Policy Update
State Legislators Urge Congress to Reject Fast Track Trade Authority
Washington, DC — State environmental leaders from legislatures across the nation have written to Congressional leadership and U.S. Senate and House members urging a “no” vote on Trade Promotion Authority legislation as voted out of committee.
The letter raises concerns about the secrecy of the trade negotiations and the substance of pending trade agreements, including the system of private corporate justice known as Investor-State Dispute Settlement that has been used to challenge state environmental policies and other regulatory authority.
The letter was circulated by Iowa State Representative Charles Isenhart and Vermont State Senator Virginia Lyons, both of whom are members of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL) and environmental leaders in their states and nationally, and it was signed by a bipartisan group of legislators from 41 states across the country.