Mexico, the United States and Canada have reached an agreement that has assuaged concerns—for now, at least—that they were planning secretly to curb the powers of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), the tri-national environmental watchdog. Going into last month’s annual meeting of the CEC, the three North American free-trade partners faced mounting criticism from non-governmental organizations. At issue was the central mechanism of the CEC, which was set up as a side deal to the North American Free Trade Agreement, allowing citizens and non-governmental groups in the three countries to lodge complaints against lax enforcement of environmental laws. About 100 NGOs had accused the three countries of attempting to limit the investigative abilities of the CEC. Canada and... [Log in to read more]