Foundation News

This week, more than 120 Members of Congress sent a clear message to the United States Trade Representative: the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact must have a robust, fully enforceable environment chapter that addresses the core conservation challenges of the region.

In response, Ilana Solomon, Director of the Sierra Club’s Responsible Trade Program, released the following statement:

"Members of Congress have sent a clear message that they will not accept a Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal if it lacks a fully enforceable and robust environment chapter.

Recently leaked documents show us that while the U.S. government is pushing to strengthen conservation elements of the chapter, it’s also pushing to weaken rules related to climate disruption and biodiversity.

An acceptable environment chapter must address many challenges -- from trade in illegally harvested timber to harmful practices like shark finning -- and would need to be supported by a full trade deal that doesn’t cut away at progress that has been made to keep our air, water, and land clean. That means negotiators should reject the dispute resolution process that gives corporations unfettered rights, and the U.S. government should push to ensure foreign companies don't seize control of American gas exports and open the floodgate to more dangerous fracking."

The Sierra Club Foundation is a major funder of the Responsible Trade Program, which seeks to educate the public and decision-makers about the environmental and economic implications of trade and investment policies and coordinate the efforts of environmental and other allied organizations. The program has shed a light on the environmental threats posed by our current global trading system for close to two decades. We work to ensure that trade, when done properly, fosters development and sustainable growth, while also protecting workers and the environment in the United States and abroad.