What Is a Submission?
A submission is a written document filed by the public with the Secretariat asserting that Canada, Mexico or the United States is failing to effectively enforce its environmental law.
A submission is the first step in the Submissions on Enforcement Matters (SEM) process and can lead to the production of a Factual Record. A Factual Record is a type of investigative report that includes technical, scientific, and legal information as well as interviews with government officials and analysis from independent experts. It documents the environmental, legal, and/or public health aspects of the situation.
For more information, watch this short film about one community’s success using the SEM process.
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Avocado Production in Michoacán
Submission ID: SEM-23-002
The Submitter asserts that Mexico is failing to effectively enforce its environmental laws to protect forest ecosystems and water quality from the adverse environmental impacts of avocado production in Michoacán, Mexico.
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Factual Record
Registry of Submissions
Illegal Logging in Jalisco
Submission ID: SEM-23-006
May 17, 2023
The submission asserts that Mexico is failing to effectively enforce its environmental laws, including the Sustainable Forest Development Act and the Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection Act, to prevent illegal logging and forest land use change in the municipality of Cuautla, Jalisco,...
Valle de Bravo-Amanalco Sub-Basin
Submission ID: SEM-23-005
May 15, 2023
The Submitters assert that Mexico is failing to effectively enforce its environmental laws including constitutional law, the National Waters Act, the Ecological Balance Act and Environmental Protection Act to protect forests, biodiversity, and water resources from degradation and contamination in...
La Primavera Forest II
Submission ID: SEM-23-004
May 11, 2023
The Submitter asserts that Mexico is failing to effectively enforce its environmental laws to adequately evaluate the environmental impacts of a residential development in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, near La Primavera Forest Protected Area in Jalisco, Mexico. The area is also designated as a biosphere...
Agave Production in Jalisco
Submission ID: SEM-23-003
April 11, 2023
The Submitter asserts that agave production, as a resource-intensive industry, results in extensive land-use change and deforestation in Jalisco, which in turn contributes to desertification in already semi-arid areas of the state, major landslides and flooding in some municipalities, and aquifer...
Avocado Production in Michoacán
Submission ID: SEM-23-002
February 2, 2023
The Submitter asserts that Mexico is failing to effectively enforce its environmental laws to protect forest ecosystems and water quality from the adverse environmental impacts of avocado production in Michoacán, Mexico. In submission SEM-23-002 (Avocado Production in Michoacán), the Submitter...
Residential Development in San Cristóbal de las Casas
Submission ID: SEM-23-001
January 11, 2023
In submission SEM-23-001 (Residential Development in San Cristóbal de las Casas), the Submitter asserts that Mexico is failing to effectively enforce its environmental laws to protect forest resources and birds, including an endangered species, in relation to housing developments around...
Compliance Tracker
This tool has been established to provide the public with a resource to track compliance with the SEM process deadlines established under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, the Guidelines for Submissions on Enforcement Matters and Articles 24.27 and 24.28 of the Environment Chapter of the free trade agreement between Canada, Mexico and the United States (CUSMA, T-MEC, USMCA).
Compliance TrackerContact SEM
If you have questions about the submission process, contact the SEM unit:
Paolo Solano Tovar
Director, Legal Affairs and Submissions on Enforcement Matters (SEM)
(514) 350-4321