So much for environmental issues in the Democratic platform
Miriam
Excerpt: "This morning, as the most recent round of trade negotiations
between the U.S. and European Union began in Brussels, the Guardian reported
a leaked document from the EU that reveals its intentions to include new,
dangerous language in the proposed energy chapter of the Transatlantic Trade
and Investment Partnership (TTIP)."
'TTIP. Beware What Lies Beneath.' (photo: Greensefa/Wikimedia)
Leaked Document Reveals Alarming New Environmental Threats of TTIP
By Sierra Club, EcoWatch
11 July 16
A Sierra Club analysis of the leaked TTIP proposal finds that it would:
. Require the U.S. and the EU "to eliminate all existing restrictions
on the export of natural gas in trade between" the two parties;
. Undermine clean energy policies, such as renewable portfolio
standards or feed-in tariffs, by stating that electricity utilities in the
U.S. and the EU shall not discriminate "between types of energy" in granting
access to the electrical grid;
. Obligate the U.S. and the EU to "foster industry self-regulation" on
energy efficiency rather than using mandatory requirements that oblige
corporations to boost the energy efficiency of their products; and
. Threaten protections against destructive extraction of fossil fuels
and natural resources in countries outside of the U.S. and EU.
"This leaked document goes farther than any past leaked or publicly
available TTIP document on energy to reveal the threat that the deal poses
to our efforts to protect our climate by fully transitioning to clean
energy, Ilana Solomon, director of the Sierra Club's Responsible Trade
Program, said.
"For example, never before have we seen a more explicit and sweeping
assertion that all gas export restrictions in the United States should be
wiped out under TTIP-a nightmare that would be a giant leap backward in our
fight to keep fossil fuels in the ground. This leak, along with the
similarly toxic Trans-Pacific Partnership, shows the immediate need for a
new model of trade that protects working families, healthy communities and
our climate."
The leaked document, is the EU's proposal for a Chapter on Energy and Raw
Materials, sent from the European Commission to the Trade Policy Committee
of the European Council on June 20. A cover note states that the textual
proposal "is to be submitted to the United States in advance of the next
negotiation round," which began today. The Sierra Club's analysis on key
aspects of today's leak can be found here. This is the latest in a string of
uncovered TTIP documents. Other leaked TTIP energy proposals include a
September 2013 leaked document and a May 2014 leaked document.
The leaked TTIP proposal would:
. Require unfettered gas exports
The EU uses a note in the leaked text to state that TTIP "must" include "a
legally binding commitment to eliminate all existing restrictions on the
export of natural gas in trade between" the U.S. and EU (see initial
"disclaimer.") This sweeping TTIP obligation would "eliminate," the ability
of the U.S. Department of Energy to determine whether it is in the public
interest to export liquefied natural gas (LNG)-a fossil fuel with high
climate emissions-to the EU, the world's third-largest LNG importer. If
included, this TTIP rule would facilitate increased LNG exports, greater
dependency on a climate-disrupting fossil fuel, more fracking and expanded
fossil fuel infrastructure.
. Undermine clean energy policies
The leaked TTIP proposal could undermine U.S. and EU policies that encourage
clean energy production, such as renewable portfolio standards that require
utilities to increase electricity from renewable sources or feed-in tariffs
that give wind and solar power producers preferential access to the
electrical grid. The EU's TTIP proposal includes a new provision stating
that electricity utilities in the U.S. and EU shall not discriminate
"between types of energy" in granting access to the electrical grid, even
though that is the very purpose of such U.S. and EU policies that require
utilities to favor clean energy over electricity from dirty fossil fuels.
The leaked text only allows "limited" exceptions to this rule. To qualify
for such an exception, a government could have to prove to a TTIP tribunal
that its clean energy policy was "necessary," "objective" and
"legitimate"-hurdles that public interest policies have failed to meet in
past trade challenges (see Chapter on Energy and Raw Materials, Article 4.)
