An environmental watchdog that enables citizens of Mexico, Canada and the United States to file complaints against lax enforcement of laws is seeing its own guidelines placed under the microscope. Talks concerning the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) came to light in late April, when non-governmental organizations accused the three North American free-trade partners of holding secret negotiations to curb the tri-national body’s investigative powers. Ninety-one NGOs including the Mexican Environmental Law Center, the World Wildlife Fund and the Canadian Environmental Law Association demanded a halt to the talks and an explanation as to why changes are being contemplated. “We are disturbed…to learn that the three NAFTA governments have been secretly negotiating new CEC rules that would reduce the ability... [Log in to read more]