Submissions on Enforcement Matters: What Have We Learned?
A Retrospective Review of Performance
Submissions on Enforcement Matters: What Have We Learned?
A Retrospective Review of Performance
Description
This report assesses the performance and impact of the Submissions on Enforcement Matters (SEM) process from 1994 through 2021. The SEM process allows persons and nongovernmental organizations to file submissions with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation asserting that Canada, the United States of America, or Mexico is failing to effectively enforce its environmental laws and provides procedures for developing information concerning the asserted enforcement matters. The SEM process operated under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC) from 1994 to June 2020 and now operates under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA/CUSMA) since July 2020. This report considers the objectives of the SEM process, its legal foundations, its implementation over time, and its results. The report considers the role of the process in promoting transparency, accountability, and public participation, as well as whether it has met its expected environmental objectives.
Additional Information