. Obligating the U.S. and the EU to "foster industry self-regulation" on
energy efficiency
Another new EU proposal for TTIP states that the U.S. and EU "shall foster
industry self-regulation of energy efficiency requirements" rather than
using "mandatory requirements" that oblige corporations to boost the energy
efficiency of their products (see Chapter on Energy and Raw Materials,
Article 6.2.) The text prescribes this "self-regulating" approach when it
"is likely to deliver the policy objectives faster or in a less costly
manner" than actually requiring corporations to comply with energy
efficiency policies. This provision could threaten the minimum efficiency
requirements that the U.S. Department of Energy imposes through its
Appliance and Equipment Standards Program on more than 60 types of
appliances and equipment, from refrigerators to furnaces, which save
consumers billions of dollars while cutting hundreds of millions of tons of
climate pollution each year.
. Undermine protections against destructive extraction
The proposed TTIP text includes a new provision that would encourage the
U.S. and the EU to jointly pressure countries around the world to abandon
protections against destructive extractive activities. The provision states
that the U.S. and EU "shall cooperate" to "reduce or eliminate trade and
investment distorting measures in third countries affecting energy and raw
materials" (see Chapter on Energy and Raw Materials, Article 8). That is,
the U.S. and EU must try to reduce or eliminate environmental policies in
non-TTIP countries if they inhibit trade or investment in fossil fuels like
oil, coal and gas; natural resources like wood; and minerals like copper and
lead (all of which are included in the text's definitions of "energy" and
"raw materials"-see Chapter on Energy and Raw Materials, Annex I). Such
TTIP-required pressure from the U.S. and EU would threaten many countries'
protections against fossil fuel extraction, logging and mining. This
dangerous TTIP proposal undercuts the text's weak proposal for the U.S. and
EU to cooperate to "promote" positive goals such as "corporate social
responsibility," "the efficient use of resources" and "safety and
environmental protection for offshore oil, gas and mining operations" (see
Chapter on Energy and Raw Materials, Article 8).
. Read the Sierra Club's report on how TTIP and TPP investment rules would
empower major polluters to challenge U.S. climate protections in private
tribunals here: sc.org/climate-roadblocks
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'TTIP. Beware What Lies Beneath.' (photo: Greensefa/Wikimedia)
http://www.ecowatch.com/leaked-document-reveals-alarming-new-environmental-t
hreats-of-ttip-1915539193.htmlhttp://www.ecowatch.com/leaked-document-reveal
s-alarming-new-environmental-threats-of-ttip-1915539193.html
Leaked Document Reveals Alarming New Environmental Threats of TTIP
By Sierra Club, EcoWatch
11 July 16
Sierra Club analysis of the leaked TTIP proposal finds that it would:
. Require the U.S. and the EU "to eliminate all existing restrictions
on the export of natural gas in trade between" the two parties;
. Undermine clean energy policies, such as renewable portfolio
standards or feed-in tariffs, by stating that electricity utilities in the
U.S. and the EU shall not discriminate "between types of energy" in granting
access to the electrical grid;
. Obligate the U.S. and the EU to "foster industry self-regulation" on
energy efficiency rather than using mandatory requirements that oblige
corporations to boost the energy efficiency of their products; and
. Threaten protections against destructive extraction of fossil fuels
and natural resources in countries outside of the U.S. and EU.
"This leaked document goes farther than any past leaked or publicly
available TTIP document on energy to reveal the threat that the deal poses
to our efforts to protect our climate by fully transitioning to clean
energy, Ilana Solomon, director of the Sierra Club's Responsible Trade
Program, said.
"For example, never before have we seen a more explicit and sweeping
assertion that all gas export restrictions in the United States should be
wiped out under TTIP-a nightmare that would be a giant leap backward in our
fight to keep fossil fuels in the ground. This leak, along with the
similarly toxic Trans-Pacific Partnership, shows the immediate need for a
new model of trade that protects working families, healthy communities and
our climate."
