More than 450 environmental organizations urge Congress to stop the TPP

[cali]

This will be an issue in the election. This missive was sent to Congress 3 weeks ago. It barely made the news. Sierra Club, hardly a radical organization is leading the effort. They have been for years, ever since the Environment chapter was leaked. They still do, after reviewing the final draft.



More than 450 groups on Monday called on Congress to reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership if it comes up for a vote this fall, saying the trade deal would allow fossil fuel companies to contest U.S. environmental rules in extrajudicial tribunals.

The groups, most of them environmental organizations, warned that companies could challenge U.S. environmental standards in tribunals outside the domestic legal system under provisions of the 12-nation TPP and the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with Europe.

Congress is expected to vote on the TPP after the Nov. 8 election during a lame-duck session. President Barack Obama wants the agreement ratified before he leaves office on Jan. 20, but opposition to the deal has grown during this year's presidential campaign.

"We strongly urge you to eliminate this threat to U.S. climate progress by committing to vote no on the TPP and asking the U.S. Trade Representative to remove from TTIP any provision that empowers corporations to challenge government policies in extrajudicial tribunals," the groups wrote in the letter to every member of Congress.

Obama's political ally and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has said she wants to renegotiate the TPP to include stronger rules on currency manipulation.

<snip>

read:http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trade-climatechange-idUSKCN0YS144
http://www.sierraclub.org/trade/trans-pacific-partnership

[Scientific]

1. One prays that the presumptive Democratic Party candidate is listening closely

...to the devout wishes and clear will of the actual 'human being' type citizens of these United States.

[cali]

3. I hope so.

The thing is, there are myriad ways to improve trade deals. A more balanced dispute system for one, instead of rotating the same attorneys between defending corporations and adjudicating disputes.

[AntiBank]

2. 3 Ways the TPP Will Hurt the Climate — If We Let It Pass

http://www.alternet.org/environment/3-ways-tpp-will-hurt-climate-if-we-let-it-pass

snip

Here are a few of the big concerns with the TPP:

1. It expands the rights of corporations to challenge regulations.

The TPP establishes special legal rights of foreign corporations to challenge new regulations that it views could impact future profits. These corporate rights, first established under NAFTA in 1994, would be granted to corporations in all TPP countries. As an example, TransCanada is currently considering whether to bring a NAFTA challenge over President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone pipeline. Other corporate rights cases challenging fracking bans and the rights of oil companies to drill offshore point to how regulations that mitigate climate change could be challenged under the TPP.

2. It drives natural gas exports and production.

The TPP mandates the automatic approval of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) export permits to TPP countries, a policy the Sierra Club says is likely to lead to an increase in fracking. Japan is already the world’s largest importer of natural gas, and anticipates importing much more if the TPP is approved. Fracking has not only been linked to air and water pollution; the process is a high emitter of greenhouse gases, and it further locks in a fossil-fuel based system of energy over renewable options.


3. Limiting support for local, renewable energy systems.

The U.S. Trade Representative is the government agency that represents the United States in trade negotiations. One of its priorities in the TPP has been to eliminate what it calls “localization barriers to trade,” which means striking down government programs that give preference to local or national businesses. But this is not just for other countries—the same rules would apply here in the United States. A recent trade tribunal at the World Trade Organization gives an example of what this looks like in practice: The tribunal ruled against an Ontario policy designed to create local green jobs through locally sourced renewable energy.


snip

[smirkymonkey]

4. K&R

[maindawg]

5. Any kind of law that favors corporate interests is fascism

The establishment favors these trade agreements. I cannot imagine that the Republican party as much as it is salivating over this thing would give Obama the opportunity to sign it. It will be a boon to the corporate state , officially making the USA a fascist state controlled by the corporations completely. You know if the Corp wants to dig up the grand Canton because there's coal or gas they will. If they pollute your Creek and your kids all get cancer that's too bad for you. The acid rain that kills everything is here to stay kiddies. We shall accelerate our climactic catastrophie and so many millions will suffer and die but shareholders will be pleased with the little black numbers they are rewarded. So it's all good.
You are going to learn to love fascism , or else you will have to be re educated so don't worry, the new world order will be just fine.

[Scientific]

6. But what the Hell, it's only the environment

You know, water, air, soil, that kind of stuff. So it's probably not worth getting concerned about after all, especially when considered in the light of corporate profits.