U.S. NAFTA Negotiating Objectives Fail to Put Citizens First

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) criticizes the 2017 U.S. NAFTA negotiating objectives for prioritizing corporate interests over public health, labor rights, and the environment. CIEL highlights the failure to address Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS), the promotion of fossil fuel investment in Mexico, and the lack of binding environmental enforcement and transparency.

• CIEL argues that the U.S. NAFTA negotiating objectives are neither detailed nor comprehensive, noting that they often copy the 2015 Trade Promotion Act (TPA) requirements word for word and fail to explain how the agreement will further TPA objectives.
• The Trump administration is criticized for not taking a stance on Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS), a mechanism that CIEL claims allows corporations to sue countries for enforcing health, labor, and environmental regulations.
• CIEL expresses concern that the objectives' call for "regulatory compatibility" and the use of "impact assessments" to avoid "unnecessary redundancies" could lead to a "race to the bottom" and block regulations protecting against chemicals or new technology.
• The negotiating objectives are criticized for promoting investment in energy and energy transmission while ignoring climate change and failing to promote green energy. CIEL notes that the U.S. and Mexico are seeking to exploit Mexico's untapped oil and gas reserves and argues the new agreement should include a binding requirement to comply with the Paris Agreement.
• CIEL asserts that current environmental enforcement in trade agreements is ineffective, citing a CAFTA-D.R. panel decision regarding a labor dispute between the U.S. and Guatemala as evidence that the legal bar for violations is nearly impossible to meet.

APA

Cooper, A. J. (2017). U.S. NAFTA Negotiating Objectives Fail to Put Citizens First. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/u-s-nafta-negotiating-objectives-fail-put-citizens-first/

Chicago

Cooper, Anthony J. U.S. NAFTA Negotiating Objectives Fail to Put Citizens First. Center for International Environmental Law, 2017. https://www.ciel.org/u-s-nafta-negotiating-objectives-fail-put-citizens-first/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Cooper |first1=Anthony J. |title=U.S. NAFTA Negotiating Objectives Fail to Put Citizens First |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=19 July 2017 |url=https://www.ciel.org/u-s-nafta-negotiating-objectives-fail-put-citizens-first/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{cooper2017nafta, author = {Cooper, Anthony J.}, title = {{U.S. NAFTA Negotiating Objectives Fail to Put Citizens First}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2017}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ciel.org/u-s-nafta-negotiating-objectives-fail-put-citizens-first/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }