of the Commission
for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), a partnership with Canada and
Mexico that fosters conservation, protection and enhancement of the
North American environment. The partnership works to increase
economic, trade and social links among the three countries to build
healthy communities and ecosystems, a low carbon economy, and
initiatives and projects that will help protect people’s
health across North America.
Today’s meeting with the Mexican and Canadian ministers of
the environment, as well as representatives from across the three
governments, focused on the goals of empowering communities to
address environmental concerns, especially in states, tribes, and
under-served communities, a priority of Administrator Jackson. To
that end, today, the CEC directed $1.4 million to fund the North
American Partnership for Environmental Community Action (NAPECA) to
support communities in their efforts to locally address
environmental problems across North America.
The three areas of priorities for the CEC for the next five years
are:
- Healthy communities and Ecosystems
- Climate Change - Low-Carbon Economy
- Greening the Economy in North America
Administrator Jackson will host next year’s meeting in New
Orleans, Louisiana.
“We’re proud to be working with our partners in the
Commission and view our time in the leadership role as an
opportunity to facilitate even stronger collaboration. We are eager
to join Canada and Mexico in making sure that the work of the CEC
is being seen in robust interactions and real results at the
community level and benefits for the people who are most vulnerable
to health and environmental threats,” said EPA Administrator
Lisa P. Jackson. “This is an important time to ensure that
our economic and environmental priorities are fully aligned and
complementary, so that we are moving towards a prosperous and
sustainable future. The work of the CEC is instrumental in shaping
that future.”
Since 1994, Canada, Mexico and the United States have collaborated
in protecting North America’s environment through the North
American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), which came
into force at the same time as the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA), marking a commitment from each country that
trade and economic growth would be accompanied by environmental
protection. Accordingly, the NAAEC established the commission to
address regional environmental concerns, help prevent potential
conflicts between trade and environmental protection and promote
the effective enforcement of environmental law.
More information on EPA’s role in the CEC:
https://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation
More information on the CEC: http://www.cec.org