🚀 go-pugleaf

From: harelb@math.cornell.edu (Harel Barzilai)
Subject: NAFTA Accord a "Corporate Holiday Give-Away"

[Via misc.activism.progressive]
******************************************************************
Subject: NEWS: NAFTA Accord a "Corporate Holiday Give-Away"
Followup-To: talk.environment
Date: 8 Jan 1993 00:55:44 GMT
******************************************************************

[Greenpeace Press Release from Greenbase -- Redistribute Freely]

          GREENPEACE LAMENTS CORPORATE HOLIDAY BONUS 
             AS PRESIDENT BUSH SIGNS NAFTA ACCORD 

WASHINGTON, December 16, 1992 (GP) -- Decrying President Bush's
signing of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as
a "Corporate Holiday Give-away," Greenpeace today demonstrated
outside the signing ceremony at the Organization of American
States (OAS).  NAFTA is expected to be signed today by the
heads of state of Mexico and Canada as well.

Before the signing ceremony, a Greenpeace banner reading,
"NAFTA: Bush's Going-Out-Of-Business Corporate Give-away" hung
outside the OAS building and corporate "shoppers" received their
final holiday gift from Mr. Bush -- an open check to the natural
resources of all of North America.

"NAFTA is a lump of coal in the stocking of the people of North
America," said Greenpeace's Cam Duncan.  "But it's the best
Holiday ever for greedy multi-nationals."

"This agreement will override strong environmental regulations
that are perceived as barriers to short-term corporate profits,"
Duncan said.  "This will mean more dumping in impoverished
communities, lower environmental and worker standards on all
three countries and fewer incentives for environmentally
sustainable development."  Greenpeace, along with dozens of

	[these things are well-documented on misc.activism.progressive
	every week -- e.g. the Trade News posts. --HB]

other labor, farm-worker, social justice and environmental
organizations, believe NAFTA, in its present form will spell
disaster for the people of all three countries.


Greenpeace's review of the agreement indicates that under NAFTA:


     * Industry will be encouraged to move unrestricted about
North America in search of the cheapest energy, natural
resources and labor.

     * Health, safety and environmental regulations at all
governmental levels will be jeopardized.

     * Oil and gas companies will receive billions in taxpayer
subsidies at the expense of energy efficiency programs and
renewable energy alternatives.

     * Family farmers will be jeopardized, and farm workers will
be put at higher risk of pesticide poisoning.

     * A secretive and undemocratic dispute resolution mechanism
would eliminate citizen oversight.

Greenpeace believes that developing environmentally-sound
trade rules are key to stopping global warming, promoting
renewable energy sources, halting the trade in hazardous wastes,
preserving marine ecosystems, and protecting forests.  "The
fight over NAFTA is really a fight over who will write the rules
of international trade -- the corporations on behalf of their
profits, or the people on behalf of the environment and the
needs of their community," said Duncan.

##################################################################
Email (add "@igc.org")
##################################################################
gpak					EcoNet 
  Shelly L. Montgomery, P.O. Box 104432 
  Anchorage AK USA 99510 
  (907) 277-8234 
  (Greenpeace Alaska Office) 
gpatmos					EcoNet 
  Director, Atmosphere & Energy, 1436 U St NW 
  Washington DC USA 20009 
  (202) 462-1177 
  (Greenpeace) 
  Keys: climate, atmosphere, energy, transport 
gphi					EcoNet 
  Denver Leaman, Exec. Dir., P.O. Box 10909 
  Hilo HI USA 96721 
  (808)935-0770 
  (Greenpeace Hawaii) 
greenbase				EcoNet 
  Bob Lyons, 1726 Commercial Drive 
  Vancouver BC V5N 4A3 CANADA 
  (Greenpeace Vancouver) 
  Keys: Alternet 
greendisk				EcoNet 
  Will Sugg, P.O. Box 32224 
  Washington DC USA 20007 
  H:202-673-4175 
  Keys: conservation, wildlife, biodiversity, activism, marine 
  Personal: Greenpeace; NWF; Sierra Club 
greensfelder				PeaceNet 
  Claire Greensfelder 
  Washington DC USA 20009 
  (Greenpeace USA) 
  Personal: Nuclear Campaigns Director, Greenpeace