Don’t fast track a polluters’ bill of rights

Friends of the Earth issued a statement opposing the "Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act" (HR 3830/S 1900), also known as "Fast Track" legislation. The organization argues that this bill would shift power from Congress to the executive branch to expedite the approval of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) without significant debate or amendment.

• Friends of the Earth opposes the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act (HR 3830/S 1900), asserting that it would shift power from Congress to the executive branch and allow the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) to be rushed through without amendment or significant debate.
• The TPP and TTIP agreements are criticized for allowing foreign investors to sue governments for monetary damages to compensate for the costs of complying with environmental and consumer regulations, including lost future profits.
• Climate and energy policies are specifically at risk under TPP and TTIP investment chapters, with potential challenges to decisions regarding the Keystone XL pipeline and the blocking of fossil fuel export terminals in the U.S. via the World Bank or the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
• The agreements may undermine environmental safeguards by encouraging cost-benefit analysis over the "precautionary principle" for toxic chemicals and food imports, and could lead to challenges against the European Fuel Quality Directive regarding North American tar sands oil.
• The TPP and TTIP are described as promoting the privatization of nature, specifically through intellectual property protections for patents on plants and animals and threats to corporate control of water resources.

APA

Fox, A. (2014). Don’t fast track a polluters’ bill of rights. Friends of the Earth. https://foe.org/blog/2014-01-dont-fast-track-a-polluters-bill-of-rights/

Chicago

Fox, Audrey. Don’t fast track a polluters’ bill of rights. Friends of the Earth, 2014. https://foe.org/blog/2014-01-dont-fast-track-a-polluters-bill-of-rights/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Fox |first1=Audrey |title=Don’t fast track a polluters’ bill of rights |publisher=Friends of the Earth |date=24 January 2014 |url=https://foe.org/blog/2014-01-dont-fast-track-a-polluters-bill-of-rights/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{fox2014dont, author = {Fox, Audrey}, title = {{Don’t fast track a polluters’ bill of rights}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth}, year = {2014}, month = jan, url = {https://foe.org/blog/2014-01-dont-fast-track-a-polluters-bill-of-rights/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }