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Media Release

Join the discussion on North America’s energy future

Special session will present proposed revisions to guidelines for citizen submissions on enforcement matters

Montreal, 13 April 2012—Whether you’re in Canada, Mexico or the United States, don’t miss the chance to get involved in next week’s public forum on North America’s energy future.

The forum, “Powering a Low-carbon Economy for 2030 and Beyond,” organized by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s Joint Public Advisory Committee, will be webcast from Toronto on Wednesday, 18 April, simultaneously in English, Spanish and French.

We’ll also be live-blogging this forum, which means that you’ll not only be able to follow the highlights of the event, but you’ll also be able to add your comments and questions, live. Sign up for a reminder now at www.cec.org/energy2012.

Tweets with hashtag #NAenergy will also be posted on the live blog. You can also join the discussion at www.facebook.com/CECconnect or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CECweb.

Forum discussions will be led by a diverse group of North American energy experts, including:

  • Jatin Nathwani, Executive Director, Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy
  • Jan Carr, Strategic Advisor, International Initiatives, Gowlings International
  • Peter Miller, Senior Scientist, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
  • Leonardo Beltrán, consultant and lead author of the report, “Hacia un Mercado Norteamericano de Energías Renovables”
  • Dave Pelunis-Messier, Energy Department Manager, Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council, on energy challenges in remote communities.

Citizen Submissions on Enforcement

The last session of the forum, starting at 3:15 pm, will feature a presentation of proposed revisions to the CEC’s Guidelines for Submissions on Enforcement Matters under Articles 14 and 15 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation. Members of a trilateral task force created by the CEC’s Council of federal environment ministers to review the submission process will discuss and answer questions about the proposed revisions. JPAC will soon be announcing a 30-day public comment on the proposed revisions.

About the CEC

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) was established in 1994 by the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States through the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, a parallel environmental agreement to NAFTA. As of 2020, the CEC is recognized and maintained by the Environmental Cooperation Agreement, in parallel with the new Free Trade Agreement of North America. The CEC brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including the general public, Indigenous people, youth, nongovernmental organizations, academia, and the business sector, to seek solutions to protect North America’s shared environment while supporting sustainable development for the benefit of present and future generations

The CEC is governed and funded equally by the Government of Canada through Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Government of the United States of Mexico through the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, and the Government of the United States of America through the Environmental Protection Agency.

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