Admin misrepresents environmental groups on the TPP

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration has angered a host of environmentalist organizations with an Internet campaign that suggests green groups broadly support the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership, which environmentalists have in fact been fighting for years.

"So many groups and organizations who care about climate change have repeatedly bashed this corporate giveaway -- and suggesting otherwise is nothing short of misleading cynicism," said Karthik Ganapathy, a spokesman for 350.org, a group focused on mitigating climate change. "Decision-makers should know better than to try and distort our movement's position."

The White House hasn't technically lied about anything. In a March 31 White House blog post reprinted by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Obama advisers Brian Deese and Christy Goldfuss accurately quoted a handful of environmental groups offering praise for parts of the TPP pact. But Deese and Goldfuss didn't quote any of the objections or concerns that those groups also presented, and they ignored the general alarm that other environmental groups have been sounding on the pact for years. (They did link to full versions of the groups' statements, however.) USTR reiterated the green-friendly framing in a tweet linking to the post:

USTR did not respond to a request for comment, but several environmental groups did.

"The White House took some of their statements and spun them out," said Jake Schmidt, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's international program. "There are a large number of environmental groups that came out pretty clearly and said ... 'What we've seen on TPP doesn't look good.'"

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/03/environmentalists-tpp-trade-pact_n_7001184.html

Why we have grave environmental concerns about "fast track" trade authority
Posted April 20, 2015


A "fast track" trade bill was just introduced that would expedite approval of two massive trade agreements. We know enough about these pending trade agreements - one between the U.S. and eleven other countries and the other with the European Union - to reject efforts to put them on a fast lane to becoming law. These agreements could have grave impacts on our bedrock environmental laws and public health protections. That is why we oppose this "fast track" bill. Anyone that cares about the environment and public health should also oppose this bill.

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As NRDC's Executive Director Peter Lehner stated:

"These trade agreements would allow foreign corporations to challenge our chemical safeguards, climate protections and food safety laws at special trade tribunals outside our normal legal system. Congress should reject any fast track legislation that allows expedited approval for trade agreements that can undercut our public health and environmental safeguards."

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http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jschmidt/why_we_have_grave_environmenta.html

350.org, the Sierra Club and other major environmental groups also oppose it.