Separate Comments of TEPAC Members on the Environment Chapter of the U.S.- Australia Free Trade Agreement

Separate comments from TEPAC members argue that the environment chapter of the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) weakens public participation, cooperation, and remedies for environmental harm compared to other recent U.S. FTAs.

• The U.S.-Australia FTA's mechanisms for public participation are weaker than those in the U.S.-Chile FTA, specifically regarding the lack of references to best efforts for responding to consultation requests and the use of the qualifying phrase "as appropriate" regarding information sharing and public comments.
• The agreement lacks a citizens' submission process and fails to establish a dedicated Environment Affairs Council consisting of cabinet-level members, instead giving a general Joint Committee the discretionary power to create a subcommittee.
• The environment chapter is criticized for using vague language regarding the enforcement of environmental laws and failing to precisely identify sanctions or remedies for violations, contrasting with the US-Chile FTA's clear criteria and legal tools for redress.

APA

Butler, W., Karpatkin, R. H., Magraw, D., & Zaelke, D. (2004). Separate Comments of TEPAC Members on the Environment Chapter of the U.S.- Australia Free Trade Agreement. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Tepac_Comments2_9Mar04.pdf

Chicago

Butler, William, Rhoda H. Karpatkin, Daniel Magraw, and Durwood Zaelke. Separate Comments of TEPAC Members on the Environment Chapter of the U.S.- Australia Free Trade Agreement. Center for International Environmental Law, 2004. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Tepac_Comments2_9Mar04.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Butler |first1=William |last2=Karpatkin |first2=Rhoda H. |last3=Magraw |first3=Daniel |last4=Zaelke |first4=Durwood |title=Separate Comments of TEPAC Members on the Environment Chapter of the U.S.- Australia Free Trade Agreement |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=9 March 2004 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Tepac_Comments2_9Mar04.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{butler2004separate, author = {Butler, William and Karpatkin, Rhoda H. and Magraw, Daniel and Zaelke, Durwood}, title = {{Separate Comments of TEPAC Members on the Environment Chapter of the U.S.- Australia Free Trade Agreement}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2004}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Tepac_Comments2_9Mar04.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }