6/7/00 Don't fall for this. This is a ploy to de-fang environmentalists and labor. By throwing them a few crumbs, they hope to shut them up about globalization. The problem is the effects of Big Business going global. NOT whether Greens and unions have representation. This is an attempt to buy off the opposition with crumbs. Joshua2 ==================== IGC News Desk wrote: > > Copyright 2000 InterPress Service, all rights reserved. > Worldwide distribution via the APC networks. > > *** 06-Jun-0* *** > > Title: ENVIRONMENT-TRADE: US Drops Move to Fight Ruling on Trade Panels > > By Danielle Knight > > WASHINGTON, Jun 6 (IPS) - The US government, to the cheers of > environmentalists, has dropped its appeal of a Federal court > ruling that forced it to include representatives of environmental > groups on two of its industry-dominated trade advisory panels. > > The US Trade Representative (USTR) and Department of Commerce > dismissed the appeal on Jul. 2, a move seen by environmental > groups as the first step in democratising how trade policy is made > in this country. > > Together the two government agencies have almost two dozen > advisory committees on trade policy - that are comprised only of > corporate and industry representatives. > > Now, two representatives from environmental groups have been > formally appointed to two trade advisory panels that discuss trade > in lumber and paper products. > > A spokeswoman at the USTR told IPS that the removal of the appeal > was not a sudden turn around in policy. > > "The Administration (of US President Bill Clinton) has had a long > standing commitment toward greater inclusiveness of environmental > and consumer organisations," she said. > > Environmental groups praised the move as the beginning of opening > up trade policy to citizens' views. > > ''In a democracy, industry should not be the only interest > represented in setting our trade policies," says Patti Goldman, an > attorney with Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, who filed the > lawsuit leading to the appointments. > > Environmental groups, many of the same who protested against the > World Trade Organisation (WTO) in the streets of Seattle, > Washington last year, argued that the make-up of these panels > violated US law which requires trade advisory panels to be > balanced and not comprised only of business and industry leaders. > > Information shared between industry and the USTR is not publicly > released, except for brief summaries of subjects discussed. > Meanwhile, the environmental consequences of trade agreements can > be enormous, according to environmental organisations. > > They say that the make-up of these advisory panels reflect how > trade agreements - including policy made through the WTO - have > often been worked out in an undemocratic manner, behind closed > doors and with no public participation. Groups made some headway > last year when a Federal Court took their side. > > Last November Federal District Court Judge Barbara Rothstein ruled > that the Trade Representative and Commerce Secretary had violated > the Federal Advisory Committee Act by limiting membership on the > paper and wood products committees to industry officials. > > "The composition of the forest product Industry Sector Advisory > Committees (ISACs) ... violates (the law's) requirement to be > fairly balanced in terms of viewpoints represented," wrote > Rothstein in her ruling. > > Following the judge's ruling, the USTR's paper products trade > committees met without any environmental representatives. So, > environmentalists went back to court to obtain a further ruling in > December directing the Administration to have an environmental > representative at the next committee meeting. > > Then in January, in a joint announcement by the USTR and > Department of Commerce, the agencies said they would appeal the > court's ruling. Just before the appeal was dropped two > representatives of environmental organisations received > invitations from the federal agencies to serve on two ISACs. > > Yet, environmental advocacy organisations say these two > appointments hardly equal balanced representation on panels > containing up to 15 industry representatives. > > "One could say that the composition of the forest products ISACs > looks more like a lynch mob than a committee since they have one > lone environmentalist and about eight timber industry bosses," > says Doug Norlen, a policy analyst with the Pacific Environment > and Resources Center, the environmental appointee to the paper and > paper products advisory panel. > > Industry members of the paper and products trade advisory > committee include such corporate heavy-weights as the senior vice > president of the International Paper Company, the vice president > of Westvaco Worldwide, and the vice president of Georgia-Pacific > Corporation. > > Norlen was one of the environmentalists in Seattle last year > protesting against the WTO policies and the USTR's push to > eliminate barriers to trade in paper and wood products. > > The wood and paper ISACs in question are responsible for pushing > to liberalise trade in wood and paper products, says Antonia > Juhasz, director of international trade and forest programmes at > the American Lands Alliance here. > > Groups say reducing tariffs would spur increases in logging in > environmentally threatened "hotspots" like Indonesia, Malaysia and > Chile. > > The USTR's proposal "could increase consumption of wood products > and unsustainable logging practices worldwide," she says. > > Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund has also filed a lawsuit to add > environmental representatives to the industry-only committee on > chemicals. More than a dozen advisory committees, including panels > on mining, energy, and tobacco lack environmental representation, > say advocacy groups. > > Victor Menotti with the International Forum on Globalization, a > California-based trade watchdog, says that the USTR's recent > dismissal of the appeal is a welcome first step. But, he argues > that instead of simply complying with the law, the government is > forcing citizens' groups to challenge each committee in court. > > "Instead, it should revamp the entire system of giving industry > preferred access," he says. (END/IPS/EN/dk/da/00) > > Origin: SJAAMEX/ENVIRONMENT-TRADE/ > ---- > <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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