Citizen committee makes recommendations on proposed CEC projects
JPAC highlights transparency and communication as key elements for trilateral environmental cooperation, and invites you to participate in the CEC’s next public session
Montreal, 25 May 2011—Transparency and open citizen dialogue are two key elements to successfully reach the collective environmental goals of the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States, according to the most recent Advice to Council of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC).
In its most recent Advice to Council, JPAC looks at more than a dozen projects that propose collaborative work across North America in 2011-12, highlighting support for initiatives such as the sound management of chemicals, restoring the health of North America’s native grasslands and a program to strengthen environmental law enforcement, among others.
The advisory committee also noted that some project descriptions in the CEC’s proposed two-year work program were too vague and recommended providing additional project details.
In addition, JPAC believes that there has been a significant lack of follow-up on the CEC Secretariat’s 2011 report, “Destination Sustainability: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Freight Transportation in North America,” and recommends that the Council consider developing a project to advance this issue.
JPAC’s recommendations on the proposed 2011-2012 Cooperative Work Program, which was released for public comment during April, along with other comments received, are available on the CEC website.
Many of the CEC’s new and ongoing projects will be the subject of discussion at the upcoming 18th Regular Session of the CEC Council and related events, to be held 21-22 June 2011 in Montreal, Canada. JPAC will facilitate discussions about the CEC’s work with the Council—Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent, Mexican Environment Secretary Juan Elvira Quesada, and US EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson—and will host a special public forum on managing e-waste in North America.
These meetings are open to the public and attendance is free. The public sessions from both days will also be streamed live via webcast on the CEC website, with simultaneous translation into Spanish, French and English and participants will have an opportunity to submit questions online.
About the CEC
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) was established in 1994 by the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States through the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, a parallel environmental agreement to NAFTA. As of 2020, the CEC is recognized and maintained by the Environmental Cooperation Agreement, in parallel with the new Free Trade Agreement of North America. The CEC brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including the general public, Indigenous people, youth, nongovernmental organizations, academia, and the business sector, to seek solutions to protect North America’s shared environment while supporting sustainable development for the benefit of present and future generations
The CEC is governed and funded equally by the Government of Canada through Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Government of the United States of Mexico through the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, and the Government of the United States of America through the Environmental Protection Agency.