The leaked document, is the EU's proposal for a Chapter on Energy and Raw
Materials, sent from the European Commission to the Trade Policy Committee
of the European Council on June 20. A cover note states that the textual
proposal "is to be submitted to the United States in advance of the next
negotiation round," which began today. The Sierra Club's analysis on key
aspects of today's leak can be found here. This is the latest in a string of
uncovered TTIP documents. Other leaked TTIP energy proposals include a
September 2013 leaked document and a May 2014 leaked document.
The leaked TTIP proposal would:
. Require unfettered gas exports
The EU uses a note in the leaked text to state that TTIP "must" include "a
legally binding commitment to eliminate all existing restrictions on the
export of natural gas in trade between" the U.S. and EU (see initial
"disclaimer.") This sweeping TTIP obligation would "eliminate," the ability
of the U.S. Department of Energy to determine whether it is in the public
interest to export liquefied natural gas (LNG)-a fossil fuel with high
climate emissions-to the EU, the world's third-largest LNG importer. If
included, this TTIP rule would facilitate increased LNG exports, greater
dependency on a climate-disrupting fossil fuel, more fracking and expanded
fossil fuel infrastructure.
. Undermine clean energy policies
The leaked TTIP proposal could undermine U.S. and EU policies that encourage
clean energy production, such as renewable portfolio standards that require
utilities to increase electricity from renewable sources or feed-in tariffs
that give wind and solar power producers preferential access to the
electrical grid. The EU's TTIP proposal includes a new provision stating
that electricity utilities in the U.S. and EU shall not discriminate
"between types of energy" in granting access to the electrical grid, even
though that is the very purpose of such U.S. and EU policies that require
utilities to favor clean energy over electricity from dirty fossil fuels.
The leaked text only allows "limited" exceptions to this rule. To qualify
for such an exception, a government could have to prove to a TTIP tribunal
that its clean energy policy was "necessary," "objective" and
"legitimate"-hurdles that public interest policies have failed to meet in
past trade challenges (see Chapter on Energy and Raw Materials, Article 4.)
. Obligating the U.S. and the EU to "foster industry self-regulation" on
energy efficiency
Another new EU proposal for TTIP states that the U.S. and EU "shall foster
industry self-regulation of energy efficiency requirements" rather than
using "mandatory requirements" that oblige corporations to boost the energy
efficiency of their products (see Chapter on Energy and Raw Materials,
Article 6.2.) The text prescribes this "self-regulating" approach when it
"is likely to deliver the policy objectives faster or in a less costly
manner" than actually requiring corporations to comply with energy
efficiency policies. This provision could threaten the minimum efficiency
requirements that the U.S. Department of Energy imposes through its
Appliance and Equipment Standards Program on more than 60 types of
appliances and equipment, from refrigerators to furnaces, which save
consumers billions of dollars while cutting hundreds of millions of tons of
climate pollution each year.
. Undermine protections against destructive extraction
The proposed TTIP text includes a new provision that would encourage the
U.S. and the EU to jointly pressure countries around the world to abandon
protections against destructive extractive activities. The provision states
that the U.S. and EU "shall cooperate" to "reduce or eliminate trade and
investment distorting measures in third countries affecting energy and raw
materials" (see Chapter on Energy and Raw Materials, Article 8). That is,
the U.S. and EU must try to reduce or eliminate environmental policies in
non-TTIP countries if they inhibit trade or investment in fossil fuels like
oil, coal and gas; natural resources like wood; and minerals like copper and
lead (all of which are included in the text's definitions of "energy" and
"raw materials"-see Chapter on Energy and Raw Materials, Annex I). Such
TTIP-required pressure from the U.S. and EU would threaten many countries'
protections against fossil fuel extraction, logging and mining. This
dangerous TTIP proposal undercuts the text's weak proposal for the U.S. and
EU to cooperate to "promote" positive goals such as "corporate social
responsibility," "the efficient use of resources" and "safety and
environmental protection for offshore oil, gas and mining operations" (see
Chapter on Energy and Raw Materials, Article 8).
. Read the Sierra Club's report on how TTIP and TPP investment rules would
empower major polluters to challenge U.S. climate protections in private
tribunals here: sc.org/climate-roadblocks
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
